Spring escape

We decided enough was enough with winter and it was time for some fun in the sun. So we headed to Florida! We were excited yet a little leary of traveling with the boys. Alek has flown quite a few times and does well, but aside from the flight home from Russia, this would be Maks' first, not to mention the fact that Kevin hates to fly. So we crossed our fingers, said some prayers, medicated Kevin and got a on a plane! The kids and Kevin did great. Maks slept most of the flight down, Alek watched a movie. They really did great in the airports as well. I was very impressed, especially since alot is hurry up and wait.

Our first stop was Orlando. We used some Marriott points for a free night and hit the Magic Kingdom the next day. I am glad we only did that. It is very overwhelming and there is still so much they couldn't go on. But they had a blast, it was so exciting and I loved seeing how excited they were at every little thing. Monsters Inc laugh floor and Buzz Lightyear ride were the big hits. Alek loved the Pirates of the Carribean and Stitches Great Escape, Maks was a little anxious in both. They both, to mommy's enjoyment, loved Its a Small World. Even daddy did great, as he is not a big fan of amusement parks. It was a fun and exhausting day!



We said our good byes to Disney and made the drive west for Indian Rocks Beach. Unfortunately it was rush house as we neared Tampa, so took a little longer then we thought. We checked into our hotel and were pleasantly surprised, given it was a Holiday Inn. It was very nice and clean and was great for kids. We had a little kitchenette so that helped save on breakfast and lunch, plus popcorn at night for TV and the Villanova games! The wind decided to follow us, so although it was warm and sunny it was WINDY!! The kids loved the pool which was perfect for young children. The restaurant was good and had live music every night, which the kids loved and I loved too, because the restaurant and most music was Jimmy Buffett and island themed. During the weekend they had steel drums playing during the day.

Next up was Spring training with the Phillies. We drove over to Clearwater and Brighthouse Field to watch our Phils take on the Yankees. All the big names were playing, unfortunately we lost. The kids had fun, they enjoyed the food and the playground, they also were patient enough for us to take in most of the game.



The rest of the week was left to fun in the sun, pool and beach. We did a little of both each day.

Saturday, the Russian Princes invaded Indian Rocks. Tanya and her Kirov cutie, Oliver and Marie and her gorgeous little man Bryson came over to our resort to play. It was so great to meet up with families I feel like I have known for years! It really is amazing to see the kiddos together and how gorgeous they are and how they are all happy and thriving. We played at the pool despite the crazy wind and enjoyed lunch together. Thanks again girls for making the drive over!!!


Kevin had the morning off while I hung with the girls, and he was very excited to discover the restaurant close by: Crabby Bills not only carried Yeungling, but drafts were only 1.25! Pretty sweet. So we ventured there for dinner and enjoyed it so much we ate there again the following night. Not only was their food reasonably priced it was so good!!
The kids ate great and tried everything. Alek loved the crab legs with daddy and now him, daddy and Tim are planning a night out for crabs, Alek is very excited. Maks loved the grouper, both my sandwich and the dinner I had one night. Alek is now addicted to shrimp and gives Maks a run for money over how many they can eat. The both loved the conch fritters too.

One evening, I was able to get out for some "me" time and decided to take in another sunset on the beach. I was thinking that it would be great to have something to drink on the beach, so I wandered into the CVS (I was already loving the fact that you can buy beer and wine in there, seriously what is wrong with Pennsylvania?). Amazingly I found a mini box of wine. It looked like a larger juice box, I was cracking up. So I bought it and a chocolate chip cookie and headed to the beach. I sat down, enjoyed my wine and dessert and watched the beautiful sunset. To answer some people's questions, no I did not have a cup or glass and I did not use a straw (didnt think that would be too classy, so I drank the wine directly from the spout). It was a very lovely evening!



We enjoyed our last day (probably the best weather day, no wind) hanging out on the beach, playing in the sand and the water. Alek got body surfing lessons from daddy. He is alittle fish!
We went back to Crabby Bills for dinner and then back to beach for sunset and shelling. Alek loves to shell, Maks loves to look for rocks. They wanted to bring stuff back for school.
It was a wonderful vacation and so nice to just get away from it all. The kids traveled great, we figured out the key to get Kevin more willing to fly and I got my beach time and a nice tan.





So now, back to reality........

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