Brooke and I and the boys just recently returned home from a seven day trip to Florida, splitting our time between her parent's condo in Punta Gorda and every parent's dream, Walt Disney World.
We flew down on a Saturday, getting to the condo in the late afternoon - the perfect time for a vodka & tonic on the lanai overlooking Charlotte Harbor in 70* weather. The weather was suspect, aside from the temperature, so we cooked in that night instead of dragging two weary toddlers to a restaurant.
Sunday brought more suspect weather, this time in the form of a steady rain. My in-laws, Phil and Donna, ran errands they wouldn't otherwise run in nice weather, which allowed Brooke and I to spend some quality down time with the boys. The weather eventually cleared in the late afternoon, so we made the trek north to St. Armand's Circle in the greater-Sarasota area to shop and enjoy a nice dinner. Crab & Fin is highly recommended if you're in the market for a great seafood restaurant.
Monday was considerably nicer than Sunday, so we enjoyed the majority of the day outside in the hot, Florida sun. We split our time between the condo complex's pool and nearby Ponce De Leon park, where the boys and I learned about hunting for Mangrove Tree Crabs. That kept us busy for the better part of an hour, after which we enjoyed some playground time and more park exploration. We dined out again, this time at one of my favorite watering holes, Harpoon Harry's - chronicled at length in some of my fishing reports from our guys trips.
We awoke bright and early on Tuesday and crammed our luggage and children in the back of the rented minivan to make the two hour drive north to the happiest place on earth, Walt Disney World. Several mortgage payments later, the six of us were in the park with two-day passes. That's right, six people for two days cost almost as much as my first car. We spent all of our time Tuesday at the Magic Kingdom enjoying the rides aimed at younger children. Our plan was to explore more of the park on Wednesday, so we seemed content spending inordinate amounts of time waiting in line for rides that lasted shorter than most furniture commercials. For our boys, though, it was the greatest thing they had experienced in their albeit short lifetimes, so in the end I guess it was worth it. We managed to do a few rides that afternoon, including Monsters, Inc., Buzz Lightyear, Small World, and Pirates of the Caribbean. That was more than enough to absolutely demolish the energy levels of our two kids, so after we danced our butts off in the dance party we retreated to the cozy confines of our vacation villa in Kissimmee. We dined at the resort's Tiki Bar-themed restaurant and then put the kids (and adults) in for an early bedtime.
Wednesday morning came hard and fast, and the only thing on Hunter's mind was meeting Lightning McQueen, of "Cars" fame. He only asked me 700 times if we would see him, and I had to keep reminding myself that he was only four years old. We returned to Magic Kingdom and enjoyed more kid-themed rides such as the train ride around the park, Winnie the Pooh, and Peter Pan before we again had the opportunity to overspend for a rather mediocre dining experience at lunch. We finished off our Magic Kingdom experience with the Swiss Family Robinson house and the Jungle Cruise before heading to Hollywood Studios to find the elusive Lightning McQueen. Our first and only goal once walking through the front gates was to find Lightning, and luckily for us he was tucked away in what seemed like the farthest corner of the park. Hunter was absolutely beside himself as soon as he saw the life-size Lightning and Mater, and I'm pretty sure that made his entire vacation. After we took a gigabytes worth of photos, we hit the gift shop to buy the boys some toys (thanks, Mom!), and made our way to the Christmas light show on the main street of Hollywood Studios. Another 30 minute wait in line to meet Buzz & Woody, and it was finally dinner time, except that all quick dining closed between 6:30 & 7, of course, and all sit-down restaurants were booked, naturally. For a place that has everything down an absolute science, why they do that is beyond me. We finally found a fast food-style establishment inside the park that was open and forced some dried out grilled chicken sandwiches down our gullets before making the arduous trek back to our car. Both kids were asleep within the first few minutes of the bus ride from Hollywood Studios to Magic Kingdom and didn't awake until after sunrise on Thursday.
