Our time with Papa and Mimi (4/13-4/17)

We spent the next part of our vacation over at Papa and Mimi's house. What a blast!! We had such a wonderful time together and made so many memories! We arrived at their house early Tuesday morning. We settled in with breakfast and enjoyed watching William play. He loved all the toys they had for Clay (their other grandson). He just played and played and played some more. After a while we walked down the street to their neighborhood playground/park. It was just so cute and perfect for William...meaning several slides, the bridge, and swings. He was all over the place! Papa and Philip took turns climbing with William (I was wearing a skirt, so I got a break from the climbing) He loved riding in their red wagon to and from the park. Lots of fun!!

Around lunch time Mimi and I took William to Publix to get some stuff for lunch. Of course he HAD to have a cookie :) Oh, the days of chocolate chip cookies. I will say the lady at the bakery was very cold and rude, but William still smiled, said "tank you" and "bye-bye"...oblivious to her rudeness! Once we got home, Philip and his dad grilled some hamburgers and fresh corn on the cob and Mimi sauteed some onions for us, along with some baked beans. Lunch was served out on their patio next to the pool...so relaxing! I enjoy eating out on their patio b/c it's so relaxing and beautiful. William ate a few bites of my burger and enjoyed his macaroni and cheese, pickles and strawberries. CAN I SAY HE IS A BOTTOMLESS PIT!! I mean..I know boys will eat the pantry, but at 18 months, it amazes me! We heard some thunder off in the distance, so we decided to go swimming in their pool after lunch and let William wear himself out a bit before his nap. At first, he was not happy. The water was a bit cold and I wasn't getting in yet. I quickly changed into my suit and got in with him. He seemed a bit happier then. Papa and I played in the water with him, tossing him back and forth and letting him kick his legs. Thanks to Mimi for taking such great pictures with my camera for me. Soon the sprinkle shower of the rain came, so we got out and I settled William in for his nap. He eased on off (I left his DVD player on with "Lady and the Tramp" for him :) We just sat around and chatted and got all caught up while William napped.

After his nap, we decided where to go for dinner. We enjoyed some spinach and artichoke dip while we got ready. So yummy! I love the dip from Publix. It's so hard to resist! Philip requested an authentic Cuban place. It was delicious!! William enjoyed himself thoroughly...he kept talking and blowing kisses to the ladies at the table next to us. Philip had a flank steak with some fried plantains and I had basically a chicken fajita without the shell. Delicious!! Philip's favorite part was the dessert coffee! He bought a bag of Cuban coffee beans and has enjoyed it every day since we've been home! So perfect for him! He loves coffee!! It took me a little while to get William to sleep that night, so once I finally did, everyone else was ready for bed. I enjoyed some quiet time by myself, piled up on the couch watching one of my favorite shows that I seldom get to watch... Without a Trace...such a wonderful way to end a great day!

Wednesday was zoo day! We all got ready for our trip to the zoo and off we went. I had William dressed in on of his little monogrammed rompers (very cute, very cool). On the way to the zoo, we were riding along, talking and singing songs to William when all of a sudden....BARF, BARF BARF. My poor baby threw up everywhere! It was everywhere! All over him, the carseat, etc. He started crying and saying "moma, moma, moma". Mimi grabbed a towel and helped me clean it up as best we could. I had brought an extra outfit so as soon as we got to the zoo, I had to change him and finish cleaning up the throw-up. So yuck!! Thanks to Mimi for helping b/c the smell was enough to make me gag!! We met Lauren (Mimi's daughter) and her little boy, Clay at the zoo. Clay and William are 6 weeks apart and are absolutely adorable together! Lauren brought her wagon for the boys to ride in...well attempt to ride. They did ride together for a little while, but soon they were out, off and running! William was better acting, but still didn't seem like himself. He would not let go of his juice cup and stayed close to my side. The animals were beautiful and amazing! This was William's first trip to the zoo and it was so special! He loved all the animals! We saw the monkeys, tigers, lots of birds, huge turtles, snakes and ant-eaters just to name a few. There were a ton of peacocks everywhere, just walking around. Those were beautiful! Papa helped take turns carrying William for us. He's such a great Papa! After all the animals we could take, we decided to go back up front by the water fountain area and try to feed the boys lunch. Clay was too busy playing to eat and William WOULD NOT eat anything. He just crawled in my lap and stayed there like a limp rag doll. I finally got him up and over to the fountains. Once he discovered the water, he fell in love! He was so happy and just giggled and giggled! He managed to step on one of the spots and get me all wet :) He thought that was too funny!

