So we have been home from our vacation for over a week now and to say I have yet to get out from under my depression funk, would be an understatement! LOL We had such a fantastic time that I truly did not want it to end. Not in the least bit. My parent's home in Naples is absolutely, breathtakingly, GORGEOUS! I loved every inch of it, especially "OUR" guest room! I felt like I was in a hotel the entire time we were there. The best part was being able to spend time with Mom & Dad. That to me, was the greatest gift. It was wonderful to see Mom so happy and fantastic to finally get some much needed bonding time with my Dad. To be able to smoke our cigar together at night and ponder the world's problems! I am such a Daddy's girl.
Of course there were a few bumps along the way. No sooner did we get off the plane Sunday evening and get the kids settled in bed, my Layla woke up with a 104 fever. It lasted for 5 days and then finally broke. She had no other symptoms and aside from being fussy, she really was a trooper about it. I did take her to the hospital on Marco Island to be sure that there wasn't a complication from her ear tube surgery she had a few days prior to us leaving. Yet, everything checked out so it obviously had to be a virus.
We spent tons of time in the pool with the kids, which they adored. We took walks and went for ice cream. We went to the Naples Zoo which was fantastic. What a pretty zoo and Mom got to see her beloved giraffes. We took a dozen trips to Walmart to stock our supplies..lol We ate our breakfast and had our coffee out on the lanai. We relaxed, we played and we enjoyed every single second of the most gorgeous weather.
On Friday, we got up super early and piled into the minivan and headed up to Orlando. (YES, I was able to drive a minivan.. and loved every single second of it) We met Grammy, Grampy and Auntie Jill up there and headed on out to Animal Kingdom. This was my first time in Animal Kingdom and I thought it was phenomenal. I would have loved to have had more time to spend in this park and to be able to see it in it's entirety. Hannah had a blast riding the Mt. Everest roller coaster. I think she and Billy went on it three times. She too, is a Daddy's girl!
Saturday we spent the entire day in the Magic Kingdom. I swear there is no place better. Unfortunately it was extremely crowded and Layla had a tough time adjusting to the masses of people. Yet, we still enjoyed ourselves and took in as much as we could before the park closed at midnight. Hannah was able to be dressed and made up to be a pirate. Something we just stumbled upon after coming off the "Pirate's of the Caribbean" ride. This was worth every penny and she had a BLAST! I was finally able to catch the firework display at night. Layla lit up at the sight of Tinkerbell on the float during the parade. Surely it doesn't matter how old you are, Disney is still the most magical place on earth.
Sunday we went to Hollywood Studios before making our trek back to Naples. From "The Little Mermaid", to "The Tower of Terror".. the thrills were all about us. I even finally was able to get on "The Rocking Roller coaster" for the first time ever. SO FUN! I wish I could have done it a million times! We all had such a great time and I cant even begin to explain how GOOD my Cameron was! He just rolled with it all. My happy little guy!
So I happily cross that one off my "Bucket List". To be able to take all three kids to Disney with both sets of grandparents was truly a very special moment in time for me.
We headed on back to Naples and then spent Monday at the pool before gearing up for our trip home. I really cant say enough about how much I love Naples. Of course I cried like a baby leaving my parents. I still get all teared up thinking about how it will be another month before I am able to physically hug them again. Although we talk every day.. it is still tough on us to have them so far away.
Now here we are, a week out from being home and I still have that "I want to go BACK" feeling in my gut! LOL I have been keeping busy with work and cleaning our entire house. Did I say "Cleaning" ? I meant SCRUBBING AND THROWING OUT every last bit of clutter! Remember when I said I would never Spring Clean? I take it back. I am Spring Cleaning my butt off! After being in my parent's home for a week, we got home and realized we had been slacking quite a bit! So now we are on a rampage to declutter, organize and scrub the entire house! It does make me feel good to finally have a chance to clean all the things I keep trying to ignore. Only a few rooms left and then my mission will be complete.. then we can concentrate on PAINTING! LOL Does it really ever end?
My little love bug Cameron has somehow found himself fighting off a bout of pneumonia and an ear infection. Something he had to have picked up on the plane. I originally thought it was just a cold, but as his fever rose over the weekend and his sleep habits totally changed, I decided to take him in yesterday. The poor little bug. He is so not himself. Hopefully after a few more doses of the antibiotics, he will be back to his happy self. I will say that he took the nebulizer treatments a gazillion times better than Miss Layla ever did! She saw me get out the machine last night and FREAKED! It took me five minutes to calm her down and explain this time it was for Cameron and not her.
Heading out to an art show tonight for my Hannah banana meatball. A piece of her artwork was chosen to be displayed amongst several school systems to honor Art Month. She is so excited and so are we! As it stands she has decorated our dining room with pieces of art that she creates on a daily basis. (Only allowed because we know we are painting it in the near future) However, I think with this talent of hers, we will need to find a place to display her creativity!
So that is it in a nutshell. Plugging forward and hoping for some nice Spring weather in the near future. Gearing up for some outdoor photo shoots as well. Counting down the days til I can get outside and have some fun with the kiddos!
I will post some photos from home this evening as they are all on that computer!
Love to you all!
xoxoxo
