We left for St. Augustine at 4:15 am Saturday, the 4th of July. The original plan was to leave at 2:00 am, but I chickened out. I was worried that nothing would be open if the kids were wide awake, and what would we do if we drove straight through and got there at 8:00? I figured that if we left at 4:00 then the kids might stay awake a little while, but they would be tired and since it would still be dark for a while, they would drift back off to sleep. Then when they woke up we could stop for a leisurely breakfast. Well, ... They did stay awake for a while. Caedyn slept for about an hour, and Eli took two little catnaps of about 30 minutes each on the way down. We couldn't check into the condo until 4:00pm, and we were there by 11:30ish after stopping for breakfast and at a couple of rest stops to get out and run, play with nature, and visit the potty. Caedyn did really well at using the potty on the way down. She has learned (for the most part) not to touch stuff in the bathroom, and she has gotton hand washing down to an art! I will say that the kids were pretty good on the way down. The worst part was figuring out what to do while we were waiting for the condo. We ended up driving around for like an hour looking for a fast food place with a playground. We never found one, but ate at a Wendy's and let Caedyn stand and walk between the four of us while she ate. She entertained herself with her Baby Kendall, purse, and toy bag. Eli just enjoyed watching Caedyn and the trucks on the road. Every once in a while he would have to call someone, but he wasn't much interested in the toys I packed for him.
Sunday, July 5, 2009:
Dara, Bernie, and Casssidy got to the condo about 1:00 am. So they slept in and got a later start than we did on Sunday. We hit the beach. Grandma and P-Pop had a fantastic canopy! We won't go back to the beach without one now! Eli did get some sunburn on his arms and face that first day, so we ditched the spray sunscreen and only used the lotion like we put on Caedyn.
They loved playing with these spray bottles. In fact they were out of ammo within about 10 minutes. I wouldn't let them put salt water back in the bottles so that salt would stay out of their eyes.
Caedyn was watching a group of older girls (7-8 years old) play with their boogie boards. She kept telling Gary that she wanted "that." At one point Gary thought that one of the girls was going to let Caedyn play with hers, but she didn't. Fortunately a lady nearby was watching all of this and let us use one of hers. Eli tried his best to get on, but he couldn't stay on. Of course Gary went and bought two of our own that night so that Caedyn and Eli could each have one, and he got the big ones so that Eli could actually sit on them.
This is Gary and Eli. Eli is the dark little vertical line almost halfway across the horizon. Gary is on the right. Eli had a ball chasing the birds. We watched him and followed him at a close distance while he was in his own little world chasing the "duckies." (Everything is either a duckie or a doggie.)
Snack time. Look at that face. Eli was content just to sit in his chair. It is so funny that my children are so different!
Caedyn was watching a group of older girls (7-8 years old) play with their boogie boards. She kept telling Gary that she wanted "that." At one point Gary thought that one of the girls was going to let Caedyn play with hers, but she didn't. Fortunately a lady nearby was watching all of this and let us use one of hers. Eli tried his best to get on, but he couldn't stay on. Of course Gary went and bought two of our own that night so that Caedyn and Eli could each have one, and he got the big ones so that Eli could actually sit on them.
This is Gary and Eli. Eli is the dark little vertical line almost halfway across the horizon. Gary is on the right. Eli had a ball chasing the birds. We watched him and followed him at a close distance while he was in his own little world chasing the "duckies." (Everything is either a duckie or a doggie.)
Monday, July 6, 2009:
Monday morning we headed to the inside pool. Eli had sunburn, so we weren't going to take him out again, and we wanted the kids to actually be able to get in the water and "swim." This was Cassidy's first time in a swimming pool, and he loved it. I didn't get any pics of us swimming, but here are the tots cruisin' to the pool.
