To the Sun

We get spoiled, having all our parents nearby. They are so involved in the kids' day to day lives. They babysit, drop off the occasional crock-pot dinner, and do things like send letters in the mail—even though they all live within 10 miles of our house—because they know how much little kids love things with their names on them. In the winter, we lose two sets of parents to warmer temperatures as they head to Florida for a few months. We miss them and the kids do, too, so we headed for a long weekend to visit Mimi and Papa in Naples.

It took us nearly two days to get there, thanks to our aircraft being struck by lightning before we boarded. I opted to get a hotel by the airport to 1) ensure we'd be closeby for our 6am flight the next morning, and 2) to avoid going back home and watching the suitcases explode. (The job of packing in infant, a 4 year old, and two adults into 3 carryons was no small task. I was not about to do it twice.)


Ella would tell you she was a "lucky duck" for getting to color with Papa...shop with Mimi...and ride a camel with her Dad at the zoo.



And Carson? He cruised around the whole condo, smiling and showing off his new toothy grin.




We have a tradition of collecting seashells every day throughout the week, then the last day we go to the shore and throw each of them back "to their mommies and daddies." Ella practiced her overhand pitch and clapped as each one hit the water.

The pilot let her fly the plane home! Ok, not really...but I suspect she could have done better. It was a long, turbulent flight and we were seated in the back row by the engines and the restrooms, with no food and a cranky baby. We were pretty crabby until we deboarded and the pilot offered his seat to our tiny gal. What a way to end a great trip.

Thank you, Mimi and Papa!
As Ella would say, "we love you to the moon. "