Vacation Week Day 7- the Beach!

We spent the other half of our trip at my in-law's beach house.  This was Adeline's third beach trip in a little over a year. Ha! Raising a beach girl, for sure! She did great when she was 2 months, loved crawling around at 8 months and then running around at 14 months!

My beach tips with a toddler:

(Disclaimer:  I have a very go-with-the-flow child that has never had a sensory issue...the beach/water has always been "easy" for us with her.  She comes by it honest. ;)

-pouches to eat!
-take A LOT less than you think...the sand and water are plenty to keep them happy
-don't be scared of the sand...God made it...like dirt...it won't hurt ;)
-baby powder on legs and arms before getting in the sand helps it roll right off
-a beach tent is fabulous for a shaded area to play
-if possible, at this stage, ditch the stroller and just carry them out to your spot
-rashguards are so helpful to block the rays
-time it early morning/lunch time so that they knock out after for nap time ;)
-wash them off with water and change them into a regular dipe before heading to the car (if your place isn't right on the beach)
-hats and sunscreen (apply the sunscreen before you get to the sand)
-water bottle
-let them run, explore, and be free (it's one of few places they can run like crazy)

Adeline loved the lanai at my in-law's! She spent a lot of time hanging out out there! :)

Justin and I actually got the gift of a date afternoon while at the beach...Justin's parents babysat for us! We hit up a little market and then had dinner at a movie theater while seeing Silver Lining Playbook.

We spent some time at parks and the neighborhood playground, including one where you can ride a mini train around the park!

We ate out and shopped...b/c what's a vacay without that?

doll baby

Momma finally got some raw oysters!

The rest of our time was spent on the beach and at the pool.  Pretty tough time! ;)

 

Family time is the absolute best time!!

Vacation Week Day 6- Animal Kingdom

 We spent our final day at Animal Kingdom before heading to the beach house for the rest of our trip.  We decided to not visit Hollywood Studios this trip and instead do Animal Kingdom because of Adeline's LOVE for animals.  I think we made the perfect choice! We packed up all our luggage in the car so that it was ready when we got back in the evening and then headed out to the park for one final day!

in front of the "Tree of Life"

TIP:  Hand your camera to the Disney photographer and they will be more than happy to take a picture with your own device when they take a professional photo!

We started the day by heading to the safari ride because it gets the most crowded at Magic Kingdom.  (A little tip I learned from my in-laws.)  I couldn't wait to take Adeline on the safari ride since she loves animals so much! And her expressions, enthusiasm and excitement were even more than I thought she would show!

blowing kisses to the giraffes :)

Next, we headed over to Rafiki's Village which is just okay.  Not my favorite part, but it has a fun petting zoo which Adeline LOVED and you ride a fun little truck ride over to the area.

We ate lunch at a diner we like where you can get cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets and fries...simple but yummy! It was our last meal at Disney this trip...bittersweet! ;)

TIP:  I used a reusable placemat for Adeline that I love. However, for Disney, I splurged and bought a couple packages of the fun princess themed disposable mats that could be tossed after each meal.

Adeline took another on-the-go nap in her stroller after lunch while Justin and I ventured out and enjoyed Everest (the big thrill roller coaster that Disney has- there aren't many "thrill" rides at Disney...but they are all great even though they aren't thrill rides).

I could eat her and her little cuteness up!

When Justin and I went before Adeline a couple years back, we loved the Lion King show! We just couldn't wait to bring Adeline and knew she would love it...she's crazy about dancing, music and animals...and there is a ton of that! She soaked every bit of it up...clapping, dancing, laughing.  So. Much. Fun!

We saved our last snack for a Mickey Ice Cream for Adeline to enjoy, so we stopped for a little treat after the show.

We had a little impromptu photo shoot after our snack! ;)

We hit another ride and then headed to the Finding Nemo show to wrap up our Disney trip! So much fun and so magical...ready to go back already!

TIP:  The shows are at designated times during they day.  You can get the times when you go into the park for the day.  The Finding Nemo show had a last showing when the park closed, so we waited for that show so that we could maximize our time in the park.

 Coming tomorrow...the beach!