My First Plane Ride!!!

Miss Marley got to go on her first plane ride this past weekend!  Woohoo!  We flew to see my sister, her husband, and their kids in Anna Maria, FL.  It's a beautiful little island...just off the mainland near Bradenton.  

Marley and Momma packed up and left Minneapolis on Thursday morning, March 11th.  It was Marley's 2 month birthday, so we were really celebrating in style!  I agonized over flying with her for at least 2 weeks.  I was so nervous that she would misbehave (cry) the entire flight and that passengers would be looking at us like we were the biggest pain!  To my surprise, Marley was a total angel.  She nursed when we took off and landed to prevent against ear popping, and then she slept the entire time in between!  Couldn't have been more perfect!  

Auntie Heidi picked us up from the airport and we drove to their house on the island.  We were welcomed by Uncle Andy and Addie...Kyan was napping and Ava was at school!  We had a nice lunch, Andy is an amazing cook, and then took at short stroll along the beach on the Bay side of the island (Tampa Bay).  To say Marley loved the beach and the outdoors would be an understatement!  It was so breezy that day that she could barely keep her eyes open, but she was in Heaven!!  That evening, we hung out at home with all the kids.  Heidi and I had a few "adult" beverages and enjoyed catching up.  I miss my sister so much and living far away truly does stink!!  

Day 2...rainy, rainy, rainy day!  We made a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up some snacks and also to buy a few different bottle styles for the little lady.  She is having a hard time taking a bottle and so I thought we could "practice" a bit with Auntie.  We had authentic Cuban sandwiches from a place called Jose's!  Yummy!!  That evening, we walked with all the kids to a local ice cream shop called Two Scoops!  Marley had on her snazzy leopard print leggings and I swear she was just the main attraction in the cute little shop!  Everyone was ooohhing and ahhing at her!!

Day 3...yay for the sun!  I got incredibly burned!  My skin really hasn't seen much of the sun since very early in my pregnancy.  We took a LONG walk along Bean Point and snapped tons of great pictures of the kids.  Then we scurried home to enjoy some laying out time!  Marley was napping indoors as she is soooo fair at the moment!  Another great lunch made by Andy (burgers), which we enjoyed on their new patio set (all 6 of us)!  We, meaning my sister and I, were treated to a very special dinner on Saturday night at the Beach Bistro.  Heidi and Andy both work at this local restaurant and it is owned by my dad's good friend, Mr. Murphy!  Fresh seafood, steak, you name it......bottom line, DELICIOUS!!!  Andy stayed home and babysat the kids, including Mars!  It was so nice to go out with my sister and just have some girl time!

Last day on the island...more sun!!  Again, Andy made a great lunch...Arroz con Pollo and super yummy mojitos for Heidi and I!!  He headed off to work and we took all the kids to the local St. Patty's Day parade, which is hosted by the Beach Bistro.  We had soooo much fun!  Later that evening, we took a stroll to "Jelly Fish" Beach and watched an amazing sunset!   It was a bit chilly out, but the views were spectacular and it was so fun to watch the kids playing in the sand and enjoying each other!  Once back home, we got all the kids ready for bed...a day with no naps is not good!!  Heidi got some final quality time in with Marley and then we were off to bed!

The trip was amazing!  We had so much fun and it was great to see family!  It sucks living so far away, but it makes our visits that much better!  I just wish Marley got to live a little closer to her auntie because I know she is going to grow up so fast and we won't have many opportunities to get to Florida in the coming year!

Other news...Marley is "officially" 2 months old.  She gets her shots on Thursday and then we are debating a trip to get her ears pierced in the coming weeks!  I'm almost positive that she will be bald for quite some time, so it would be nice to have some sparkly little studs in her ears!

Happy Spring...almost!!

Stevie, Travis, and Marley :)