Hello, Sunshine.

And hello again to all of you.  We've come and gone since last I posted.  The sunshine state with its promise of warm sand, crashing waves, golf, a bit of relaxation and a marathon sprint through the Magic Kingdom called to us.  That call was heeded.


This guy with his robot backpack and Mr. Bunny caused a bit of a stir going through both the Minneapolis and Tampa airports.  Few people neglected to comment on how gosh darn cute he was in his excitement.  He traveled like a pro right up to the point where we checked into the hotel that first night.  He HAD to wheel WM's carry-on all the way to the room all by his big, giant guy self.  

Hilarity ensued immediately.  Our room reservation was not quite right.  The first night, we had one king sized bed (and eventually a roll away) for the three of us.  Channing took one look at it and asked, 'Mom!  Where's Dad going to sleep?!?'  Yes, I about peed my pants laughing.  WM was not as amused.  


We set up beach camp on Day 1 and Day 2 and Day 4 and...  It looked something like this:

And was home base for activities like this:

As was the case with our St. George Island trip two years ago, we frequently made way from the beach right to the pool.  Channing was every bit the confident swimmer, jumping into the water unassisted, popping right to the surface and asking to do it over and over and over again.  Give that kid a noodle and he's gone.  Deep end.  Shallow end.  Fearless.  He probably swam twelve miles, and he now, without a doubt, has gills.  

Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom was indeed magic to travelers young and younger.  (Angie, I apologize to you especially for the lack of WDW photos.  Paring down the day pack, I took only one lens for the camera and proceeded to drop it somewhat early in the day.  The UV filter shattered and got stuck leaving me to lug around an un-usable camera.  [sigh.] ) 

WM & Channing were featured as another two-headed monster at the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor.  

Grandma Kathy & Grandpa Walt held down the fort one evening, allowing the rest of us to enjoy a dinner at Blu Que on Siesta Key.  I took a break from my sugar fast for the first time in over three months to indulge in a Key Lime Cloud.  Seriously.  Heaven in your mouth.  Not kidding.  Key lime pie filling, coconut macaroons & home made whipped cream.  YUM!  Kelly's brownie sundae wasn't too shabby either.  

After a trip to the Mote Aquarium, we stopped for ice cream at Abel's in Sarasota.  It was Anderson's first time eating his own cone.  Channing and Anderson's personalities are definitely reflected in their cone consumption styles.  They're as different as night and day.  

We've been home now for just less than 24 hours.  We've unpacked.  The laundry is done, and the very last load is waiting to be put away.  WM's hard at work cleaning the garage.  WC is catching up on his sleep, taking a much needed and very long nap.  Me, I'm just drinking it all in.  As good as it was to be on vacation, it's equally as good to be home.