Just like last year, I wanted to go see Miami again. We had such a great time last year and we really enjoyed sight seeing and drinking some delicious beer. Well, Peter did.... I was pregnant, so maybe that's why I really wanted to go again. I guess I mentally blocked out how overwhelmingly hot it was??? Peter said it was even hotter last year, but I was about to die this year. And like I said, I was pregnant last time... I don't know how I did it!?! We also realized that part of Miami is so not family friendly. I guess we didn't notice it with only Solomon last year, but this year with a baby and a stroller, was a different story. We couldn't even find a bathroom with a place to change a diaper. It was crazy. But, we did enjoy the city again. I just realized we wouldn't be going back for a visit until we had kids. Not babies. 

We found this adorable Greek restaurant, Meraki, while walking down a little alley full of restaurants. I'm not going to lie, the only reason we chose it was because it had inside seating with AC, haha! But, it was so good and the perfect little spot to start out trip in Miami. We ordered one of the big platters full of kabobs to share with an appetizer of spanakopita. It was all delicious!

We stayed at the same hotel again since we had such a great stay last time. JW Marriott Marquis is a great option in the downtown area of Miami since it also has suites, which made it the best choice for three adults and two boys. It's nice to have two big joined rooms for all of us, and Solomon got super spoiled since he got to sleep with Gigi the whole time. We also got to enjoy the concierge lounge for breakfast which was Solomon's favorite thing! Bacon, toast and fruit!!! Of course the pool looking over the downtown city was another favorite for Solomon.

After a little pool time we drove over to the Wynwood area to show Gigi all the beautiful walls covered in art. It was fun to show Solomon again also, since he didn't remember the trip last year. Again, it was SO HOT, but we made it through the concrete jungle trying to find the shade as much as possible. We also found some ice cream and a lot of beer along the way!! 

My mom's favorite wall!

Still a favorite of mine from last year!

& this is what group photos look like when Solomon skips his nap in the hot heat.

We found the cookie monster (I think? HA!) at the ice cream shop, and then Solomon was REEEAAAALLY excited to find Darth Vader at J Wakefield Brewing. & I was excited to try all the beers this time around! YUUUM!

Family photos in the same spot as last year, just with one more boy in our arms. This is the stuff that makes my heart almost burst and also makes me want a dozen more babies. 

After a couple nights in Miami, we drove over to Fort Lauderdale, since we were flying out very early Monday morning. We thought we'd enjoy a little more pool and some sight seeing around there before we flew home. By the time we moved there, we were all ready to be home, but we tried to make the best of it with a little sunshine and some good food!! 

Asher got in the pool for the first time, but he wasn't that into it. I'm sure he would have enjoyed it more if he had a little float to swim around in. He is definitely at the stage where he doesn't want to be held all the time since he can play unassisted now. 

One last brewery for daddy and some games for Solomon. This was probably his favorite brewery stop during our trip since he got to play a game with daddy. Then we had one last ice cream shop trip before we went back to pack up the room and get ready to leave for Greenville. 

Ending the trip with strawberry ice cream is always a good idea!! 

a day in New York.

When we planned our trip to NJ to see family, I knew I wanted to take the train to NYC for a day trip. I haven't been to the city in forever and we thought it would be fun to take Solomon for his first time. He was so excited to go on a train ride and see all the big buildings. 

Our plan was to head into the city early in the morning but we ended up sleeping in that morning instead. Since we were a little delayed, we timed the train ride perfectly for naptime. Thankfully, he passed out in Peter's arms after only ten minutes. I'm really praying that Solomon's baby brother is an easy and hard napper, too. It helps so much with traveling. We had to switch trains once he was already asleep, so we used the stroller to let him finish his nap. I honestly don't know how he slept through the whole thing. Loud train noises, up and down escalators (his feet and legs flew back and almost smacked his face at one point!), then we got stuck in the ticket gate. Peter and I were laughing so hard! We are definitely not city parents.... but he slept through the whole train ride into the city, a quick walk on the busy NYC streets and even through our lunch. This kid, he's a keeper!! 

his big cheeeeeese grin!

I got SUPER excited when we made our way over to Bryant Park and saw the merry-go-round. I went full on kid and couldn't wait to take Solomon on for a ride. I let him walk around and pick out the animal of his choice, he loved the frog and was excited to climb on. It was his first experience on any kind of ride and he obviously didn't know what to expect. I strapped him in and told him he had to hold on and that the frog was going to move up and down and we would spin around. He just sat patiently waiting. Once it actually started I was a little surprised at how quickly it moved and had to hold on myself. His reactions were so funny... it took a couple of times around for him to fully enjoy it. Such a fun memory with my boy, I'm so glad Peter got some cute pictures!! 