We enjoyed our second consecutive Holiday Inn Express-esque continental breakfast at our accommodations before heading southwest for two hours back to Punta Gorda. It was our first time bringing our kids to Disney, and despite the financial commitment and agita-inducing stress it was incredibly fun and satisfying for us. The looks of utter and complete awe on the faces of my two sons made everything worthwhile in an instant. We made lunch upon returning to the condo and then made our way back to the pool for the remainder of the afternoon. We dined Thursday night at another fishing trip staple, Laishley's Crab House, and had another good dinner of regional fare. Brooke and I were fortunate enough to have my in-laws watch the boys that night, so we dropped the four of them off at the condo before returning to downtown Punta Gorda where we enjoyed some time at the rooftop bar of the Wyvern Hotel and then finished the night off at the Celtic Ray, an admirable attempt at an Irish pub in southwest Florida. Granted, I'm the only one who drank with Brooke being 7-months pregnant with #3, but we still had a blast out the two of us.
We had more mixed weather our last full day in Florida, but we didn't let that stop us from enjoying more time at Ponce De Leon park while Phil and Donna car shopped. The boys and I were becoming quite adept at hunting for the tree crabs, and spent close to another hour snaking our way through the mangrove walkways in search of them. Once the clock hit 11am, the Peace River Wildlife Center opened up which allowed Brooke and I to take the boys through and observe all of the various regional birds and other animals housed there, recuperating from injuries suffered in the wild. We returned to the condo around lunch time and spent the remainder of the afternoon packing and relaxing in preparation for our return flight in the morning. Our dinner was at my new favorite restaurant, Trabue, where we all enjoyed four excellent dinners. Despite a flight the next day, we still managed to finish off a few bottles of wine (all but Brooke, of course), and stayed up a little too long.
Saturday came and went fast, as it was spent packing and cleaning. It's amazing how much stuff is needed to travel (and live) with two young kids, so our one checked suitcase was packed to the limits. Our thankfully uneventful flight landed in the late afternoon, where we were greeted with sub-40* weather after a week of 70*-80* weather. It's a tough life, but someone has to live it. It was a great trip for us across the board. We got to split time between the frenetic wonder of Disney and the relaxed, leisurely pace of southwest coastal Florida. We got to bring our boys to America's greatest family playground, with two of the grandparents. Was it the most wild or extravagant vacation ever? Not by a long shot. Was it a phenomenal family vacation replete with wonderful memories we'll never forget? Absolutely.
We flew down on a Saturday, getting to the condo in the late afternoon - the perfect time for a vodka & tonic on the lanai overlooking Charlotte Harbor in 70* weather. The weather was suspect, aside from the temperature, so we cooked in that night instead of dragging two weary toddlers to a restaurant.
Sunday brought more suspect weather, this time in the form of a steady rain. My in-laws, Phil and Donna, ran errands they wouldn't otherwise run in nice weather, which allowed Brooke and I to spend some quality down time with the boys. The weather eventually cleared in the late afternoon, so we made the trek north to St. Armand's Circle in the greater-Sarasota area to shop and enjoy a nice dinner. Crab & Fin is highly recommended if you're in the market for a great seafood restaurant.
Monday was considerably nicer than Sunday, so we enjoyed the majority of the day outside in the hot, Florida sun. We split our time between the condo complex's pool and nearby Ponce De Leon park, where the boys and I learned about hunting for Mangrove Tree Crabs. That kept us busy for the better part of an hour, after which we enjoyed some playground time and more park exploration. We dined out again, this time at one of my favorite watering holes, Harpoon Harry's - chronicled at length in some of my fishing reports from our guys trips.
We awoke bright and early on Tuesday and crammed our luggage and children in the back of the rented minivan to make the two hour drive north to the happiest place on earth, Walt Disney World. Several mortgage payments later, the six of us were in the park with two-day passes. That's right, six people for two days cost almost as much as my first car. We spent all of our time Tuesday at the Magic Kingdom enjoying the rides aimed at younger children. Our plan was to explore more of the park on Wednesday, so we seemed content spending inordinate amounts of time waiting in line for rides that lasted shorter than most furniture commercials. For our boys, though, it was the greatest thing they had experienced in their albeit short lifetimes, so in the end I guess it was worth it. We managed to do a few rides that afternoon, including Monsters, Inc., Buzz Lightyear, Small World, and Pirates of the Caribbean. That was more than enough to absolutely demolish the energy levels of our two kids, so after we danced our butts off in the dance party we retreated to the cozy confines of our vacation villa in Kissimmee. We dined at the resort's Tiki Bar-themed restaurant and then put the kids (and adults) in for an early bedtime.
