Jess and I went to Florida for our honeymoon in 2022, and we took Audyn again in 2023 when she was 5 months old. Since we were planning a trip to Europe in May of 2024, I told Jess we wouldn’t be able to go to Florida this year. Then, our sister-in-law told us about some cheaper tickets she had found, so we decided to go for it and planned a shorter, simpler trip in February.
I’ll tell you what, Florida with an 18 month old is NOT relaxing. Audyn kept us on our toes! She loved the beach and meandered all around to make friends with everyone nearby. We also visited the Sarasota Jungle Gardens, and met up with Jess’s brother and his family in Sarasota for a day of sun, since they were down there at the same time! The really neat part was that we were staying at my grandparents house, and unbeknownst to them, all 13 of their kids were flying in to surprise my Grandpa for his 80th birthday! It was so fun to catch the surprise on video and hang out with all of my aunts and uncles for a couple days! Our being there at the same time was not intentional, but we were so glad it happened to work out that way.
We had a good time, and if there’s a Florida trip in 2025, we’re hoping Audyn can stay home with Grandma. :)
Audyn cashed out right as we landed!
Adjusting to the sunshine right away.
Feeding birdies with Great-Grandpa.
Grandma's picking weeds, Audyn's picking rocks out of the flower bed where they're supposed to be. So very helpful.
Feeding goats at the Sarasota Jungle Gardens!
We got to see some really colorful birds.
Took my big camera along in hopes of getting some beach photos of Audyn! So glad I did.
Sharing her sand with the ladies on the beach!
Another sunset admirer offered to take our photo and it actually turned out really well! That's not always the case when I ask someone new to use my big camera.
Audyn helping the aunties weed the yard. My Grandma spends much of her time doing this, which is why it was a joke that everyone started helping as soon as they showed up. :)
Fishing and hanging out.
Our beach loving gal!