We left the zoo shortly after the fountain area and decided to head to lunch for the adults. William was fine in the car. I got him out, handed him to Philip so I could look for something in my purse, and BARF, BARF, BARF again! All over his daddy and himself! I heard it and then heard "LAUREN, GET OVER HERE PLEASE". Oh, so sad. We were right outside the side door of the restaurant when this happened. Immediately the door opened and one of the waiters was offering to help us. He brought us a cold cloth, paper towels and a cup of water. He also offered for me to take him into the bathroom. They were so kind to help us out. We loaded back up and headed home. I held William this time. There's a certain time when a Mommy needs to hold her child. I put him down for a nap and he was sacked out for almost 4 hours.

Mimi sent us out to the yard to rest and enjoy the peaceful outdoors while William slept. I sacked out in the hammock and Philip read and slept in the chair next to me. That was some of the best sleep I'd had in a while...cool breeze, birds chirping, sunshine, the swaying of the hammock...ahhhhhh so wonderful!! Once we woke up and came back inside, Mimi and Papa were preparing dinner. William woke up and did eat a little (very bland: pasta and applesauce) and played with Papa for a while before dinner. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of rack of lamb, peppers and onions and wild rice. We also enjoyed some great Chianti too! We wrapped up the night by playing cards. It was a great time! Lots of laughs and jokes too!

Thursday was BEAUTIFUL!! We had planned on going on a walk early that morning, but Mimi insisted that they let me sleep in a bit. Oh, how I love my sleep!! When I got up and got ready, we headed out for our walk. Let me tell you...so beautiful! We walked one of their regular routes down through their neighbor and into horse country. The homes were absolutely amazing and all the yards were in full bloom and breathtaking! It did get hot, but we all had water and I was loving the sunshine! We saw a few horses and William kept saying "neigh-neigh". He got upset when we had to leave the horses keep walking. I loved this walk! I found myself daydreaming about my own yard and flowerbeds and making notes of how I want to update! As soon as we got home, we all changed into our swimsuits and hit the pool! So refreshing! William didn't want much to do with it, but I knew his tummy was still bothering him, so I didn't push too much. Mimi mainly stayed out and played with him while Philip, Papa and I cooled off in the water. After William's nap, we hid eggs for him and enjoyed watching him play in the yard. He loved the tree swing and bouncing in the hammock.

We all dressed and headed downtown to meet Lauren and Clay for the weekly live music celebration. William and Clay seemed to enjoy the music. They danced and clapped and babbled away. While we were walking around, we found out that Ann Taylor was having a sale and offering champagne and appetizers while you shop. Mimi, Lauren and I put in to stop by. Papa and Philip watched the boys while we walked around and checked out the sale. I left with 2 new dresses...one from my hubby and one from Papa and Mimi! Thank you both!! I love my new dresses! Cityplace was our destination for dinner. We ended up at the same place that Philip and I had been to earlier in the week for drinks. The restaurant was an Italian place and was absolutely incredible and delicious! Lauren and Clay ended up leaving before dinner, so it was just the 4 of us and William. We sat outside for a lovely dinner together. William was content throughout the evening. We all left full and happy! We wrapped up the night sitting outside on the patio enjoying a nigthcap together. The night air was crisp and cool. Perfectly peaceful! Oh, let me say that William had a little better appetite and kept his food down, just not "in" if you get my drift.

Friday was our last morning with Papa and Mimi. We enjoyed breakfast together and then Papa and Mimi played with William while I packed up everything. Philip helped me when needed, but I told him to just relax b/c of the long drive ahead. It was so hard to leave, but such a great visit!

Thanks for so many memories and for a great visit! We thoroughly enjoyed our vacation in South Florida with Philip's family! Thank you all for an amazing time together!