First, lets take a moment to recognize how cute this kid is.
Right?
And he is officially his old happy, silly, babbling, energetic self.
Ear tubes = Best! Things! Ever!
Moving on...
Several months ago, Eric's dad Gary retired from the Florida DOT. He had worked there since he was 18 years old and after 38 years, he is enjoying retirement living at the beach!
Now, Eric's side of the fam gets together a handful of times each year. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and we all try to make it to the kids' birthday parties in April/May/July, but this family gathering was especially amazing.
Gary rented a great house in Anna Maria Island, FL. There were seven bedrooms, a pool, a hot tub, a short drive to the beach, and ALL the siblings and their families. Lots of great memories made and good times spent watching cousins laugh and smile.
The dock on the canal in the backyard was a great fishing spot!
And we learned that Grady DOES like the beach!
There was time for some daddy-daughter kayaking :)
And LOTS of giggles from these sister cousins :)
What is a vacation with preschoolers and toddlers without some ipad time!?
Lynzie's husband, Joe, won the unofficial fishing award for the week! He caught several large fish and a few stingrays!
There were several splash competitions, and we all heard, "WATCH THIS!!!" about a gajillion times as little kids turned into big kids while jumping, diving, and canonballing into the pool!
This little dude may or may not have fallen head-first into a cooler full of ice and adult beverages. Maybe. That might have happened.
And I am proud to say MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED!
We got some GREAT family pics with the entire family!
And this guy? He brought it all together!
He treated us all to the beach house for the week and deserves to be celebrated!
His fiance, Martha (on the right, below) put together an awesome surprise scrapbook highlighting Gary's life and career at the DOT. I think he was really surprised and we were all impressed with the hard work Martha put into showering Gary and making him feel the love :)
THANK YOU, Papa, Gary, Dad! Your hard work and dedication is something we all admire, and we look forward to spending more time with you as you ENJOY every minute of retired life!
And how cute are these cousins?!
Unfortunately we had to leave a day early because the air conditioning in the Jeep wasnt working. Yeah. Florida in August. 95 degrees with crazy humidity. Two kids in car seats. And no working A/C? ugh.
So Eric worked on the A/C for a while and I packed our bags to head home at the kids' bedtime so we could at least travel in the dark hours of the day.
Wouldnt you know it? Whatever Eric did to the A/C worked because we rode home with ice cold air conditioning. Left a day early and missed the pontoon boat Papa chartered for the day. Bummed.
But we got home in time for one sleep in our own beds before we headed back on the road to a family vacation with my side of the fam!
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