a FL farmer's market.

After a long day at the beach we thought our final full day of vacation needed to be a bit more low key. We had hoped to visit the Phillies Spring Training facility but they were gone for the first away game of the season so we switched up our plans and searched for some local fun. 

First up, more hair fun! Lucy's hair is finally long enough to do some fun styles and after the previous days' bun she wanted pigtail buns. I thought it was pretty cute!

 We grabbed a quick Starbucks treat and then decided to take the kids over to the cemetery to see Great Grandpa and Grandma. It was nice to visit, explain to the kids the sacred space, how to honor their memory and walk around the grounds a bit. Carter even found the oldest birthdate of 1891. I always love sharing stories of their great grandpa with them. Even though they were young when he died they enjoy hearing about his life and all he did.

 We then went to downtown Dunedin for their local farmer's market. We love farmers markets and visit as many as we can during the spring/summer months at home. Sampling all the baked goods, seeing the local artists and enjoying a treat. It's fun to see the kids get excited about fresh produce or an artist's creation, plus it reminds us all to support local businesses. The market was pretty big with lots of different vendors too!

 Carter and Lucy chose some popcorn for their treat (aka lunch!) and Simon and I opted for more ice cream. When on vacation, ice cream is a totally acceptable lunch option!

 Then, it was time for one final swim. That lasted 2.5 hours! Ha! These kids were little fish all week and loved the pool.

 We had a great last dinner, played another round of cards and had 1 final golf cart ride.

 The next morning we woke up early for another long flight home! It was a great week with lots of family time, time spent playing together, walks, adventures, good food and plenty of sun. I know the kids loved spending time with grandpa and grandma and came home with plenty of wonderful memories.

 We gave big goodbye hugs, packed up ALL the suitcases and headed home. The kids were amazing travelers all week. The time change didn't seem to bug them, they helped me SO much in the airport and did great on another long flight. So thankful for these 3 little smiles.

 Mid-winter break family vacation 2019 complete!!

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the berry best beach life.

As the second half of the week approached we wanted to squeeze in a few more special outings. Our first stop...breakfast! We rarely go out to eat because it can be expensive for a big family and I like to cook. But there is this incredible beach cafe in Clearwater that has become a favorite and somewhat tradition to visit each time we are in FL. Their french toast is my absolute favorite so we decided to start the day with a big hearty meal. 

First though, we had to get ready for the day! Knowing we needed to get out the door and over to the beach I just threw up my unwashed, salty seawater, sunscreen filled hair into a bun. Lucy loved it and wanted to copy me. So funny! 

 The restaurant was packed but luckily after reading a few books we were seated quickly and the kids got busy coloring.

 Our family likes to eat. A lot. So no little kid menu would suffice. The kids ordered french toast with extra berries and bacon. And then they ate it all. And bacon from Grandma. And more french toast off my plate. Hungry, growing kids! It was delicious and we didn't need to eat until dinner that night!

 We headed over to the beach, set up our stuff and the kids wasted no time playing in the water. It was a beautiful day.

 My Dad and I took turns passing the football to Carter,  my mom splashed in the waves with Simon and Lucy worked on a bird bath sand castle for part of the day. We paid for 4 hours at the parking meter but when 2pm rolled around the kids weren't finished so we added more time and hung out all day in the sun!

 Somehow the kids were begging to swim later that night after we got home but after 6 hours at the beach we'd had enough sun for the day. An easy pizza dinner, another ride on the golf cart and we crashed into bed!

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