Final day...

Friday was our last day in Fort Myers.  We started it by hanging around the trailer organizing a few things and stating the process of packing.  We then decided to head to a local park where Nolan enjoyed running around, climbing, sliding, and swinging.  Lucas took a nap and then enjoyed a little swinging too.  

 Is he really old enough to be able to do this?!?!  He was so proud of himself. :)

 Lucas's first time in the swing...He loved it!  

 <3 p="">

Always watching big brother

After the park we went back for a little lunch and naps before heading to the pool.  Nolan was really excited about going to the pool.  The water was like bath water and very inviting.  

 Swimming around with daddy

 Silly face

We had a lot of fun floating around the pool.  Nolan even held his nose and went completely under the water several times.  He must have been feeling pretty confident because he jumped off the steps into (and under ) the water by himself without letting us know he was going to do that.  Kevin quickly grabbed him and Nolan was a bit stunned but not as panicked as I thought he might be.  I definitely want to get Nolan into some swim lessons as he is showing more interest and excitement about the pool/water.  Lucas also enjoyed floating around and splashing his hands up and down in the water (he also enjoyed a little nap).  Kevin ended up taking Lucas back to the trailer while Nolan and I enjoyed the pool a bit longer before heading back to get ready for dinner.  

Before going to dinner we went back to our little beach for a family picture....

We enjoyed a yummy dinner at Pincher's Crab Shack.  We ordered calamari for an appetizer and Nolan wouldn't eat the pieces with the tentacles because it was "squidy squid" but he really enjoyed the round pieces because Kevin told him it wasn't "squidy squid".  Kevin enjoyed crab legs for dinner and I had yummy salmon.  Nolan thought the crab claw was pretty cool and had to take it home with us (we did convince him to throw it away before bed).  

Me and my sweet, little boys waiting at dinner

As we were leaving the sun started to set and I convinced Kevin to drive back to the small beach for our last Florida sunset (for this trip :)).  We made it just in time to see the last of the sunset.  Nolan and I got out to take a few pictures while Lucas and Kevin stayed in the car.  It was beautiful!

  The perfect ending to our time in Fort Myers.  Saturday morning we hit the road after waking up and drove to Sarasota to enjoy breakfast at Yoder's before officially calling the end of our vacation.  Our friend Dori has family connections to Yoder's and so we decided that we had to stop to enjoy the food and purchase a pie.  We enjoyed talking with Dori's grandmother (who adores the boys) and uncle (who makes the pies).  If you are ever in Sarasota (or passing through) I definitely recommend going for a meal, or two, and some pie! :)  I enjoyed the raspberry stuffed french toast! YUM!  The black-raspberry pie we purchased survived the drive home and we enjoyed sharing it with Dori and Tom upon our arrival home on Sunday early evening.  

 Delicious

The drive home took longer than the drive down.  We got stuck in construction traffic for 3 hours south of Atlanta.  After finally getting through and stopping for dinner around 8pm we decided it was best to stop for the day.  We got a hotel, bathed the boys, and we all enjoyed a good sleep before hitting the road on Sunday morning for the rest of the drive home.  Props to Kevin for driving the entire time (I did offer!)  It was sad to see the temps drop the closer we got to being home but once we were back it felt good to be in our own space.  

So, all in all we had a wonderful time and are talking about making it a yearly trip...car ride and all! :)

Day 4

 Thursday morning was nice and sunny but a bit chilly so we decided to play some put-put golf at Jungle Golf.  This was Nolan's first time and he did a pretty good job.  As you can see by the pictures this place was beautiful and full of exciting animals.  Nolan definitely had fun checking out all the animals along the way and I think they kept him excited to keep playing.  Of course Nolan didn't follow the rules completely, but it was exciting to see him hit the ball into the hole and yell "Woohoo!  I winned!" almost every single time.
 

 Nolan and Daddy with the elephants

 Beautiful!

 Nolan and the baby gorilla.

 Lucas enjoyed his morning nap while we played.  This made it difficult for me to bend down and get my ball out of the hole so I would usually ask Nolan or Kevin to get it for me.  One time after I asked Nolan if he would please get my ball for me he smiled and said "yes, your majesty."  Where does he come up with this stuff?! :)  

After finishing our game we went to Target to pick-up a few groceries and other odds and ends we needed. Then it was off to enjoy a yummy lunch at Shaols and back to the house for afternoon naps.  Later that afternoon we decided to head back to the beach we had explored on our first evening.....