Florida Family Vacation - Days 1,2 &3

Well this summer we decided to take our first and last family summer vacation as a family of 3. We decided to head to Florida so Austin could meet his aunt and uncle and cousins. We were a little hesitant about driving 20 hours in a car with a 1 year old that just learned to walk but, Austin was an angel. We could not have asked for a better car ride. For the most part he was very content in his car seat, playing with his toys, having snacks, and playing with mommy or daddy who sat in the back with him. 

We left Sunday morning at 3:30am in hopes of getting a lot of driving in while Austin slept. He did great, and we didn't have to stop until 6:30am when we did a  quick change of drivers and let Austin stretch his legs a little. 

Austin was all smiles playing in the backseat with Mommy

The only long stop we had to make on the trip was in Tennessee where we let Austin play and walk around and had a picnic lunch. The temperature was about 95 degrees with 100% humidity. Us Michiganders were not used to it and got back in the car with the air as soon as possible. 

To our amazement, Austin let us get all the way into Georgia. We ended us stopping for the night around 5:00 p.m. so that we could let Austin have a fairly normal evening. By the time we stopped we only had about 7 hours left to drive. We stayed at a really nice hotel that had an indoor pool. After a quick dinner at Ruby Tuesdays, it was off to the pool for a little swimming. We are so happy to report that Austin LOVES the pool now. After some swimming, we headed back to the room for his bottle and some sleep. We were all very tired from a long day in the car and all fell asleep. 

Austin thought it was the greatest thing going for a ride on the luggage cart. He road it all the way down from the 3rd floor. 

Austin with his new monkey beach towel. 

So vacations mean getting to do stuff you normally don't get to do like eat junk food, stay up late, and for Austin pull all the toilet paper off the roll and throw it all over the bathroom. Not the best example but hey, its vacation and we didn't have to clean it up!

We arrived in Florida around 1:30 p.m. We headed right to New Smyrna Beach which is where Uncle Eugene and Aunt Karen were staying for the week. Austin was very happy to get out of the car and instantly started playing with his cousin Caroline. Since we made such good time we were able to visit with them and Aunt Karen's family and have an excellent dinner with everyone. Around 8:00 p.m. Austin was starting to show signs of being tired so we headed out where we spent the night in Oviedo, which is where my uncle's house is. This was the only night Austin's schedule was slightly altered, he went to bed around 10 p.m. When we all got up in the morning we enjoyed the already warm humid weather and went swimming in their pool. 

In true Florida fashion it is now raining, Austin is enjoying a long morning nap while John and I are enjoying some relaxation, then it's off to our condo and then lunch at the much anticipated Sweet Tomatoes. We just got word that because of the weather, Dan, Katie, and Nate's flight has been delayed so they will be joining us a little later then planned. Tomorrow will be an exciting day, we are headed back to New Smyrna Beach for a day at the ocean with the family.