Our big trip to Florida

Sometime when Max was much smaller and much less mobile, we decided we should fly to St. Augustine to visit The O'Donnells.  Jack had such a great time with them last time they were up and we hadn't been down to visit them since before Jack was born, so it was definitely time!


We planned it far enough in advance that Jack was initially excited about the idea of flying, then got scared, and (thankfully) then excited again!  We read books and talked about planes and such before we went and when the day came, he was really, really excited!  He loved watching all the happenings on the tarmac while we waited and really did great on the plane.

We didn't buy Max a seat since when we booked it he was so tiny and being a "lap child" seemed quite reasonable.  He was almost too big for that when the time actually came, or maybe just a bit too interested in being mobile...but it worked out ok.  It just took a little work to keep him occupied and still.  Although, he did sleep one entire leg of it, so I shouldn't complain at all!

We were greeted by the cutest little sign when we made it to Jacksonville!  A big thank you to Ellie for that - it really made us feel extra special!  Jack was being a bit shy and wouldn't get in the picture but that didn't last long...

He was in heaven the entire time we were there!  Two big cousins to play with him, a swimming pool, 2 dogs, a ton of "new" toys and such to explore.  It was so much fun to watch!

We arrived Wednesday evening and on Thursday, Emory and Ellie were able to stay home with us and we all went to the wonderful Jacksonville zoo.  Jack studied the map and helped us find our way...

They had a dinosaur exhibit, which we thought Jack would really love.  It was really neat - they were quite life-like.  Maybe a bit too life-like?  Jack was pretty scared when we got started, but was ok eventually. 

Max was unphased.

His favorite part of it may have been the sand pit at the end.  This kid LOVES some sand.

At some point in the dino exhibit, Emory gave Jack his sunglasses to help him feel more brave.  It was so sweet and it worked quite well!   Thanks Emory!

The giraffe exhibit was my favorite.  And I LOVE this picture of Ellie feeding them.  

This picture just makes me laugh.  It looks very uncomfortable!

Look how cute they are!

Friday Emory and Ellie had to go to school.  Emory had FOUR tests and Ellie had a celebration!  We decided to walk down to the Intercoastal and see what we could see.

There were LOTS of crabs!

But fortunately we didn't see any of these...

We had hoped to see Emory and Ellie swim in a swim meet Friday night, but it was rained out. :(  

We spent our evenings at home hanging out and eating the yummy meals Aunt Stephanie fixed!  That was fun too.  Max thinks Uncle Dan is a bit silly!

Jack got to make smores on their very cool table with the fire pit in the middle.  As I was busy snapping pictures, Max, who was in my lap, was busy learning about cacti.

At some point I looked over and on the table next to me was an overturned flower pot.  Max is very grabby, so I immediately scolded him and turned the flower pot back upright.  Right about then I realized there had been a cactus in the pot and it was now in my lap.  He'd grabbed it and moved it.  It was a small cactus full of baby fine needles.  And there were probably 5000 of them stuck in his tiny hand.  We spent the rest of the night googling how to remove cactus needles from your skin and trying all sorts of things...glue, tape, baby oil, alcohol, etc.  Nothing worked that great really - they were just SO tiny you could barely see them.  Eventually Max fell asleep, we got what we could out and by morning they seemed to have worked their way out on their own.  It was pretty awful.  I felt HORRIBLE.  I'd been too busy watching Jack and making sure he didn't burn himself and taking pictures that I didn't even pay attention to what Max was doing.  Poor fella.  He took it really well though.

Saturday we all headed down to St. Augustine Beach.  It as a PERFECT beach day.  Sunny, hot, and a nice breeze!

Max ate at least 4 handfuls of sand.  He will put ANYTHING in his mouth.  He's happy though!

Jack LOVED the ocean!  He was a bit weary of sea creatures, but still loved it.  At some point, he was sitting in an innertube in the water and Kenny was next to him holding on to the tube.  Kenny shifted and his knee hit Jack underneath the water.  Jack screamed SEA CREATURE and flipped out!  He had no idea it was just Kenny's knee and was sure something was coming to get him!  We have laughed and laughed about that!

After all day at the beach we came home and played in the pool for a bit.  Max thought it was great.  I'm sad I have zero pictures of Jack in the pool, but he enjoyed it too, though he preferred the warm spa part better than the pool itself.  

It was a great trip and I'm so glad we went.  I wish they lived closer and we could see more of them, but it was so nice to have a few days with nothing else to do and nowhere else to be, but together.  I know Jack had the time of his life and I look forward to watching his relationships with Emory and Ellie grow through the years.  I can't wait for Max to really get to know them too.  They are such great cousins!  Thanks O'Donnells for all you did and for all the fun you helped us have!  We love you!