Snowbirds at the Beach

We came down to Florida to take care of some business, but of course with Little Noodle around there is not such a thing as just business, there is always time for fun.

She was so excited to come down to the beach, she played with the sand, tasted it and kept showing me the water and saying playa.

Running trying to catch the birds...It was not a successful task, but she sure had fun trying.

The tide was going out and she found the puddles. It didn't matter that the water was a little chilly.

She kept getting wetter and asking for me to remove more pieces of clothing.

It is just inspiring how the simplest things as running in the sand and jumping in puddles can bring such a lovely smile.

Encounters with wild animals

Last week we spent it at the beach. 

Little had a fun time playing in the sand and running in the water.

 While there she met a sand flea that Mommy caught for her. Mommy is not comfortable with sand fleas. I caught a few, all of which I caught with the net and made sure I didn't touch. 

 She was mesmerized by it and even touched it. After a while we set it free. 

Later during the week, we found a rana in the balcony. Now this is an animal I am not comfortable with at all. In fact when I found the frog under a toy I scream so loudly the neighbor came out. Daddy caught it and temporarily kept it captive in order for Little to meet the frog and see what live frogs look like.

 She was so excited she ran to get her toy frog, but when she couldn't find it she returned with her other green stuff animal, the turtle.

 Mommy eventually found la rana and Little made sure fake and real frog met.

The encounter with both animals was a success only thanks to Daddy. Mommy is not comfortable with many wild animals, I am consciously trying to be a stronger role model around these animals so Little doesn't grow up afraid of them. 

Memorial Weekend - Saying GoodBye

 Our last day in the Cayman Islands only allowed us a fee hours of free time to enjoy the facilities. 

We of course tried to pack as much as we could into those precious last moments.

We began with a refreshing splash in the pool and of course we included the new unofficial member of our family (Barbie)

Little got comfortable enough in the beach she would actually walk the large span of sand that lead to the water on her own.

While in the water, we saw a black shadow moving smoothly in the water, it was one of the many local stingrays. 

Of course we couldn't leave the island before saying our goodbyes to the lizards.

Ready to go home

She really made herself at home in the plane!

Memorial Weekend - Day 4

Our vacation was relaxing and a nice escape from the routine for the entire family!

We all got to enjoy our books. Daddy read about mountain climber, Mommy read about other mommies and Little read about baby bears.

We also enjoyed plenty of time swimming in the pool and playing with the sand at the beach.

Little loves jumping into our arms while in the pool. She had grown to feel very comfortable in the water 

 I continue to teach her how to blow bubbles, but so far all she does is laugh and drink water

 It took some time, but by the 4th day Little was comfortable walking on the beach and notice she did not need her water shoes

 The water was so gorgeous and refreshing, she did not want to get out of it

It was very timely her new found love for the beach since the pool had to be closed for 24 hours (a little someone - not our Little- had an accident in it) 

 After a long day, both Daddy and Little needed a break

Memorial Weekend - Day 3

The blue iguana is the Cayman Islands largest native land animal. The resort had several "intruders" and Little was fascinated by them. As soon as she spotted one in the distance, she would run towards them.

 By now we had spent plenty of time in the pool; however, every time we took her to the beach, she wanted to be held up in our arms the entire time.

We realized our mistake was to carry her in the beach because then it was nearly impossible to put her down. So on the third day we encouraged her to walk on her own or while holding our hands, but we refused to pick her up. 

She wouldn't move from the border...

Until a staff member of the resort offered her his hand, and she took it. 

Walking on the beach for the 1st time with a total stranger. She wouldn't take our hands

 Eventually the nice staffer had to go back to work, so she had to let him go. After that she walked on her own.

 Little found walking on the sand very stressful so she took a breather with Daddy

 Eventually we got her walking on her own again, but as soon as she spotted her friend she rushed to hold his hand once more

It took a while, but I got her playing in the sand with a little rock

She was not completely happy, but she was making the best out of it

 Until the wave surprised her. Game over for the beach

 To calm her anxiety she needed a drink at the bar. She quickly learned that I would refill her straw cup there and she would actually take it to the bar herself. They made her the best Peach Smoothie.

We finished the day with some more fun pool time

Memorial Weekend - Day 2

When planning our vacation we knew we wanted to go to a kid friendly destination, and boy did we score with our choice. 

We had pool and beach a few steps away from each other. However, Lillian was not a fan of the beach. She didn't like standing in the sand and even less walking in it. 

When we tried to put her down on the ground, she would bring up her legs and do anything she could to avoid sitting down.

So we carried her.

 Stopping to smell the flowers...wouldn't it be nice if we all stopped every once in a while to smell the flowers too?

 I'm guessing if we did we would all be smiling more.

Ready for some pool fun.

 

But not before putting our sunblock!

 The pool tired her, but also made Mommy and Daddy hungry. We decided to grab a quick lunch and then we would take her to the room for her nap. But she couldn't wait. She fell asleep sitting in her chair. So what does the hotel staff did?

They brought us a pack and play so we could enjoy our lunch while she rested. 

After lunch she was eager to get back in the pool.

 On our second night, we hired a hotel recommended babysitter to stay with Little while we went to dinner. Mommy was of course nervous about how Little would reach to someone new in a foreign place, but my worries were unfounded. She was as happy as could be to stay with Ms. Allysha. 

Daddy and mommy enjoyed a delicious dinner at Eric Ripert's Blue restaurant.