Here are a few pictures from the rest of our week in Florida. The boys had a very nice time hanging out around the house and doing some cool new activities. Almost none of my bowling pictures turned out, but the event was a blast. The boys all high-fived each other and took turns saying, "Go, Canon!" and "Yay, Malcolm!" This bowling alley was a bit nicer concept than I remember from high school and college - I think they've had to reinvent the concept a bit to keep it appealing. This was less a smoke-filled-greasy-food-card-table establishment, and more a clean, brightly-lit, family-friendly environment with a much better menu. To be sure, it was also more expensive than the traditional concept (like those high-end movie theaters now with fancy food), but I was still impressed.
We also had fun swimming and playing with toys. My parents have to have one of the best grandkid-friendly houses you could think of, with so many children's books and toys saved from when we were little that there is always something cool to discover. We really enjoyed the visit and hope to go back soon!
In our first trip to Orlando in a year and a half, the vacation schedules didn't line up, so I got to experience the joy that was three children on an airplane, by myself. This caused no little anxiety ahead of time. Very fortunately, Mike was allowed to come through security with me in Dallas, and my mom was able to do the same in Florida. That was a huge help, but still left me with a few hours in the plane. Mike loaded some movies on the tablet and I picked up some kids' headphones at Walmart to cover movies, and I stocked up on snacks - four separate ones each trip, to be exact - to cover food. We also bought calculators at the dollar store, which proved surprisingly popular. It all worked pretty well, all things considered. Michael and Malcolm behaved really well aside from some crabbiness, and Joseph only cried a little overall.
No nap on the way there made for a crabby two-year-old
Dora helped me out a lot
One of the nicest days there included a trip to Animal Kingdom. Michael really liked the dinosaur play area. Joseph was a cute little explorer. Malcolm absolutely loved the safari and had a lot of fun sitting with Lita, but unfortunately we couldn't capture the real laughs, only the silly smiles. We were thankful to the grandparents for such a fun trip.
Here is a link to the rest of the pictures we have from our Spain trip. It really was a wonderful experience. Aside from a few hiccups, such as unexpected major blisters on both my feet from the first day, and the unplanned closure of the Royal Palace, we could not have asked for a better trip. It really helped that we didn't have to worry about the boys at all, and were even able to Skype on Wifi on a couple of nights. Otherwise, having five date nights in a row, an unprecedented occurrence since little Michael arrived, was just fantastic. We travel really well together and I felt proud of us for successfully navigating the airports, trains, buses, taxis, and metro (although, given we each lived in D.C. for years, one would hope we'd have no problems with the metro!), along with so many hotels and restaurants. It was simply fun. Topped off by a great night out at Ruth's Chris when we came back to Orlando (thanks to AB for babysitting!), it really was the best kind of vacation. Feeling very thankful for such a safe and relaxing vacation.
The rest of Christmas break was very nice. The boys had a great time with their grandparents and Aunt Amanda, and we enjoyed the warm weather. Spain is pretty much exactly like Texas, weather-wise, so it was a bit chilly and Florida was nice and warm. (Of course, I say that, but Mike and Amanda prefer colder weather!)
Here are some pictures from our trip to Animal Kingdom with Amanda, Aunt Cyndy, Grandma Garza, Chris, and Stefani. We had a wonderful day and I think the baby enjoyed all the animals he got to see. However, after standing up to see an elephant, he did fall asleep right in the middle of the safari ride!
Right before Dallas got its first white Christmas in at least 30 years (dang that global warming again), we headed off to Orlando on the morning Christmas Eve. This will likely be the last commercial flight we do with Michael -- at the very least as a lap baby -- since he is really squirmy and getting pretty big at this point. He has been quite a trooper on the I think nine (!) round trip flights he took in 2009. But though it won't necessarily be any easier, as our three driving trips to San Antonio proved, I think we are probably destined to be a cross-country driving family in the future with our trusty Chrysler Pacifica. Did I mention our parents are welcome to visit us at any time? :D (They certainly have been nice about it so far.)
Anyway, Christmas in Florida was wonderful. We went to Mass on Christmas Eve with everyone and opened presents afterwards. All weekend, Michael had a lot of fun walking all over the house, hugging Tigger and playing with magnets. He did well opening his presents too -- I wasn't sure if he'd get the concept or not, but he definitely did. I would start tearing some of the paper and give him the present, and he'd methodically tear off the rest of the paper bit by bit, handing it to me each time. When the present was open, for most of them he smiled and seemed excited. Grandma Garza gave him a Veggie Tales DVD, with Bob the Tomato on the cover, and when Michael opened it he held it in his hand with the biggest smile saying, "Apple! Apple!" So easy to please, ha. Same for the little Finding Nemo wall clock from 'Lita. Huge smile while he studied it, and "Nemo! Nemo!" (Well, it doesn't come out that clearly, but it's what he was saying.) Very cute :)
The weather wasn't terribly warm but it was very pleasant. And Mike and I got to hang out in the hot tub with Chris, Stef, and Dad for awhile one night which was definitely fun. We had a nice dinner out one night and some good meals at the house too. T cooked omelettes one morning (very yummy) and Grandma and T (and Stef and Amanda too I think?) made the great turkey dinner for Christmas Eve. I will note that Chris probably ate the best that weekend though, since Stefani cooked for him individually on a regular basis :) Merry Christmas!
Since I am on leave still, but like to have some change of scenery occasionally, I've brought Michael the Baby to Orlando for a week. It's his first trip out of Dallas and thankfully everything has gone great! (But we both miss Dad a lot.) He nursed on the way up and down on the plane, which helped his ears, and was pretty quiet (napping or just looking around) otherwise. I carried him in the pouch/sling through the airport. My mom snatched him right out of the sling though as soon as we came to baggage claim in the airport :)
Michael has adjusted just fine to being in Florida. He loves the waterfall sounds in my parents' pool, and the bath setup that Lita came up with (see below -- first time in the real tub, ha). He is chewing on his hands more than ever, though. Are teeth in the near future? Stay tuned.
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Right before Dallas got its first white Christmas in at least 30 years (dang that global warming again), we headed off to Orlando on the morning Christmas Eve. This will likely be the last commercial flight we do with Michael -- at the very least as a lap baby -- 
since he is really squirmy and getting pretty big at this point. He has been quite a trooper on the I think nine (!) round trip flights he took in 2009. But though it won't necessarily be any easier, as our three driving trips to San Antonio proved, I think we are probably destined to be a cross-country driving family in the future with our trusty Chrysler Pacifica. Did I mention our parents are welcome to visit us at any time? :D (They certainly have been nice about it so far.)
it to me each time. When the present was open, for most of them he smiled and seemed excited. Grandma Garza gave him a Veggie Tales DVD, with Bob the Tomato on the cover, and when Michael opened it he held it in his hand with the biggest smile saying, "Apple! Apple!" So easy to please, ha. Same for the little Finding Nemo wall clock from 'Lita. Huge smile while he studied it, and "Nemo! Nemo!" (Well, it doesn't come out that clearly, but it's what he was saying.) Very cute :)
The weather wasn't terribly warm but it was very pleasant. And Mike and I got to hang out in the hot tub with Chris, Stef, and Dad for awhile one night which was definitely fun. We had a nice dinner out one night and some good meals at the house too. T cooked omelettes one morning (very yummy) and Grandma and T (and Stef and Amanda too I think?) made the great turkey dinner for Christmas Eve. I will note that Chris probably ate the best that weekend though, since Stefani cooked for him individually on a regular basis :) Merry Christmas!
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