Vacation is always a good time, but I can't help but feel so happy and blessed, when I have time away with my favorite people. Like always, traveling with Peter while he's working, makes me feel so blessed! Seeing new places, and staying in beautiful hotels (that we would never pay for on our own), is such a big gift. It was a wonderful week away and I wanted to remember a few of these things that made me smile..... 

one // While I was getting ready for dinner one night, I laid out the clothes for the boys, so Peter could get them dressed. When I came out of the bathroom, he had put Asher's clothes on Solomon by accident, but the hilarious part was how they actually fit! I died laughing when I came in the room and saw Solomon running around in his brothers 18 month clothes. 

two // The way our sweet boys completely shocked me each time we had to drive for more than twenty minutes in the car. I was really worried about the long car rides we would need to take to get from Fort Lauderdale to Marco Island, and then from Marco Island to Miami, but they were both so great. I was never worried about Solomon, but Asher made me nervous. But, he slept for almost 2 hours straight, even in over thirty minutes of stand still traffic!! It was a major answer to my prayers while leading up to our vacation!! 

three // Deciding we need to renovate our master bathroom, instead of our kitchen, thanks to the shower at the Marco Island Resort. It was incredible!!!! And sitting down on a bench to shave my legs was life changing. It may sound dramatic, but it's the truth. 

four // I can't believe it, but the "are we there yet" question has already started with Solomon. We all died laughing when he asked for the first time. We had just gotten in the car and hadn't even pulled away from the restaurant. 

five // Peter's patience and sweet moments with the boys made me so thankful for the really good man that I married, who has become a really great husband and father. We are so blessed by him in so many ways. 

six // My mom and Solomon laughing about inside jokes during his bedtime routine. He ended up sleeping in her room each night and he loved it. When we got home, and he had his first nap in his room, he woke up and the first thing he asked for was Gigi. I'm so glad he loves her and appreciates her like I do! 

Lemon muffin face (which he repeatedly called cupcakes) on the patio, before we went down to the pool for the day! 

Florida Trip // Miami + Fort Lauderdale

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!! 

Florida Trip // Marco Island

We started our trip in Florida at the beautiful Marco Island and it was so nice. Last year's trip to Boca Raton was pretty great too, but throwing in a second baby made things a little different. It's so crazy how I was pregnant last year and Solomon was so small. What a year can do, right?? I was also VERY thankful to have my mom with me this time around. I joked around that Solomon probably would have drowned if it weren't for her help... but it's kind of true. Like last year, Peter was busy most of the day and night because of the conference he was speaking at, so my mom and I got to spend a lot of time with the boys and enjoy the water. It was a lot of fun for us, and I'm so glad she had some one on one time with us!! 

Thankfully Asher did great napping on the go in his stroller, so I got to play with Solomon while he napped, most of the time.

Watching Asher enjoy the vacation and REALLY enjoy watching his big brother the whole time was so cute. He wasn't a huge fan of the water, but he definitely loved the shade and cuddles with mommy, while Solomon swam like a fish. They are both getting so big in their own little way, and it is so much fun for this momma to watch. 

Daddy coming by after lunch every day at the pool was a nice little perk, too!

And those delicious cocktails by the pool, in the shade with my mom, was a pretty great perk!!!

It was also nice to be able to have a little date night at one of the big events for Peter's work trip, since my mom was with the boys! I wanted to get a picture of the two of us on the patio of our room, then Solomon so sweetly said that he wanted a picture with mommy. That cute boy, I love him so much. 

So, Marco Island was a wonderful start to our vacation!! 

I would love to visit again, the resort was so beautiful and the staff were great! More on the rest of our vacation with daddy later this week!

our trip to Cancun.

I've been trying so hard to get this post finished but it kept being pushed aside. We got home on Saturday night and I shared a late weekly three post on Sunday that gave a glimpse of our trip. And of course I shared bits and pieces of our days and nights on Instagram while we were away, but I really love to share all the special moments here. It's so nice to have all the fun things that filled our trip and all the little things that I probably would forget if I didn't have the chance to record it on my blog. One of my favorite things to do is look back at our past travels on my little Cloud Nine, after all. 

Since this was Asher's first big trip, and his very bad history with car rides, I was understandably nervous. The sweet boy is so happy and lovable, but he isn't quite as chill as his brother, so I was pleasantly surprised at how well he did! We had two flights to Cancun and then two home, both times he barely cried. He nursed, slept and then woke up with smiles and then slept some more. Solomon did very well also, and enjoyed having his own seat most of the time. So thankful for these happy little travelers!!

We went to find some amazing food and margaritas as soon as we arrived to our resort since our all inclusive didn't start till the next day. We ended up coming back to this same restaurant for our last meal before heading home since the all inclusive ended at 4PM on our last day. It was very good, and the atmosphere was so fun.

Solomon was so excited to spend time with his cousin from NJ since we don't get to see them as much as his other cousins. I love that they got to make so many fun memories together! Asher also had a lot of fun watching them play in the water while we spent most of the time in the shade. 

The views from our patio were to die for. Waking up and having coffee or midday snacks out on the porch was so nice. 

Daddy definitely got to enjoy most of the playtime with Solomon since I was taking care of Asher. We were both exhausted each day and took naps with the boys most of the time. I love the picture below of Peter, it really shows how tired he was after a day in the hot sun and making sure Solomon didn't drown in the pool. HA! And of course it shows how stinkin cute Asher is, also!!!

The gorgeous views for dinner each night were also a favorite part of the trip. I loved seeing the sunset while we had dinner and tried our best to get a family shot of us four. This one above is probably the best one and I love it. 

All of these pictures of our balloon hats are so grainy and blurry but I couldn't resist sharing them. They are so funny and happy (besides poor Asher) and captured the moment so well. I was so surprised they made a hat for Asher, and so was he, as you can tell. Don't worry, we took it off once the photo was taken. I also love how Solomon is stuffing his face in the pictures. He definitely enjoyed having dessert every night after dinner. 

Solomon flying his first kite! So cute!!

yet another beautiful night with a perfect view... & those arm rolls on Asher make me almost die. I can't handle how yummy he is!!!

I was so thankful for some sweet moments with Solomon during the trip too. He is definitely a daddy's boy lately, and I love watching them together, but I really love it when he wants his mommy close by. I'll take all the cuddles and kisses I can get!

Our last night all together at another beach so the boys could play in the water. The beach at our resort wasn't the safest for them to play, so it was nice to take the ride on the big shuttle bus to this calmer beach. It was a really sweet way to end the trip!