After the pool, lunch, and naps I decided that I wanted to go somewhere outside of the resort. So we looked through our travel brochures and found that most places closed early. The lighthouse stayed open until 6:00, so we hit the road. As we unloaded the strollers, Caedyn spotted people at the top of the lighthouse, and she was so excited about going up there. Well, I already knew that she was too short for them to even let her, but I thought that just looking inside would appease her. Boy was I wrong! Late afternoon isn't her best time of day, but she was devastated that she couldn't climb the lighthouse. I took her into the Keeper's house, and she came out pointing at the lighthouse saying, "I wan go up deer!" She understood that she wasn't big enough, and several times a day since then she has told us, "When I get big, I gonna climb the lighthouse." Or if we tell her that she is such a big girl, she will tell us, "I'm not big yet. I can't climb the lighthouse." Poor girl. As soon as she gets to be 44 inches tall, we are going back to that lighthouse! (She is 37.5 inches now.)
After the pool, lunch, and naps I decided that I wanted to go somewhere outside of the resort. So we looked through our travel brochures and found that most places closed early. The lighthouse stayed open until 6:00, so we hit the road. As we unloaded the strollers, Caedyn spotted people at the top of the lighthouse, and she was so excited about going up there. Well, I already knew that she was too short for them to even let her, but I thought that just looking inside would appease her. Boy was I wrong! Late afternoon isn't her best time of day, but she was devastated that she couldn't climb the lighthouse. I took her into the Keeper's house, and she came out pointing at the lighthouse saying, "I wan go up deer!" She understood that she wasn't big enough, and several times a day since then she has told us, "When I get big, I gonna climb the lighthouse." Or if we tell her that she is such a big girl, she will tell us, "I'm not big yet. I can't climb the lighthouse." Poor girl. As soon as she gets to be 44 inches tall, we are going back to that lighthouse! (She is 37.5 inches now.)
I thought showing her the winding staircase might help (It deterred me!), but it didn't!
Here she is pointing pathetically at the lighthouse.
When everyone came with us over to the Keeper's house there was a short spiral staircase going downstairs. That appeased her for a while. She took each one of us up and down the staircase. She is sitting on a barrel at a station where you learn to tie nautical knots or something.
When everyone came with us over to the Keeper's house there was a short spiral staircase going downstairs. That appeased her for a while. She took each one of us up and down the staircase. She is sitting on a barrel at a station where you learn to tie nautical knots or something.
I stood on the porch of the Keeper's House and tried to get a pic of the whole lighthouse, but this was all I could get. I took a separate pic of the top, but I didn't post it because no one was in it.
It is so hard to get a picture of the two of them together.
That night after bath time, it was a jam session with Uncle Bernie. Caedyn LOVES the guitar. Mr. George at church lets her strum the guitar while he changes chords, so she thinks she can play. I am seeing lessons in her future. Especially since her daddy and mommy would love to be able to play the guitar. Someone in the family ought to be able to play! (I think in this pictures he was playing "The Wheels on the Bus" and she was bouncing while she sang!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009:
Caedyn and Eli are not satisfied playing with their toys for very long. When they know we are going somewhere, they are not very patient at waiting for others. So they stayed at the door and waited for someone to open it. Eli became very sensitive to the sound and would drop whatever he was doing and run to the door. He even escaped a couple of times when people left the door unlocked. Scary!! This is them in their froggy outfits ready to get on the "choo-choo train."
We rode what they call The Red Train to Castillo de San Marcos. It was a great historical site, but hard to take in with the little curious toddlers. Here is our family and Dara's family at the entrance.
The door reads "Carcel - Prison." Caedyn appreciated having a window at her level. I wonder why it was there way back when, or did the museum people add it for the short folk like her? Hmm...
Eli in the flag room. He was wearing his froggy outfit for the last time. I wouldn't stay buttoned at all! Fortunately Caedyn seems to have outgrown hers as well - notice the bloomers shining out. I guess now that she is (dare I say) potty trained, we should reinforce keeping her dress down in public.
The door reads "Carcel - Prison." Caedyn appreciated having a window at her level. I wonder why it was there way back when, or did the museum people add it for the short folk like her? Hmm...
