Category: Travel

On day 2 of our whirlwind weekend we visited Animal Kingdom, affectionately nicknamed ‘Mickey’s Zoo!’ We went on ‘safari in Africa’ to see the animals, visited Nemo and Dory, rode flying dinosaurs and hung out with some 3-D bugs. Mommy, Daddy and Kiki even snuck in some adult sized roller coasters! 

But the highlight of the day for Andrew was certainly dinner. We were visited by some very special friends; Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy! Andrew was very excited to get the characters to sign his autograph book, give them high fives and knuckles. While the picture don’t always show it, he was a very happy boy!

As always Mickey and friends delivered up some special memories we will all cherish for years to come! 

Last weekend we visited ‘Mickey’s house’ aka Disney World! While it was surprisingly cold, a bit crowded and totally exhausting, we had a great time! It’s such a privilege to experience these special places with kids and see the magic and wonder through their eyes!

‘Half the fun is getting there!’ Andrew was particularly excited to break in his new Lightning McQueen suitcase. He did really well and rolled it 90% through the airport himself. It’s nice to see the boys starting to carry their own weight….literally!

First stop on Thursday evening after we arrived, Hoop De Doo Revue! A Kleinfelter favorite! Both boys got really into the dinner show, especially twirling your napkins and banging on the washboards. Andrew was also quite pleased when he realized he could just bite right into the corn bread! 

We were up bright and early to spend the day at Mickey’s Castle with Papa, Coco and Aunt Kiki. After some obligatory photos in front of the castle where neither boy looked at the camera, our first stop, was the Speedway! Anyone shocked that Andrew wanted to ride the race cars first?! He loved it and Mommy may have a mild case of whiplash from his driving! 

After that we were on a roll! I’m really proud of Andrew and his willingness to try new things AND his ability to wait patiently in line (for the most part…). Teddy seemed to get really into it to! We rode roller coasters, tea cups, trains of all kinds, flying carpets, boats, carousels; just about everything they could go on!     

It should come as no surprise that Andy and I pushed two very exhausted little boys home in their strollers that night!

Florida continued….

On actual Thanksgiving we started the day with a walk to the playground and some parade watching. Andrew was pretty into the Macy’s Day Parade and seeing some of his favorite characters. There was also ample hanging out time and preparing for the big feast. And then we got dressed up (the boys looked so adorable in their bow ties, suspenders and blazers) and headed over to the club house for Thanksgiving dinner. While it was definitely a departure from the big traditional dinner at home, the club was delicious and there were ZERO complaints about seemingly never-ending dessert table!

Note: Andrew was grumpy after his nap and refused to take pictures. Teddy however was happy to pose with EVERYONE. Doesn’t everyone just wish they could unbutton their pants and take their shirts off after a big meal!?!Barefoot Beach- our version of Black Friday. I like this better….It came and went too quick! We had a wonderful time visiting Papa and Coco in their new home. Sadly thought all too soon we were headed home. On our way home our flights did NOT overlap nap so the boys were awake the whole time. Andrew was great and pretty entertained with the window and movies. Teddy however had some major ants in his pants! Happy Thanksgiving 2017!

We spent Thanksgiving, and the days surrounding it, in Florida. After nearly two years of construction, new babies and Zika, we were finally able to visit my parents new winter home in Estero, FL!

But before we could enjoy the warm weather we had to make the journey down there…with two kids…on a plane…during the Thanksgiving. Needless to say I was a little nervous. But like any good mom I plied myself with enough snacks to feed a small army, a fully charged iPad loaded with Andrew’s faves and more diapers than conceivably necessary. Andrew did awesome and at one point we had both boys asleep! #winningOnce down there we quickly settled in and the boys made themselves at home in Papa and Coco’s bathtub! We spent our days going to walks, playing tennis and swimming in the pool. Andy, my Dad and I even squeezed in a round of golf. Yes, it was a real hardship!One afternoon we took the boys to the Everglades Wonder Garden so Andrew could see some alligators, turtles, snakes and other local animals. Andrew was able to get pretty close to the gators and even feed them. Don’t worry, he made sure to tell you that you can’t touch them! Teddy clearly loved the gators ? We had  to take Papa’s Porsche when the whole crew went somewhere. Daddy volunteered to drive and Andrew was allowed to sit in the back seat when we stayed in the neighborhood. Andrew called it Papa’s race car. Again, a real hardship holiday. 

