A Wonderful Vacation

We just got back from a truly wonderful vacation last week. We took the kids to Disney for a few days and then we headed to Cocoa Beach while the rest of my extended family went on the Disney Cruise. The kids had a blast, and I think it was the first vacation that we didn't just take our routine to another location! They were both really well-behaved, and we really have no complaints! We really loved seeing their faces when they got to see all of their favorite Disney characters in the parades or just on the rides that we went on with them. We really lucked out too because we were there right before the 4th of July, and we didn't have to use a single fast pass to ride any of the rides! It was overcast so the heat wasn't unbearable which was fantastic! That was my biggest worry about going when we did because I didn't want them to be miserable just from the heat. In Carley's words, "It was magical."

After spending about three days in Disney we took the kids to Cocoa beach for the duration of our vacation. The place we stayed was very family-friendly so the kids had fun with all of the live music and other children they could watch. Carley even made a little friend named "Carly." She was very excited about that, and it was exciting for us to watch her interact with this little girl since she doesn't typically do that due to her backwards nature. The kids absolutely loved the beach which was a surprise to me because I thought the sand might bother them with it sticking to them and with how hot it was on their feet. They were a little intimidated by the ocean at first, but after a few minutes they were jumping waves and having a ball. Parker loved it the most I think, and he would thrown himself down and put his face in the water and splash all around. This is the kid who won't even go off the second step in the pool! I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of the beach..I love to listen to it, the feeling of being at the beach, and the food that goes along with the beach though. I am not a fan of sand or the ocean (due to my fear of sharks). I spent most of our vacation there with the kids in the ocean and digging in the sand with them..Mike thinks his wife was kidnapped! I actually really enjoyed myself at the beach, and I think it was due to their excitement! I just wanted to be where they were..All in all we had a great trip, and I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to take them!

I did find myself really missing Aubree on our trip though, and it drives me crazy that she wasn't able to enjoy Disney with us or the beach. Every vacation we go on I feel like she is missing out. I know she is with us in many ways, but it just isn't the same. It didn't help that on our first day on the beach we sat next to this young couple who had this beautiful little girl named "Aubree." Every single time one of their extended family would come down to the beach they would say her name over and over again..I couldn't get away from it. I couldn't even move because we had paid for our chairs and umbrella for the day in that spot..I thought I might go crazy! Aubree isn't really a name I hear very frequently so to hear it over and over again made me crazy, and it just reminded me that she was not here with us. I just wish that she had been able to come with us, and that she could have met another "Aubree." That is not how it was meant to be though..