Flo - Rida : Dawson Style

Florida. Hmmm. What can I say about Flo-Rida? (that's what Eli & I call it) Well to start with, I can say that WE LOVE IT!! I can also tell you that all of our kids have decided that they want to live there when they are older. Needless to say, Grandma & PaPa were very happy to hear that!

When we go on vacation we tend to have a whirlwind trip but we always have fun. Our last trip to Florida was a month after our honeymoon and we drove my mom's van to Disneyworld. That was awesome! So, in keeping with tradition....we borrowed mom's van again and drove to Deer Field Beach, FL. We left KC around 5pm on Thursday and arrived at Grandma's Friday night. Scott and I drove straight thru while the kids watched movies, played games, listened to music, ate and slept. We are like a traveling circus! I only wish everyone needed potty breaks at the same time...

First of 630 photos taken on our trip...still in KS. The kids LOVE to travel and want to live in an RV. Oh my!


This was taken in Georgia...notice the state of the van...and the children!
You would think they had been in the van for 20 hours or something.

Our first night at Grandma's was great because we got to meet most of the family. The kids had never met their Papa Andy, Aunts, Uncles or cousins so our first night was pretty overwhelming. One of the first things they noticed was Papa's golf cart...which they later got to drive...Papa saw his life flash before his eyes when Lucas drove....but don't worry Papa, you have 8 more years to recover before we call you for drivers ed...

Back row: Eli, Autumn, Kyra, Noah. Front row: Kinsey & Lucas

The kids LOVED meeting and playing with their GIRL COUSINS! (they have an over abundance of boy cousins) Autumn was so ecstatic that she spent the night with Kyra 3 times during our trip and the boys stayed 2 nights. Lucas and Kinsey were inseparable and you could always find him next to Kyra holding her hand. It was precious.

Early Saturday morning Autumn went on a Heart Walk with Kyra, Aunt Kathy & Aunt Deanne while we took the boys to the beach. They had never seen the Ocean before so this was a once in a life time experience. We loved seeing their excitement as they ran into the ocean and promptly ran back out as the waves chased them. We had so much fun that first day at the beach! Did I mention that we LOVE Florida? Personally, I could go to the beach every day...

First steps into the ocean.

First taste of waves.

First ocean side sand castle.


Scott ventured into the Ocean to splash around with the boys...
he wasn't allowed to swim because of the Pic line in his arm...not allowed to get it wet...


Notice anything? Um, that would be a wave...about to hit Scott and the boys...so much for keeping that arm dry...


I love this photo. The Ocean is such a magnificent, majestic force of nature and we are so small in comparison. God created such a beautiful world and chose us to be a part of it. He created this yet He knows the number of hairs on my head. Humbling thought for me.

Saturday afternoon we played at Grandma's, went to the pool and then the kids went to church with Aunt Kathy & Grandma. Lucas and Kinsey spent their free time "driving" the golf cart. Scott and I got to spend some alone time at the beach and got over our "van lag".

Aunt Kathy, Kyra & Kinsey with the Dawson boys.

Saturday night we had another big family dinner and then all the kids begged to stay overnight at Aunt Kathy's house. Did I mention that she has a Wii?? Well, that and Kyra & Kinsey.

Once all the kids were gone Scott and I snuck out of Grandma's house at went to the beach at midnight. It was one of my Top Ten moments. We walked hand in hand, barefoot on the beach under a bright moon. I will never forget the sound of the waves, the light of the moon and the feeling of the wet, warm sand. We walked and talked and completely enjoyed the moment.

On Sunday Aunt Kathy took the kids to a park in the morning and then we all met at her house for another big family meal. Uncle Thai made delicious fajitas and we got to meet Aunt Vicky, Uncle John and cousins Dominick, Michael and Zach. The kids played inside and outside and then we all went to the beach.

Lucas found a "treasure" that he named Chuck the Beaver. Notice Chuck is the only one with his front teeth.


More of the family: Zach, Uncle John, Aunt Vicky, Aunt Kathy, Aunt Deanne & Micheal


The kids couldn't wait to get to the beach so they borrowed the neighbors sprinklers.

