We made our annual trek to south Florida for a week of sun and sand and it couldn't have come any sooner! The whole Chapman brood (all 15 of us) packed up and hit the road. Our Sanibel vacation is something we look forward to all year long. That quaint little island holds a special place in our hearts. We've made many memories over the past years and I look forward to making memories in the years to come with my boys. I like to think that one day when they're grown and have families of their own that we'll still be going to Sanibel every year and reliving those moments year after year.
We had a FULL week this year. Vacation fell in the midst of Father's Day AND Harrison's 4th birthday (post to follow). A few days before we left, I was talking to Harrison about the beach and said, "It's the beach and Father's Day and your birthday and fishing trip ALL in one week!" He said (with a huge smile on his face), "I know...I'm so ess-sited!" ("excited" for those non-4-year-old-language speaking folks!)
With our brood now up to 15 folks (10 adults, 3 kids, 2 babies), we opted to rent a house on Captiva (a little seperate island at the north point of Sanibel) versus the condo on Sanibel that we had rented in the past. The house was beautiful and roomy right on the gulf with amazing views and a private pool! Though there are drawbacks to not being actually on Sanibel, there are huge perks to our new place. All in all, the entire bunch was happy there.
Being the "Type A, plan-a-holic" that I am, I tend to get a little nervous as vacation nears. When you have that many people in such close proximity, it's easy for there to be drama or someone get their feelings hurt or someone smarts off to someone else...yikes. We're all adults, but seriously, I worry about these things. Our week went quite smoothly with little drama and I think everyone really enjoyed the time together. For me, this year was different because it was Brig's first trip. He's at a fun age where he's out of being a newborn, but not yet walking and into everything....very portable, in my opinion. I can honestly say my favorite part about this week was the time spent with my little family - Justin and our boys. I know I'm with them day in and day out and at times the mundaneness of Mommyhood gets to me, but I had the most fun just playing with them in the sand, swimming in the pool, catching little moments on the video camera and seeing them be happy.
Until next year Sanibel!
My Better Half
Just a couple of beach bums - Claire at 2 months and Brig at 6 months
So relaxed
Little fish #1
Little fish #2
Pool fun
Tuckered out
Sand fun
Beach stroll at sunset
I read in Southern Living that the sunsets on Captiva are the prettiest in the world.
Can't say that I argue with that!
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