Eli in the flag room. He was wearing his froggy outfit for the last time. I wouldn't stay buttoned at all! Fortunately Caedyn seems to have outgrown hers as well - notice the bloomers shining out. I guess now that she is (dare I say) potty trained, we should reinforce keeping her dress down in public.
Both of our kids were dying to go up these steps. We were trying to stay with the rest of the family, but they were taking SOOO long in the other parts of the fort. So, we finally just took them up there. They both wanted to walk themselves up the stairs.
Eli just wanted to climb on everything! I don't think it was allowed, so he kept getting mad at us! There was no chance of getting a decent picture of the two of them together. The top of the fort has very low walls. As in the kids could literally climb up and over to tragedy below. So we had to keep them very close and grab whatever parts of them we could. The sides were thick and high enough that climbing them wouldn't have been easy. Eli was mostly satisfied with these wooden planks.
This was one of the higher walls. I was once again trying to get a picture. Caedyn was trying to cooperate.
This was my favorite part about the top of the fort because I could look around a little while they were contained in this round thing. Gary held each of them up to the little window and they shouted, "HEY!" out of it. So they spent a lot of time looking for little holes and shouted, "hey" into each one of them. It was pretty funny. (I don't know what Caedyn was doing in this picture!)
This was my favorite part about the top of the fort because I could look around a little while they were contained in this round thing. Gary held each of them up to the little window and they shouted, "HEY!" out of it. So they spent a lot of time looking for little holes and shouted, "hey" into each one of them. It was pretty funny. (I don't know what Caedyn was doing in this picture!)
A pic of Caedyn at the top of the fort.
After going back down the steps, it was time for a snack. Then the rain came, and we hit the little rooms back down on the first floor. We were wet but had a lot of fun.
After going back down the steps, it was time for a snack. Then the rain came, and we hit the little rooms back down on the first floor. We were wet but had a lot of fun.
The Sightseeing Train stops at like 20 different stops around the town of St. Augustine. It takes about an hour and a half to do the whole thing, but you can get off and on as much as you want at those stops for three days. It was great. This street is one used in many movies. The Pirates of the Carribean movies were filmed here among others. Loved the trees!
When it started raining on the train I laughed out loud. Rain flew at us and soaked us. Thankfully the Red Train handed out complimentary ponchos. Eli was asleep so I wrapped one around him until he woke up, them I put him in one. Caedyn was also asleep with Grandma on trian. When she woke up she wanted nothing to do with the poncho.
When it started raining on the train I laughed out loud. Rain flew at us and soaked us. Thankfully the Red Train handed out complimentary ponchos. Eli was asleep so I wrapped one around him until he woke up, them I put him in one. Caedyn was also asleep with Grandma on trian. When she woke up she wanted nothing to do with the poncho.
We got off the train at the Colonial Spanish Quarter. It was such a neat place. Gary and I could have spent hours there. Caedyn and Eli were so good! Caedyn walked in the rain to the resteraunt until P-Pop bought an umbrella. Then she hi-jacked his umbrella. She was soaked to the bone, so Gary went walking the street to find her something to wear. I had brought a tank top and it was too cool with all the rain for that. He came back with a perfect souvenir tee that says, "I love flip flops!" After lunch it had stopped raining, so we stopped in a candy store for pralines and rock candy, got Eli a pirate tee, and let Caedyn splash in the puddles. This was my favorite part of the whole trip (rain included)! 
Caedyn took a nap on the train after leaving the Spanish Quarter, so while Eli was sleeping she went to the pool with Daddy and P-Pop!
Caedyn took a nap on the train after leaving the Spanish Quarter, so while Eli was sleeping she went to the pool with Daddy and P-Pop!
She loves jumping off the side and then getting back out all by herself! Such a big girl!
A storm came up pretty quick so the swim was short-lived, but long enough.
See the next post for the rest of our trip, Wednesday thru Friday. I added new pics to Friday if you have already seen that post. I did that one first so that they would be in order. I haven't figured out how to change the order of my posts. So they go up in the order that I type them.
1 comment:
Wow! So many great pictures! Looks like y'all had a fun time. Glad you got to have a nice family vacation together!
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