take off

This is my fifth attempt to blog about our beach vacation.  not sure where to begin or which pictures to upload first.  I've decided not to take bigger bites than I can chew, so I will document a little at a time.  Tonight I am going to write about our departing flight.  This I can do.

Two years ago Aaron and I vacationed in the Florida Keys for our tenth anniversary and it was dreamy.  While we were on the beach in Ft Lauderdale we talked about bringing the kids back to this beach--  and since then we've talked about it dozens of times.  Funny thing is, I've pictured us playing on this very beach for the past two years.  I just knew it was going to happen sooner than later.  So glad it happened sooner!

We always watch for cheap flights to Florida.  I usually calculate how much it will be for six of us to fly.. and it's always too much.  A few months ago, we came across a deal we couldn't pass up. Nonstop flights from Vegas to Ft Lauderdale for $40 round trip, per person. We booked without thinking about it ($237 for the entire family) and we've been counting down the days ever since... yes, with a paper chain.  Simon is the only one in the family who hasn't flown on an airplane and he was by far the most excited.  If you've talked to him in the past two months, guaranteed he told you he was going on an airplane to Florida.  Anyone standing behind us in the grocery store knew when and where we were flying because Simon told them all about it.

The downside to cheap airfare was the time of day it left.. red-eye flights!  Who takes 5 young kids on an airplane ride in the middle of the night?  We do, of course!  Simon did not have a nap that day and he was tired and wired.  We got to the airport around 9 PM and we were the only people with kids on the plane.  The terminal was crowded.  Our kids were in pajamas and Simon's pant legs were hiked up to his knees.  I quietly told him to pull his pant legs down, and he misunderstood me and pulled his pants and underwear down to his ankles- mooning everyone behind him.  He smiled and screamed, "I'm naked!"  I was close enough to pull them up quickly, but the damage was done.  Everyone around us was giggling, including our older boys..  It took Aaron and I few minutes to think it was funny.  This kid is something else.

The older boys were excited to fly too and it was fun to see Vegas lit up in lights from the airplane.  I know they are only 6, 9 and 11, but they remind me of teenagers (in a good way.)  They do their own thing and have funny inside jokes. I love that Zack is one of the big boys.  They are the best of buds.  

  They watched Gremlins on my laptop the first part of the the flight and then fell asleep. I wish I would have taken a picture of their body parts draped on top of each other... it looked uncomfortable, but they slept like babies.

This baby did not sleep like a baby.  She was a big fat stinker and cried for the first hour or maybe even two.  We passed her back and forth and she squealed and hit and pinched.  Eventually I took her to the back of the plane and held her tight and she finally gave up the fight.  Poor baby no likey red-eye flights.  

Simon slept great and cuddled right up to Ro once she was asleep.  These two slept on Aaron most of the flight and poor Daddy had no room to move.  I was afraid to move her and wake the monster baby inside.  It was not a great flight, but at one point I looked over at miserable Aaron and we both busted up laughing.  Then we talked about our first trip to Florida (two months after we were married.)  We didn't have a care in the world.  Amazing what can happen in 12 short years.

We landed at 6 AM in Ft Lauderdale.  Everyone was happy to get off the plane, Aaron and I most of all.  We had to take a shuttle bus to get the rental car.  Simon (whose pant legs were still hiked up to his knees) was SO THRILLED to be on the bus.  The airplane was nothing compared to this 5 minute bus ride. We were all giggling over Simon's excitement.  I need to get him on a bus more often.

Just before this picture below was taken, Simon pointed to people outisde the airport and said, "Ha Ha!  they can't ride this bus.  We are beating them!"  Zack thought that was so funny and kept repeating it throughout the day.  Zack is so easy to entertain.

We picked up our brand new white dodge grand caravan (thankfully we still fit) and went to Denny's for breakfast.  Wish I had a picture of the van and of the amount of pancakes we ordered. Our waitress was from New York, looked and talked like a man, and she was floored that ALL of these kids were ours.  Ben was starving and was so annoyed she was talking to us instead of making our pancakes!!!  I was giggling that he was so impatient..  He hardly ever gets annoyed about anything so it was awesome to see it.. especially because I wasn't the one he was angry with.  No pictures of Denny's or our waitress :(

The sun came up while we ate breakfast.. I wanted to be on the beach already!  After everyone was finished eating, we hit CVS for some sand toys, water and a few snacks to tide us over til lunch.  And then we drove to Dania State Beach park... 

We were the ONLY ones there.  We did not see another soul.  The waves were shallow and the water was warm.  We climbed the rocks, saw crabs and starfish and swam with the fishes.  I regretted not getting snorkeling gear... This would have been the ideal spot.  Oh well.  Maybe next time.  We stayed until we were ready for lunch..

While sitting here with my darling family, I had butterflies in my stomach just thinking about the days ahead.  Since returning home, I keep wanting to go back to this moment-- when we had just arrived and we had only a taste of what was to come.