We just got back from a week with my family on Islamorada, an island of the Florida Keys!
This was our first big vacation in more than three years, and our first multi-night trip with the boys. We drove to NYC in October for one night for my sister's engagement party, and while it felt brave and we had so much fun, it didn't feel quite as big a venture as this. Scroll for a few photos and details about what we did and where we stayed...
We flew into Fort Lauderdale, then rented a car and drove down to the Keys. (The kids did great on the plane; Logan even took an hour-long nap!)
My parents booked a rental that had enough room for all of us, and it was truly the perfect place for our group! We occupied two rooms on the first floor. Miles slept with Kristie and I in one, and we tucked Logan into the other.
We arranged ahead of time to rent all the gear we'd need, like a crib, rocking chair, baby monitor, and even toys that both kids loved.
The rental has a deep dock right in the backyard (along with a heated pool and kayaks) and wild manatees visited us EVERY DAY!! They were so so sweet.
Miles and Logan are the only grandchildren in my family (so far!) and it was such a treat to vacation with eight adults. Not only do I really adore my parents, siblings, and their partners, but the extra hands were so helpful. I actually managed to take a nap a few times, and lie in the sun by myself one afternoon for half an hour! Plus no one can make me laugh like this group can.
On Valentine's Day, Kristie and I ditched the kids with my folks and went to explore Village Square right down the street from our rental. The coffee was amazing, the shopping was great, the whole vibe felt like California.
One afternoon my mom and Miles and I went to the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary, which we all loved. It's very very low key and easy to just wander in and explore at your own speed. We saw some beauties.
So much swimming! Oh, did we swim! Miles loved it, though still was loathe to go under, and Logan liked it too, preferring to be held by someone rather than in this floaty I got from Facebook marketplace before we left, but he did tolerate it.
We chartered two boats one afternoon: the "grown-ups" went scuba diving, while the rest of us (me, Kristie, the kids) met up with them at a sand bar in the middle of the ocean for an hour of splashing around with a few drinks. This was very, very cool, made tolerable for me thanks to anti-motion sickness glasses (affiliate link). For someone who can conjure nausea just by thinking about being on a boat, these silly things were a game-changer! They really did work, and were funny too.
As we were about to leave the sand bar, a beautiful big nurse shark swam by the boats, right where we'd been standing moments before. The wildlife really was just amazing the whole trip. In addition to the manatees (never getting over that by the way), we saw egrets, iguanas, pelicans, and geckos right outside our door. Add in two nurse shark sightings, barracuda, tarpons, rainbow parrot fish, and so much more -- Miles is on a big wildlife kick. I hope he remembers this trip for a long time.
I can't imagine a more perfect trip, really, or a better crew to travel with.
