Category: Travel

This meme says so much….Little did I know that on the eve of our trip to Florida for some sun and R&R, it was also the beginning of major Hand, Foot & Mouth outbreak….

The Friday before our trip Teddy came home with a fever. I thought nothing of it because toddlers get weird 24 hour fevers all the time. And by morning he was fine. We had Saturday to recover before our flight to Florida on Sunday morning. At our 5am wake up call, Teddy was all clear. But by the time we were on the plane (my first solo flight with the boys BTW), he was in full rash breakout mode; hands, feet, bum, legs. And that’s how we started our week with Papa and Coco…..

I think I read every mommy blog and homeopathic treatment article for Coxsackie Virus (aka Hand, Foot & Mouth) that exists which explains why poor Tedders was slathered in Coconut oil, chugged elderberry syrup hourly and bathed in Epson salts like it was his job. And poor Papa and Coco had to deal with Mommy’s crazy. At it’s worst:

We were spared and it never spread to his face or mouth- just every where else. And since he was in good spirits and no longer contagious (just gross looking), we tried not to let it stop us from enjoying our time in the Sunshine state.

We rode bikes… A LOT! My parents neighborhood was perfect for Andrew and he loved it! One morning we went on a 5-mile ride and Andrew only stopped twice for about 30 seconds each. Go Andrew!

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The boys went on scavenger hunts to find the gold the leprechaun had left on St. Patrick’s day:

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And they went swimming everyday…even the day it rained. Doesn’t Coco look thrilled?!

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By midweek Teddy’s spots had started to fade and he was clearly on the up swing so we decided to keep our plans for Disney World. Daddy was even on his way to meet us there from Chicago, so why not?! But somewhere between Bonita Springs and Disney World, Andrew started to go down hill.

The virus was really fickle with Andrew. Some moments he’d be perfectly fine and then others, he’d be falling asleep. And knowing the timing of how it all works (contagious period, fever & rash), we decided to proceed as planned. Plus I feared what he’d be like if I told him he had to miss Toy Story Land.

It wasn’t always pretty but we did it! Andrew and I started our first day at Disney at the new Toy Story Land with the slinky roller coaster. I thought this was a no brainer. He loves Toy Story and really liked roller coasters last time. Here we are killing time in line and teaching him thumb wrestling:

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There are no mid-ride photos on this rollercoaster but based on his reaction I’m pretty sure this is what we looked like:

My bad. Lesson learned…. sort of.

Next up:

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The boys were super pumped to return home to their Lightning McQueen hotel; a dream for my little boys!

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Day 2: The Magic Kingdom!

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And we’re spent. I think this picture sums it up after a week of battling illnesses and then tackling the happiest place on Earth.

In between the rashes, fevers, coconut oil, elderberry shots, melt downs (mommy included), and crowded theme parks, we had fun!

Thanks Papa and Coco for the help, hospitality and memories! We’ll be sure to get a doctor’s note before our next trip!

Just a little Saturday trip to New York! Days like today remind me how much I love New York and how blessed I am to have these 3 guys in my life! ❤️

We visited the Natural History Museum, dined at a favorite pizza restaurant, savored the best cookies in the world, strolled through Central Park, bought (overpriced) M&Ms from the M&M store, took in the lights of Time Square and visited with friends!

The boys’ favorite you might ask? The subway. ?‍♀️

On the 26th we said farewell to New Jersey and headed to Florida to visit Papa, Coco, Aunt Kiki and the warm Floridian weather!

Getting to Florida is always an adventure with a (almost) 2 and 4 year old in tow. All in all they’re good travelers….but it’s still tiring!

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When we arrived we went for walks, visited the splash pad, played tennis, played golf- with Nathan and Andrea no less(!), swam in the pool and enjoyed the much needed R&R.

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We also ventured out to the Everglades to view the alligators and ride the airboats! A favorite of everyone!

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We said farewell to 2018 and welcomed in 2019 with some good food, great friends and many laughs! Excited for all the new year will bring!

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Happy 2019 from the Phillips family!

….not even a little bit. We had zero fun riding water slides, splashing in the pools, playing video games and having a hotel sleep over with our best buddies at the Kalahari indoor waterpark this weekend!

Happy 4th birthday Andrew and Austin!

We capped off our trip to Hawaii with a stay at Aulani, Disney’s resort on Oahu, or affectionately referred to by Andrew as ‘Mickey’s Beach.’

Aulani was big, beautiful and a kid’s dream! To say that Andrew and Teddy LOVED the splash zones doesn’t do it justice. The running around and smiles were non stop! 

The adults got in on the water fun too!

We boogie boarded.  

We luau’d. Kudos to Andrew to jumping up on stage to participate a few times!

We dined with the characters. Old brother loved it. Younger brother, not so much. 

And what trip would be complete without a visit with the mouse himself!  

And just like that our trip to Hawaiian paradise was over and we were headed home….

But when it’s snowing and cold this winter, we’ll have our ‘Aloha Spirit’ to keep us warm!

Other moments…

Teaching Andrew to use his binoculars to look things like birds, the beach and surfers in the water- NOT other people’s hotel rooms.

Early morning pancake breakfasts with Papa.

Teddy getting into FULL vacation mode.

Playing in the sand.

Getting spiffed up for dinner.

Silly faces

Aunt Kiki rules!

Wailua Waterfall

Flying drones with Aunt Kiki.

Feeding the Fish

Mahalo for the amazing memories Kauai! Until we meet again….Next stop Oahu! 

Trains! If there’s a train, my boys will be riding it! We took a ride on the Kauai Plantation Railroad; antique, open air train cars through a beautiful fruit plantation. Plus the boys got to hop off and feed the pigs. Everyone had a great time- especially mommy, daddy and Aunt Kiki who popped in for an impromptu rum tasting after the ride! 🙂

Early one morning we arranged a babysitter for the boys and the adults enjoyed a wet, wild and gorgeous bot ride along the Napali Coast. Despite the large swells, we were even able to venture into some sea caves a bit. And we capped off our trip with a little snorkeling, complete with a few sea turtles! A highlight for everyone! 

A road trip over to Waimea Canyon! Our initial plan was to go for a hike that overlooked the Napali Coast and the Cathedrals. So we started with Teddy on my back and Andrew walking. We took about 50 steps, looked at the decline, wet mud, 10-inch trail and 3,000 foot drop-off and quickly turned back. #notforkids. So Aunt Kiki braved the trail and we waited at the top. All the boys- Andy especially- were happy to enjoy some snacks and wait patiently instead of hike! Next time! 

Even from the lookout the views were pretty amazing! 

We couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see Kauai from the air! Mountains, waterfalls, Waimea Canyon- the 2nd largest canyon after the Grand Canyon, 3,000 foot walls, the wettest place on the planet, the classic opening scene from Jurassic Park and the infamous Napali Coast all in 60 minutes. ALL- including Tedders- hopped on the blue helicopter for a flight!

How’d we do!?! Nobody got sick, Kelly and Andy took 5,000 photos and Andrew liked most of it. There were some tears at the end but overall he was a rockstar! 

The view.