Still a little hesitant and confused.....

loving it and actually cracking a smile!

We spent the rest of the day exploring and walking around the surrounding areas and finding some snacks along the way. Solomon kept saying WOW over and over. It was so cute to see his big eyes looking up and taking in all the sights. I was surprised at how well my 20 week pregnant body handled it, but it was worth it. I didn't realize how tired I was until we were on the train ride back home. It was a great day, and a fun first experience for Solomon in NY! 

Florida Trip // Miami

I asked Solomon to stand by the wall and smile... 

I honestly couldn't believe he did it, I was about to die from the cuteness!!

When we were planning the trip to Boca for Peter's work conference, we knew we wanted to extend the trip a bit, so we could have one last family vacation with just the three of us. We have some trips planned later this year but none that will be our little family alone. It was always a big deal for us to make time for a family vacation, even more now that we have babies in our family. That time away and making memories together is such a gift! Like I said yesterday, Solomon is such a great traveler, so it is easy to enjoy our time away with him. 

Miami was a lot of fun and I'm so happy we got to go. It was HOT. Like, sweat dripping off my cheeks, and I don't even sweat normally. I guess you add the hot humid air with pregnancy, and sweat is inevitable. But, Miami was so worth it!! It was such a beautiful and crazy city. So much music and art and it's buzzing with summer energy that I have a feeling lasts all year long. We had several friends tell us that Miami isn't worth the trip, but I'm really happy we tried it out anyways. I can honestly say that I'd love to visit again and explore some more once our kidos are bit older. 

Solomon fell asleep in the car on the drive from Boca to Mimi, which is around an hour, so that is a very short nap for him. And car naps just aren't the same as bed naps, anyways. So we were hoping that we could get checked in at the hotel and drop off our luggage in our room while I waited in the car to let him snooze some more before heading out to some breweries. Normally this kind of thing works for him but he wasn't having it. He woke up way too excited and was ready to explore. So after dropping off the bags and checking out our hotel for a bit, we went to the Wynwood Walls area. On the way we stopped for some food at KUSH, which was incredible. Amazing burgers and the couple of sips of beer I tried was delicious! Mmmm!! We then checked out Concrete & J.Wakefield breweries for Peter to get some flights. Everything was so good and we even met up with some friends from Greenville at J.Wakefield. The Wynwood Walls area is known for the graffiti that covers the walls. Everywhere you turn is another brightly colored wall full of amazing detail. Once we parked the car I knew my camera was going to get a lot of love that day. While Peter was putting on Solomon's sunscreen, I took the pictures above and below, from just a few steps. It was beautiful for sure! 

At J.Wakefield with some friends. I love that they snapped these pictures for us! Solomon is obsessed with smelling beer since we have told him he can't drink it but he can smell it. He even walks around with water sometimes and sniffs it and says it's beer. Silly boy!!

On the walk back to the car we took a little detour through the actual Wynwood Wall section. There are WAAAAAY too many pictures below, but we couldn't resist!

Poor thing, he was SO tired from the very short car nap that was way earlier than his normal naptime. Add in the crazy heat and walking around, he was exhausted. Of course he wouldn't nap anymore that day because he already had that short nap earlier. He knows he only takes one nap day so there was no fooling him. That night, he went to bed around 8:30, and then woke up around 11 so confused. Thankfully he is back on his regular schedule now that we are home. Vacations can be hard on sleeping routines. I love how he was hugging me and giving me some love in the picture above. I was also 14 weeks on Friday so I thought it would be fun to get some special weekly photos for this post. 

The amount of detail and the added pops of green thanks to the palm trees was so gorgeous!

He almost fell asleep on Peter's head while trying to find the car. Poor kid! 

 Once we got back to the hotel we had to go check out the pool since Solomon wasn't going to sleep and was begging for some form of water. Beach, pool or bath. Such a water baby!! We were excited to try out the 19th floor pool at our hotel. The views were beautiful and it was perfectly shaded so I could actually sit and watch my guys and not feel the least bit hot. The breeze was honestly a little cool, which was a very welcomed change for the day! 

the huge diaper bulge cracks me up... we didn't have any swim diapers so we had to make due with regular ones. And that sweet man's smile. Love him so much!

During the weekend, we also spent some time at South Beach but I didn't have my camera with me, and I honestly didn't take many phone photos either. It was nice to just take it all in and spend time sight seeing with Peter and Solomon. The last day in Miami was spent doing the same thing but I did take out my phone for several pictures. Those last day vibes always make me want to click the camera a bit more. Solomon was also excited to ride the train trough the city for the first time. During this trip he had been on a plane, bus, boat and train. A very well traveled little guy, and he loved it, as long as he could hold on tight to daddy!

My favorites!! So thankful for some time away with them!