Wednesday morning came hard and fast, and the only thing on Hunter's mind was meeting Lightning McQueen, of "Cars" fame. He only asked me 700 times if we would see him, and I had to keep reminding myself that he was only four years old. We returned to Magic Kingdom and enjoyed more kid-themed rides such as the train ride around the park, Winnie the Pooh, and Peter Pan before we again had the opportunity to overspend for a rather mediocre dining experience at lunch. We finished off our Magic Kingdom experience with the Swiss Family Robinson house and the Jungle Cruise before heading to Hollywood Studios to find the elusive Lightning McQueen. Our first and only goal once walking through the front gates was to find Lightning, and luckily for us he was tucked away in what seemed like the farthest corner of the park. Hunter was absolutely beside himself as soon as he saw the life-size Lightning and Mater, and I'm pretty sure that made his entire vacation. After we took a gigabytes worth of photos, we hit the gift shop to buy the boys some toys (thanks, Mom!), and made our way to the Christmas light show on the main street of Hollywood Studios. Another 30 minute wait in line to meet Buzz & Woody, and it was finally dinner time, except that all quick dining closed between 6:30 & 7, of course, and all sit-down restaurants were booked, naturally. For a place that has everything down an absolute science, why they do that is beyond me. We finally found a fast food-style establishment inside the park that was open and forced some dried out grilled chicken sandwiches down our gullets before making the arduous trek back to our car. Both kids were asleep within the first few minutes of the bus ride from Hollywood Studios to Magic Kingdom and didn't awake until after sunrise on Thursday.
We enjoyed our second consecutive Holiday Inn Express-esque continental breakfast at our accommodations before heading southwest for two hours back to Punta Gorda. It was our first time bringing our kids to Disney, and despite the financial commitment and agita-inducing stress it was incredibly fun and satisfying for us. The looks of utter and complete awe on the faces of my two sons made everything worthwhile in an instant. We made lunch upon returning to the condo and then made our way back to the pool for the remainder of the afternoon. We dined Thursday night at another fishing trip staple, Laishley's Crab House, and had another good dinner of regional fare. Brooke and I were fortunate enough to have my in-laws watch the boys that night, so we dropped the four of them off at the condo before returning to downtown Punta Gorda where we enjoyed some time at the rooftop bar of the Wyvern Hotel and then finished the night off at the Celtic Ray, an admirable attempt at an Irish pub in southwest Florida. Granted, I'm the only one who drank with Brooke being 7-months pregnant with #3, but we still had a blast out the two of us.
We had more mixed weather our last full day in Florida, but we didn't let that stop us from enjoying more time at Ponce De Leon park while Phil and Donna car shopped. The boys and I were becoming quite adept at hunting for the tree crabs, and spent close to another hour snaking our way through the mangrove walkways in search of them. Once the clock hit 11am, the Peace River Wildlife Center opened up which allowed Brooke and I to take the boys through and observe all of the various regional birds and other animals housed there, recuperating from injuries suffered in the wild. We returned to the condo around lunch time and spent the remainder of the afternoon packing and relaxing in preparation for our return flight in the morning. Our dinner was at my new favorite restaurant, Trabue, where we all enjoyed four excellent dinners. Despite a flight the next day, we still managed to finish off a few bottles of wine (all but Brooke, of course), and stayed up a little too long.
Saturday came and went fast, as it was spent packing and cleaning. It's amazing how much stuff is needed to travel (and live) with two young kids, so our one checked suitcase was packed to the limits. Our thankfully uneventful flight landed in the late afternoon, where we were greeted with sub-40* weather after a week of 70*-80* weather. It's a tough life, but someone has to live it. It was a great trip for us across the board. We got to split time between the frenetic wonder of Disney and the relaxed, leisurely pace of southwest coastal Florida. We got to bring our boys to America's greatest family playground, with two of the grandparents. Was it the most wild or extravagant vacation ever? Not by a long shot. Was it a phenomenal family vacation replete with wonderful memories we'll never forget? Absolutely.