In the midst of blistery cold WI weather and snow up to our eyeballs, we were lucky enough to be able to travel someplace warm again -- visiting my parents in Ft. Myers, FL. What a treat!
The boys are well conditioned to travelling by now, and we do have a few tricks up our sleeves to make travel easier:
1) pack snacks and lunches -- most TSA will let you through with food and even juice boxes. The Milwaukee airport let us through with them no problem -- with the caveat that they had to be removed from the cooler I had them packed in. Now, Ft Myers was a WHOLE different story. They told me that I could either poke a hole in them so they could 'test' it (and then they would be a piece of tape over that hole) or I could get a 'thorough pat down'. I opted for the pat down and just kept laughing saying "the things we do for our kids" and "juice is obviously a threat". It was pretty funny.
2) go to the dollar store and pick up some cheap coloring books -- and stickers. That way you won't worry if they get lost or roll under the seats. Stickers are a great fun toy to play with (just don't let them stick them on the plane, LOL).
3) Bring their 'blankie' or other lovey type item that they like to sleep with. 9 times out of 10 the noise and the movement will lull them to sleep
4) If you have a portable gaming device or tablet, bring kiddie sized headphones. In order to hear the movie/game over the drone of the plane, they'd have to turn it up pretty loud -- no one wants to hear that. Adult sized headphones fall off little heads and aren't comfie. Invest in kiddo sized ones.
5) If you can, plane your trip DURING naptime. This totally worked to our benefit as both boys passed out hard for the majority of the flight. SCORE. Just make sure that you have everything YOU want for the flight in front of you in the event that they pass out on your arm (see above).
My parents met us at the airport and whisked us home quickly so the boys could jump in the pool quickly before bedtime. It was a great end to a day of travel. Everyone was VERY excited to see each other!
The next day we took out Grumpy's new boat. Both the boys were thrilled to be riding on the boat. Little Max assigned himself as "Captain Number 2" and decided he only had to answer to "Captain Number 1" aka Grumpy. He did a pretty good job navigating...
We're always treated to lots of birds and wildlife down in Florida. Such a nice changeover from the cold and dreary back home!
Grumpy shows the boys how to fish...
Mom got a little lounging time in all by herself at the front of the boat.
Granna and little Max who is 'driving' the boat.
Lots of the area by my parents' house is slow speed zone because of the manatees. We saw them quite a few times during our stay there. They are so cute!
We stopped at a mini beach before heading home for the day. The boys loved throwing little pebbles into the water and searching for shells. It was a great relaxing way to start the vacation!
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