Trip to Jensen Beach, Florida: Day 1-3

Well, we survived our first official vacation with both girls!  The past few years, Todd's parents have rented a condo in Jensen Beach, Florida on Hutchinson Island from January-March and we decided to take them up on their offer this year to come down and stay with them.  Overall, the trip was great although I'll be the first to admit it was a bit more challenging with two kids than I expected.  Cece was pretty fussy and cranky the first day or two (mainly due to being overly tired and new surroundings) and coupled with some colder temps than I was anticipating, I was a little stressed out.  Once both Cece and the weather turned around, it felt a little bit more like a vacation rather than just a trip (and trust me, there's a difference!) and Todd & I even got a little bit of time to relax.  Lucy was honestly so good the entire trip despite only taking one nap (we never pushed her to take one since she was having fun swimming most afternoons but towards the end of the trip, she actually asked for quiet time and she ended up falling asleep while looking at books) and she is already asking when we can go back!

Day 1 (Wednesday, March 15, 2017)

• Flew from Columbus to Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale
• Todd's parents picked us up at the airport; drove 2 hours to their condo in Jensen Beach (stopped for quick dinner at Panera)

Waiting for our flight (I love the perfect position of the advertisement in the background too)

Lucy and bitty baby about to get on the plane (she wanted bitty baby to have a swimsuit for our trip which I thought was really sweet)

Ready to take off on our flight from Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale

Hanging out with Cece

Was happy that Cece was taking a nap....until she woke up 20 min later; our girls definitely have FOMO (fear of missing out) and rarely sleep on planes or anywhere with lots of distractions

We bought Lucy a few new books to keep her entertained and let me tell you, this American Girl sticker book was well worth the $10 because she literally spent 2 hours on the plane doing it as well as some time at the condo in Florida

Day 2 (Thursday, March 16, 2017)

• Lucy & Papa went for a walk on the beach & swam at the pool
• Trip to Target & grocery store
• Open house at Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce
• Quick stop at Manatee Observation & Education Center
• Dinner at Archie's 

Beautiful view from the balcony of the condo to start off our trip

Lucy & PaPa (who you can barely see at the end of the boardwalk) getting ready to take a walk on the beach on our first morning

While Lucy & PaPa went on a walk and Cece napped, Todd & I sat on the balcony and read for a little bit

The sun felt good but the air was chilly especially when it was windy

Cece up from her morning nap (she slept in a pack & play in our room while Lucy had her own bedroom.  Cece slept great most nights except our very first night when I think she was overly tired from skipping a nap and not going to bed until almost 10:00 PM; she was up crying a few times that first night)

Lucy & PaPa playing on iPads/laptops in the living room area which had wall-to-wall windows (the doors to the wrap around balcony) and gorgeous views of the ocean

Another view later in the day once the sun was up more

I couldn't believe how blue the water was!

Since it was colder on Thursday (it didn't even hit 70 degrees), we took advantage of the once-a-year open house at the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, a research center that specializes in marine life and ecosystems

Lucy looking in a microscope

Lucy checking out the little critters 

Touch-and-feel tank

She got to touch a sea cucumber, a starfish, and a few other sea creatures

Before dinner, we made a quick stop at the Manatee Observation & Education Center to see if we could see any manatees in the nearby water but we didn't have any luck.  Lucy stopped to take a few pics though...

She wanted to take pics with each of us in the mermaid & manatee cut outs...first up was PaPa...

then Daddy...

and Mommy...

and last but not least was MaMa

We finished the day with dinner at Archie's in Fort Pierce

Hanging out after dinner

Day 3 (Friday, March 17, 2017)

• Pool/beach most of the day
• Dinner at New England Fish Market

Our little lucky charms on St. Patrick's day

Getting ready to swim at the pool

The pool was heated so the water never felt cold; it was just cold some days getting out of the water!

Todd & Lucy swimming with the condo in the background

In the afternoon, we ventured to the beach and Lucy played in the sand (the ocean was pretty cold)

And just about a hundred yards down from where we were sitting, someone caught a shark on their fishing line so some guys just dragged it back into the water

Lucy & PaPa playing near the edge of the ocean

I took Cece back upstairs for her afternoon nap and spotted the rest of the family on the beach hanging out

After a little bit of time at the beach, Lucy wanted to get into the pool again with PaPa

We had a delicious seafood dinner at the New England Fish Market

and Cece had her first ever sink bath back at the condo before bed

I'll post about the second half of our trip in the next few days!