Super cute Kinsey.

Kyra, Lucas and Noah. Photographer: Autumn

We finally got to the beach around 6pm and this was Autumn's first time at the beach. She was so excited and couldn't stop giggling as we walked towards the Ocean. As soon as we stepped foot on the beach she picked up a handful and giggled. She was SO EXCITED to see the Ocean!

She ran in and ran right back out. It was cold!

Kyra and Dominic taught all the kids how to ride the waves.
They had a lot of fun trying to body surf and using the boards.


Don't they look like Floridian pros? :)


Eli, Autumn, Noah and cousin Dominic

Hmmm...looks like the beach is calling our name....


As the sun was setting the kids and I were hunting for sea shells.
The kids found a ton of shells and I was the official Keeper Of The Shells.
Daddy is making jewelry out of our great finds! Eli even found an oyster shell!


Papa and Grandma came to the beach with us.
They live 15 minutes away but only go to the beach once a year! How crazy is that!? :)


Can you guess what this is?

Another one of my Top Ten moments happened on the beach Sunday night. On our way to FL I told Scott that I had always wanted to see the space shuttle take off....and wouldn't you know that my loving husband worked that out for me? The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off at 7:43 pm. They were "delivering the final set of power-generating solar array wings and a new crew member to the International Space Station." Scott grabbed the camera and took a few shots. It was sooo cool!

You can even see the fire in this shot! I enlarged it so you can see it a little better.
It was so cool to see it and know that it was taking 7 people into space.

After the beach we all went home, got cleaned up and headed back to Aunt Kathy & Uncle Thai's house. We had yummy dessert and the kids stayed up late while the adults played cards. I won the first game and Papa won the second game. They all loved being beat by the newbie (me). :)

Scott with his mom. Can you tell he got a little bit of sun? :)

We had another full day on Monday when we all went to Gumbo Limbo in Boca Raton, FL. We saw starfish, sand sharks, turtles, manna ray, baby sharks and lots of fish in several different water tanks. The kids loved it! It was great being so close to the animals. My favorite was the Sea Horse! We had a nice picnic lunch afterwards and then we headed back to the beach.

Cousins...

Sibling love: Vicky, Scott, Grandma Holly, Kathy & Deanne...we just need Lee...

Back at the beach for her 2nd time...riding waves like a pro.

This is the part where I am tempted to insert the remaining 400 ocean pics...but I won't...but believe me...we had the BEST family vacation EVER! I had a chance to get in the water and Lucas and I had our own adventure. The bigger kids had no problem venturing into the Ocean but Lucas stayed close to the shore and I wanted him to experience the waves too. So, we walked into the ocean, hand in hand. He was so excited! I gave him a piggy back ride as the waves crashed over us and he would yell CHARGE when he saw them coming. He would hang on and I would JUMP into the wave. He would laugh and laugh and yell, WE SURVIVED! WE SURVIVED! I think we did that for almost an hour....it was so much fun! We ended our night at the beach by searching for more sea shells to add to our collection. After another family dinner, playing with the cousins and staying up late we said our goodbyes and went to bed...

On Tuesday we woke up before Sunrise and got ready to go to the beach for one last visit. It was beautiful to see the sun rising over the ocean. The sky was gorgeous, the air was warm and the sand was soft and untouched. We ran along the beach and took our final ocean photos.

What a great family I have...

Love this photo!


This is one of my favorites.

I love the beach at sunrise!

Do we have to leave?

After breakfast and packing we said goodbye to Papa and Grandma and headed home to Kansas. On our way home we "borrowed" some sand from the beach, tried Alligator tail and planned our next family vacation. We can't wait to go back to Florida!

Thank you Papa and Grandma! We had a great time with you and can't wait to come back! Thank you Aunt Deanne, Uncle John, Aunt Vicky, Uncle Thai & Aunt Kathy for your generosity, grace and love and for planning our Spring Break. We had a great time meeting and loving the family! We are so glad we got to meet our cousins/nieces/nephews/pumpkin and Papa.

We LOVE you and can't wait to see you again!