We rounded out a busy summer with a week down at LBI! The boys’ school was closed all last week for ‘summer vacation’ so I took them down the beach for some time with Papa and Coco….and free child care so we could work. A win-win for everyone. We managed to cram a lot into 7 days on the island including long morning walks to the playground, swimming in the hot tub, digging holes in the sand by the bay, playing with friends, riding rides at the amusement park, a family photo shoot, and Papa’s birthday!

Papa’s birthday started off with donuts and ended with lobsters; success on all accounts! Not sure if Andrew liked the chocolate donut frosting or messing with the lobsters more?!

On Fridays Fantasy Island has ‘all you can ride’ for $15; it’s a total steal compared to the prices normally. Andrew took full advantage and showed no fear. He rode the truck, train, fire truck, boats, swings, pumpkin ferris wheel and pirate ship! He says his favorite was the fire truck- especially the loud buzzer he could press and bell he could ring!meanwhile Papa and Coco kept Teddy company- clearly a real hardship! 

Just having fun! 

Closing out the summer at a pool party with friends. It really doesn’t get much better!

Farewell flip flops and long summer days! We’ll DEFINITELY be seeing you next year!

Testing out the kayaks. Only Charlotte was brave enough to go with Aunt Kristi.   Andrew is clearly not afraid of a little skinny dip!      And a family vacation couldn’t be complete without some ATTEMPTS at family pictures!   

For our (almost) annual PB&J (Phillips, Barba & James) family vacation we headed to Lake Anna, VA. Lake Anna provided a beautiful and peaceful location for the kiddos to bond and play from morning till night. The house had a pool, yard, sandy beach and private dock which made for a pretty perfect backdrop for toddler shenanigans. While the week was plagued with some illness, overall everyone had a great time. I pretty sure Andrew was sad to come home to just boring mommy and daddy!

Fighting over babies. ‘No! MY Teddy!’ Davis and Teddy! Teddy wasn’t quite sure what to make of Davis at times….Playin’ & swimmin’

Grandma: always the reading specialist! 😉

And of course buildin’ fires!  Andy did have a little help from his two apprentices…

Grandma Camp 2017! Andrew was whisked off to Maryland for the inaugural Grandma Camp after Teddy’s Baptism for some cousin bonding time. By all accounts everyone had a great time reading, going for walks, playing in the pool, visiting the zoo, and more!  Mommy is hoping to lock in the same rate for GC 2018! 

Grandma Camp coincided with Mommy’s first business trip post-Teddy. A pretty typical (work-wise) and rather uneventful trip to San Antonio, TX. Though I did get to sneak in a trip the Alamo. Visit the Alamo: Check! But the real highlight was my first uninterrupted night of sleep in MONTHS…maybe even YEARS!

And back at home, Andy held down the fort with Baby T.Mommy got home just in time for Daddy to leave for Chicago the next morning. And the traveling Phillips clan is back at it again!

Our first beach weekend of the season is underway!

Andrew seemed to really enjoy the beach especially collecting seashells, digging with shovels and chasing the waves! Mommy likes all the energy he burns!What you don’t see in these pictures is Andrew’s odd need to take off his bathing suit. Once the wave knocked him down he insisted on dropping his pants to take off his wet shorts. Day 1, I forced him to keep them on. Day 2, he strolled home without pants on. Modesty is clearly not in his vocabulary.

Andrew was also a fan of swimming in the hot tub with Papa and ‘really-laxing’ ?Teddy got in on the lounging too! And some more family fun and snuggles with Papa and Coco!

We ventured to Baltimore to celebrate the wedding of Maureen and Ryan. It was a full family affair because not only were all the Phillips there but Papa and Coco came to babysit! While mommy and daddy danced the night away…… Andrew enjoyed room service. Tough life!