Palm Coast 2020 - Quarantine Style

First we cancelled our summer trip to Florida, then as things started opening back up we decided to go for it again.  We knew all we had to do was make it through plane ride and then we were pretty much able to social distance in Aunt Sarah and Uncle Mike's beautiful ocean front home.  The kids did great even with their masks.  The airport was dead and we had front row seats on the plane.  We washed hands and really didn't have to touch much going through the airport.  And...we made it!  Our favorite trip every year and it NEVER disappoints.  Endless days just playing in the sand and swimming in the ocean.  Our only decision was when to head to the pool for a swim.  We just can't thank Aunt Sarah and Uncle Mike enough for their continuous generosity.  We have made the BEST memories as a family in Palm Coast, Florida thanks to them.  

 We had some rain the first couple of days, but we had no problem waiting it out and running back and forth to the beach in between showers.  After that it was all sun and fun the rest of the week!

Daddy's birthday celebration with a carrot cake from Publix.  We had already celebrated the night before, which isn't a good excuse, but embarrassingly enough the kids and I forgot it was his birthday all day until about 2pm.  We were up early headed to the airport and I was thinking about the kids masks an keeping Evie's hands out of her mouth and...it just happened!  When Patrick came out of the rental car office at the airport in Florida with the agent, the agent said, "Since it's your birthday I'll let you choose any car on the lot"....I must have looked completely dumbfounded.  "OMG it's your birthday!".  The kids were like, what???!??  Who knows what that agent was thinking about me as he walked back into his office.  We tried our best to make it up to him the rest of the day.  It's one we will remember!

I picked up masks and snorkels at the grocery store when we got there and they were a big hit.

These pics don't do it justice but this pizza we ordered was HUGE!  The largest pizza we've ever seen.  Way bigger than even the one's at Costco and Sams Club.  The kids just couldn't believe it.  One slice was bigger than their face.  

Beach crab!

Ice cream outing!

On our last day Patrick got the kids a special treat- kid daiquiri's!  

Carson could spend all day in the ocean.  Literally all day.  Laney loves boogie boarding in the waves and she enjoys a break in the sand too.  Evie stood in the water with the waves coming in knee high and jumped them.  She kept saying, "Look at me way out here!".  Which is funny because her knee high is about 6 inches off the ground.   I took her out a little deeper one day, about to my shoulders.  She loved bobbing up and down and splashing in the waves with the big kids.  By the time I saw it, it was too late, this monster wave had formed and was totally going to take us down.  I was holding on to her for dear life and I said, "Evie, you are going to go under this one just hold on tight"....then boom!  We all came up screaming and laughing.  It was so fun.  Patrick was watching from the beach and I could hear him just laughing so hard.  Evie didn't cry or anything but she was done after that.  No more going out in the waves for her :-)  

  

We came back home feeling refreshed and ready for summer!  Saying good-bye to virtual school and to our teachers was emotionally draining right before we left, especially for me.  Saying good-bye to Carson's amazing teachers about broke me.  I think I subconsciously sucked it all in and sucked it up ever since March 12th when school was abruptly cancelled.  Well, it all came out when it was time for the school year to end.  I needed this trip, we all did.  Thank you Aunt Sarah and Uncle Mike! 

When we got home we were ready to hang out with our buddy Maeve!  Picnic at the newly opened playground!  

This one really had us laughing.  Listen close you can hear Patrick say, "It's like I'm a beached whale!".