Our trip to FL...

(Prepare yourself for the longest post ever! That is why it took so long to get it up.)

Our trip started with a ride in Dada's new car down to Va Beach. The P loves Dada's new car and thinks it is so cool to talk on the phone through the car speakers. We hung out with Gigi and Pop Pop for the afternoon and evening, got a good night's sleep, and woke up at the crack of dawn to head to the airport.

We attached The P's car seat to these wheels and pulled her through the airport. Great news! There were open seats on our flight, so she was able to get her own seat for her very first airplane trip. She looked out the window at the clouds and over the water and then ate lots of snacks and played with her toys and crayons.

By 9am we were already in Jacksonville! Meredith and Eden met us at the airport. I really think the girls remembered each other.

The first day there was a threat of rain and we were super tired so we stayed close to home. We took the girls to the playground and then they splashed in the pool together out back. The P got reacquainted with Cooper, and loved his kisses.

Our second day, Friday, we got to see a little more of Jacksonville. We went out to a nice lunch and then toured the Budweiser factory. In the evening a babysitter came over so that the Mamas and Dadas could go to an "adult dinner". It was super yummy and we had the best waiter ever!

By Saturday were well rested and ready for a big day. The weather was finally sunny, so we took a drive down to the beach. Great news...The P LOVED the beach. She was totally in her element. She ran through the sand and out into the water. She wasn't even discouraged when she "swam" (i.e. fell) in the waves. When we left she kept saying "I wanna go to the beach!"

When we got home we re-packed our bags, and got back in the car to drive down to Orlando. We stayed with Meredith and Jeremy's friends overnight in Orlando and got a good night sleep to rest up for...MICKEY MOUSE'S HOUSE!!

On Sunday, we woke up super early to get dressed and ready for Disney World. Our plan was to get there by 8:30 so we would be ready to enter the park as soon as it opened at 9. True to form, we were running late, but not too late. We entered the parking lot at about 9 (with tons of other cars). By the time we parked, walked from one end of the lot to the other, waited in line, rode a tram to the ticket booths, waited in line, and rode the monorail to the entrance it was already 10! (Note to self for the next time, it's not as easy as parking and walking through the gates.)

Once we were in the park we headed straight for some kiddie rides. The P rode the carousel and the Dumbo ride, ate/drank a chocolate milk shake, and played in Pooh's Playful Spot (where we waved to Tigger and Pooh).

Then we walked over to Mickey's Toontown Fair where we toured Mickey's house and then finally met The Mouse himself. The P walked cautiously up to Mickey and Minnie. She stayed a safe arm's distance away but she did say "hi" and play peek-a-boo with them. Next we rode a train to Frontier Land and finally stopped for a lunch break.

We contemplated leaving a couple times during the day. It was definitely tricky managing two toddlers during their normal naptime. It isn't as easy to fall asleep in the stroller as it used to be. Finally The P fell asleep for about an hour, while Eden was up and alternately screaming and playing with the ducks.

Around the same time that The P woke up, Eden fell asleep. While Eden napped we took The P on "it's a small world". She absolutely loved it! As we rode the boat through the ride she waved to all of the dancing characters. She had her giraffe blankie with her, so she held it up so it could see the characters too. It was so fun to see her enjoy the ride so much.

Our next mission was to get back to the car.

We decided to take the ferry instead of the monorail this time. It was nice since it wasn't crowded. We made a quick change, checked out the Mickey Mouse bushes, and boarded the tram to the parking lot.

Once back at the car we figured out how to reload everything and were on our way. It was getting late by the time we got on the road, so we drove for about an hour and then stopped at a grocery store for dinner. Back in the car, and back to Jacksonville. The girls stayed awake singing, playing, and screaming most of the ride. The P fell asleep around 9:30 (about 15 minutes before we got home) and I swear Eden was sleeping with her eyes open.

Our late night was followed by an early morning. We got The P into bed, organized our belongings, and headed to bed ourselves so that we could wake up for our 8am flight. On the flight home, The P didn't get her own seat, but she did a great job sitting/laying on our laps and in the space between our seats. We still had a long drive home after we arrived in Norfolk, but all in all it was a great trip! I know The P won't remember it, but we have lots of pictures and we'll always have our memories to talk about.