If you follow me on instagram or twitter, then you probably know that Alex and I had ourselves a little babysitting adventure this past weekend. Well, if you follow me on twitter, then more than anything, you probably know how boring I think cable tv is—- AND that we had a babysitting adventure this past weekend 😉
My brother and sister in law had a florida keys wedding weekend to attend and with a still breastfeeding little one that is on a very strict sleep schedule, well, they needed some help if they were going to have any fun 😉 SO, you’re probably wondering, *BUT where is this so called baby in this babysitting post?* Yeah—- that’s my question too. Photos of the awesome baby Trudy are minimal— because it turns out it’s pretty tricky (for me) to handle a baby, toddler, AND a camera– even with some major help from Alex. I mean, I should have just handed my camera over to Marlowe— she’s been going picture crazy lately and probably would have documented the whole thing a bit more accurately— but I didn’t think about it, so this is a baby-free picture babysitting post. HA.








We drove down friday morning, made a few bagel and coffee stops along the way. We passed our favorite farms and were sad to not stop and spend the whole day in mango fields. But we were pleased when we arrived to some near perfect-slightly overcast Florida weather. 
Just before getting to the hotel we made a pit stop— or three, because it took me a few tries to find the right place I had in mind—- and then I realized, I have in fact become my father. Road trips where I assure everyone in the car that I KNOW what I’m doing and where we’re going and we make a few detours trying to find a place that I’m  certain exists— even though it’s been years since I’ve actually been there. I’m that person. I am my father. He used to cattle us into the car for “quick drives” that were actually three hour drives to some of the most random adventures. Want to take a two hour drive south for a tropical fruit smoothie? He’s your man. 
I had a whole post planned and written (and never published) about this very thing a few months ago. Marlowe has started to join in on my dads random adventures with a three hour trip to the lego store— yes, the lego store. Not to be confused with lego land. Marlowe spent a whole day with my dad, step mom, and half brother— driving to and from the lego store, three hours away. (When Alex and I did THIS— maybe one of my favorite posts/days). I mean, I’m not that bad, yet, but still, I’m the person who takes the two hour detour to find something awesome. 
I’m rambling, I’m itching for bed, but you get the point— we detoured and I made promises of awesome things to do— and both Marlowe and Alex side eyed me quite a bit, but oh man, were we all pleased when we made it to the spot I was searching for! Tarpon fish and pelicans larger than Marlowe— and for me? My very first manatee sighting out in the wild! I actually have a post saved in drafts right now mentioning how everyone from Florida has found manatees except for me— and BAM, I found one. Detours and stops well worth it. 





  


So we babysat. And man, I’m lucky to have such an awesome kid and such an awesome niece in my life. Marlowe can be moody when she wants to be, but overall she’s such a happy, smart, and entertaining kid. And Trudy? Always happy— and light years easier than Marlowe was as a baby. Alex, Marlowe, And I spent the two mornings together, eating bagels, fruit, enjoying the weather, and we spent the afternoons with Trudy. Alex and I spent the evenings in the hotel with two sleeping kids, in awe and slight disappointment of a life with easily accessible tv. Both tired, still laughing to realize how far we made it away from the hotel with our own kid missing shoes and only wearing socks. A nice adventure being the temporary parents of two kids instead of one. Was it a vacation for us? No, not really, we’re still itching for one of those— with or without Marlowe, but it was a nice getaway and change up from our normal weekends.

ps. the manatee doesn’t look wild, but he was definitely a wild one! One of the workers had to come and nudge him along so the people wouldn’t bother him too much 🙂 Also, the photos don’t do the tarpon justice, some of those fish were over five feet long! 

22 Comments

  1. So what did you think of maybe adding more to your little family? I remember reading about how you're sticking to one kid, and it made me think of me, how I was adamant we would only have three, and lo and behold, we wanted another one so badly a few years down the road and went for number four 5 years after number 3 even though all the odds were stacked against it. You just never know! 🙂

  2. I love it all! Islamrada was my favorite area growing up (my mom is from Hollywood so we made it down when visiting). Just beautiful. Now I'm going to go plan a family vacation 😉

  3. What a lovely little adventure. We like to roam around looking for interesting places to see as well. It's where some of the best memories are made. Glad you had such a good time.

  4. So lovely and colorful, and you all eat so well! Where are those adorable color splotch (if that's even a word, haha) pants from?!

  5. Haha. I have lived in Florida for most of my life, and I too have often wondered why everyone but me has seen a manatee. What's up with that? Congratulations on your sighting!

  6. Haha. I have lived in Florida most of my life, and I too have often wondered why everyone but me has seen a manatee. What's up with that? Congratulations on your sighting!

  7. I'd love to visit Florida…you make Islamorada seem so appealing! I'll just have to make do with the Cook Islands.

  8. i see you wen to robbie's, one of our favorite places. next time, you should go kayaking. so fun. and yeah, those tarpon are huge and scary!!

    • YES! I've been a few times with my dad. It was so great to take marlowe at this age 🙂 (and scary)