Florida Vacation #2!

We went to visit the Wilson Family at Tyndall AFB in Panama City, Florida, again! Yep, they allowed us back through their doors after our trip to visit in September (2012), and man do we love it here.  It is a bit bittersweet in visiting them though.  Since Tyndall was where we were supposed to be stationed right now (July 2012 blog post delves into full explanation), it's rough to come and see how awesome it is and not get a bit peeved at missing out on this assignment.  Secondly, we really miss the Wilson's as close friends (kids & Kelly...and PJ too I guess ;P ), and not being able to see them at least weekly like we did in Illinois.  Well, it has been a bummer.  BUT, to focus on the positives...it is awesome to go and vacation where friends live--you really can't beat it!

So we started our 16 hour drive on Saturday evening (April 23rd), so I could get a jump on the drive down while the girls slept peacefully in their seats.  And the plan worked until about 3am, when I got too tired and we stopped and found a hotel for the night/5 hr sleep stop.  We arrived at TAFB on Sunday afternoon to happy, playing friends and beautiful weather.  Seriously, couldn't have asked for a better start to our vacation.

Olivia watching Tangled mid-drive to FL.

Mmmmm--delicious!

And it wouldn't be a visit with Kelly if we didn't bake a little...or a lot!  But we love to try new recipes, and the neighbors don't mind being testers, so why not right?!  Olivia thought it was a great idea!  Plus, we had to make something to take to the Easter Sunday potluck they have with their ward.  So cupcakes were the obvious choice right?!

Front yard/driveway play was our main source of fun this trip!  After our first day here, it got a bit chilly and rainy, which wouldn't be uncharacteristic of anywhere else in the U.S. in the beginning of April.  But there in Florida, Kelly said it wasn't normal.  They had been going to the beach the week before, though admittedly, her kids don't mind cold water. But we just made it like a beach in the front driveway.  Complete with sandpit (front yard) and water (play pool).  This way when kids got too cold or weather rolled in, all could just come inside.  

We certainly had a ton of fun at the little beach right by base housing.  We nicknamed it crab beach because the kids caught like 27 hermit crabs there one day. Even building the crabs their own little aquarium kingdom with their various buckets and toys.  I was their spotter from the bridge, and it was awesome to see them hustle to get the crabs before they got away.  The little kids (Lauren, Kate and Olivia) weren't as enthralled as Brynn, Tyler, and Dylan, but they were loving the water and the sand just as much.

The girls and I went and picked Nathan up from the Tallahassee Regional Airport on Saturday morning, just in time for us all to be together on Easter Sunday, as well as bonafide beach time.  Nathan couldn't come down to Florida until the weekend because he had a TDY to WPAFB the week before.  But he was living it up as soon as he got to Tyndall and caught sight of the Wilson's garage and mass amounts of play things. I'm pretty sure that Nate took anything and everything rideable, that would hold his weight, out for a spin on Harlow Lane.  Technically I guess it had to hold his and Olivia's weight combined, as she had to be riding anything he way.  As evident in the following pictures.

So safe Daddy!

We did make it to Mexico Beach for some fun in the sun the day after Easter.  Lauren loved being buried in the sand, so you can imagine what Nathan and I did most of the day.  Oh, and Kelly got in on the kid-covering too, as she's a well versed veteran on this activity now.

Olivia was content with her shovel and bucket.

Mermaid Lauren

Kelly showed us how to bury a kid, Florida style.

"Look at my mermaid tail mom"

Per the picture above, you can see that Lauren and Olivia were really "classing up" the Wilson's front driveway with their diapered bums and lawn chairs.  Guess we better see if our friendship is still intact enough for us to come visit again late this summer huh?!  The Wilson's might just tell us to leave our clothes on at all times and our lawn chairs at home! :)