We are back!

Sarasota


My friend Maggie

Epcot

Typhoon Lagoon

Magic Kingdom

Resort pool

We flew into Florida on Friday the 15th and came back home on Friday the 22nd. Liane did amazing on both flights and made some friends on the planes. Thank you to all of the people who helped entertain her on the plane - you have no idea how much you helped! I am so grateful for nice people. As many of you probably heard, Florida was/is hit with a tropical storm "Fay" they call her. Thankgoodness it didnt turn into a hurricane like expected, but it was strong and did lots of damage nontheless. We were in Orlando the whole time and saw much rain and some wind, but we were still able to enjoy all that we had planned... except the beaches that is. We did get to Sarasota beach (Siesta Key) Saturday evening and I am glad we did for that was the only beach we saw while there.

Friday we basically flew in and relaxed at the resort... went to the pool which Liane LOVED!!

Saturday went to the Orlando temple and hung around the resort until the weather calmed down and then we drove the 1hr 45mins to Sarasota to go to the beach and to see a friend of mine whom I have not seen in like 8 years!! It was so good to see Maggie and I wish we would have had more time to talk and catch up. Thank you Maggie for taking the day off to see us and for being so patient!! Liane loves the outfits you gave her too - sooooo cute!! Liane loved the beach - the water was so warm and the sand was soft and white - until she got sunscreen and salt water in her eyes... yes, it was all over at that point. Our beach outing was cut short and we left. Whatcha gonna do?

Sunday was church and Liane and I stayed at the resort to get some much needed sleep and relaxation... Liane was kinda struggling due to lack of sleep and being on the go... she needed an "at home" kinda day. That day after we all took naps, Liane had a "first"... she swallowed her first earring! Ahhhhhh!!!!! Talk about heartattack for a parent! Geez! It was a small one, but an earring nontheless. I felt SOOOOO bad! All is well though... she passed it the next day... boy was I happy to see that out of her!!

Monday we went to Magic Kingdom! So fun! We all were able to get on some rides, see a show and took lots of pics. Liane's first ride at Disney was Dumbo. She loved it. The other rides she did well on but was a little clingy and fussy... all so new to her. She played tons and had so much to look at and experience. She took naps in her stroller and grandma and grandpa watched her as Salomon, his brother and sister and I all went on rides. It rained near the end of the day, but only for a short time so we were able to enjoy a full day at Disney! Another first for Liane... a pickle!! Its kinda tradition for me to get a pickle at Disney - they are huge and I love them! So Salomon got one for me -good man- and I shared it with Liane who LOVED it! Like mother like daughter! Thats my girl!!

Tuesday began the continual rain showers... we decided to go to the water park Typhoon Lagoon - we were going to be getting wet anyway right? It was not croweded at all and actually way fun - even in the rain. Some sun would have been nice so we could have maybe dried off and gotten a tan, but it turned out to be a good time anyway. I even went on the slides... I usually chicken out of them, but I thought what the heck?! I gave it a shot and had a blast!

Wednesday we went to Epcot Center - yes, in the rain. Again, sun would have been nice, but it didnt stop us from having a good time. We all had fun going on some more rides, seeing the sights and visiting all of the cool countries represented there. Epcot is a beautiful place - certainly a place you could spend more than one day at. I highly recommend the boat ride that is in the same building "Soarin" is in... it takes you through the Disney gardens - a water garden - seriously the coolest thing!! I want a garden like that!!

Thursday we spent some time in the Florida mall, ate Pollo Tropical for the third delicious time and packed to come home... sniff, sniff, sniff...

We had a wonderful vacation and fun together as a family. We were all able to work together to get things done and make best use of time at the parks especially. It was wonderful to see how well Liane did and all the fun she had. She is a very good little girl and did better than I expected. She is truly amazing and so flexible. I love being her mommy - I feel so blessed. Even people on the planes commented on how well she behaved. Thankgoodness!! Coming home from vacation is always a challenge, but truly there is no place like home.