Spring Break!

Look out, south Florida!  Here come the Banks!  Spring break has finally arrived and we are so excited to have some time off with our girlie to visit family, soak up some sun, and see the sights.  I hoped Livi would sleep through most of our flight down there since I booked a flight at bedtime, but of course there was way too much happening to sleep.  But, she still did really well!

Our first stop was to Naples to visit Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Pigg for Easter.  Grandpa was a most gracious host!  He made delicious meals, gave up his bedroom and bathroom, and stocked up on all of Livi's favorite foods.  Even though it had been a while since we had seen him, Olivia quickly warmed up to him and was running around yelling, "Grandpa!"

Easter was absolutely awesome!  We had such an amazing visit with my grandma.  The day before had been a bit difficult as she was having a hard day.  But on Easter, she was alert and chatting up a storm.  Livi happily climbed up on her lap and showed off Baby (her doll) and videos on Josh's phone.   It is a true testament to her spirit when she is able to break through the walls that the Parkinson's and dementia try to put up and we get to see those glimpses of the lady we all remember.



I love how content and comfortable they both look in this video.  You can just see much love there is between the two of them!

 

We really enjoyed the rest of our stay in Naples.  We went to downtown Naples and did a little shopping at "Best of Everything" (jewelry for Mommy; "airbows" for Livi!) and had some yummy ice cream.  Before long, it was time to hit the road and head back to the east coast.  We stopped at Sawgrass Mills so Daddy could indulge in some Bahama Breeze and Mommy could drool over some new Kate Spade (thank you, Daddy!).  Livi was just happy to be out and about and running around!

One of the best parts of being on vacation is taking a break from all the day to day responsibilities including cooking.  We have a couple of favorite places we like to try to go to each year (although, one was a big let down this year!), but we also like to try new places.  Apparently, Livi felt comfortable enough at Siam Oishi to create her own "Girls Gone Wild" moment.

But let's face it, the real reason you go on vacation in Florida are the beaches and pools!  We were blessed with awesome weather, except for one rainy day.  Our girl still loves to swim, but this year she really loved the ocean!  She couldn't get enough of splashing in the waves.  Plus, I loved having matching pink swimsuits and toenails with my girl!

On our last night in Florida, we got to have a great dinner with Uncle Artie and his friend Christine.  Miss Christine had all kinds of fun toddler apps her phone and was very good at keeping Livi entertained!  She and Uncle Artie made us a very yummy breakfast the next morning before our flight.  This trip was a great reminder of the kind and generous family we have!




















Livi was quite the charmer on the flights back!  She got many packages of goodies and other treats from the flight attendants. She definitely liked flying though and still gets very excited when we see or hear "airpanes" around the neighborhood!