I hate when I go longer than a week without putting up a post. Life has just been busy since school ended and I'm trying to get one or two posts in now because we leave for California on Wednesday and we're not bringing a computer! So on the last day of school we picked up Allison and headed straight for Marco Island for a few days. It was a much needed break and we all had a great time. We met up with our old neighbors and friends from Maryland, Janet and Dax and their two kiddos Madison and Logan. It's always great to see them!
The drive to Marco, which should only take about 2 - 2 1/2 hrs took us almost 3 1/2 hours due to the monsoon we had to drive through to get there. Of course, living in Florida I expected to have to drive through a thunderstorm or two since it was the afternoon but I wasn't at all prepared for what we went through. Rain like I've never seen before and a fierce wind that felt like it was going to topple our car over any minute. I was the one driving because Jeff was exhausted from work and school so I was trying to let him relax a little bit. It finally got to the point that I had to pull off the road for about twenty minutes. Once we got back 
Yeah, not too shabby. After the bellhop brought all of our luggage to the room, we walked outside to the beachfront restaurant at the hotel to grab some dinner. Of course after what I had to drive through to get there (woe is me, I know), I figured I deserved a drink:
It was yummy. Very yummy. After dinner we enjoyed watching the sunset over the gulf of Mexico. Here's Jeff taking it all in. Two beers and a view like this had made him forget about his stressful week at work and all the schoolwork he had due the following week:
I mean, living on the east coast of Florida is nice and all but going to the west coast to see this is just awesome:
It was soon time for bed. We were all very tired. The kids always want to sleep in the same bed when we stay at a hotel but somehow it never works out. As much as the two of them move around out night I think they would end up bruised and battered. They had fun pretending they were sharing a bed though:
Yes, those are bedrails - can you believe the hotel offered us bedrails? I couldn't believe they had them! Top notch.
The next morning it was time for the pool! Janet came to the hotel with Madison and Logan while Dax was off fishing. The kids had a blast and Allison couldn't wait to get back on the waterslide. She remembered it from our trip there last year. Once again she spent most of the time going down the slide, except this time she was a better swimmer and could actually stand up and touch the pool floor when she reached the bottom. Good to know she is growing. We got some great shots with our waterproof camera:
Once Allison went down a few times, Daniel's interest was peaked. He wanted to give it a try. I couldn't believe Mr. "I don't like anything" was willing to give it a go! So Jeff brought him to the top of the slide and I waited at the bottom. I was a little nervous because he hasn't had swim lessons yet but he had his tube on and I was at the bottom to catch him. The first time Jeff brought him up, once he saw the view from the top, he chickened out. But later on he saw how much fun everyone was having and wanted to give it a go again. And this time he went down! Now I don't have any pictures or videos of this miraculous event because Jeff and I were both focused on making sure he made it down the slide safely but you have to believe me when I say "He actually did it!!!"Janet is our witness. Not only that but he did it a second time. Wow. So proud of my little guy.Here's a couple more pictures of our fun in the pool:
Allison and Madison
After some pool time we had all built up an appetite so we grabbed some lunch. I think the kids were loopy from being in the sun all morning because they felt the need to place condiments on their heads:
Next we headed to the beach for a little while. We dragged the kids into the water. Allison is not a fan of the ocean. She says it's too salty. Go figure. She preferred to play in the sand:
Daniel was hesitant at first but Jeff helped him in slowly and he seemed to enjoy it after awhile:
Yes, they've been to the beach many many times before but we haven't gone since late last year so it had been a while and I don't think Daniel really remembered it.
Allison, Madison and Logan striking a pose:
Look, Daniel is next to another kid and he's actually smiling! Maybe he really does like people.
All of us after dinner with our very stuffed bellies (and lollipops for the kids)
The next morning we got up and headed out to the beach. I don't think Allison even went in the water. She just played in the sand. Daniel, on the other hand, was ready for a dip with daddy and he had fun jumping the waves:
Oh wait, she did get in the water!
We spent the afternoon back at the pool and after that the kids had fun dancing and singing on the balcony. Daniel's dancing moves just crack me up:The next morning it was time to head home. Jeff had to get back to reality and work on a school project so off we went. But before we left the kids enjoyed running around the beautifully manicured lawns at the hotel (why can't I have lawn like this at my house??):
So that in a nutshell (a very large nutshell) was our trip. We hope to return again next year. Time to start saving up the Marriott points again!
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