Florida '09 - Day 4

LION COUNTRY SAFARI!!!

A few years ago, I heard about this safari place just outside of West Palm. I couldn't wait until Kate was old enough that we could take her. This day was one Debbie and I were looking forward to all week. Shaun, Deb, the boys, Josh, Kate, myself and Papa all drove down to the safari sight. We borrowed a van and drove through a pretty impressive collection of animals. We did see lions, but here a a few of the favorite animals of the day.

(There was even a baby Rhino that we saw later on...)

After driving through the safari section, there was a zoo that the kids could walk through. Kate loves flamingos in her books, so we were happy to stop here and show her a real flamingo!

The zoo also had opportunities to feed some animals. Kate was able to feed a giraffe. He ate a cracker right out of her hand. Brenden fed some goats while Kate went into the bird house to feed some birdies with dad.

Shaun and I took the kids on a carousel. It was a lot of fun. Josh and Shaun also took Kate and Brenden on a mini Ferris wheel of sorts. Kate has no fear!

The park had a lot of rides and even a water park area. We didn't really come prepared for that, so we quickly passed by. But there were plenty of other things to occupy our time. It was a fabulous day!

Florida '09 - Day 2

Today was another beautiful, sunny day in West Palm Beach. It was a day to relax. Mommy slept in and had an afternoon to herself. Daddy played with Kate in the morning and watched a movie with Papa in the afternoon. Kate and Gigi went for a long walk today too.

For years now, it has been a family tradition to go the Breaker's hotel and have dinner at the Italian restaurant at the hotel. Beside delicious food, the hotel has beautiful grounds, an incredible view of the ocean, and kid friendly game rooms. The game rooms came in handy tonight, as the dinner took 2 hours. The kids were really good all things considered.

Kate: trying to catch the wind

Debbie, Collin (1), Shaun, Brenden (2.5)

Having a little fun with food! Brenden loved his spaghetti and meatballs.

Collin enjoyed part of Auntie Kim's chocolate chip cookie too!

Kate, didn't have much of an appetite tonight. However, she couldn't get enough of the motorcycle in the arcade room. She's even leaning in to turn here --it's like she actually knows how to ride or something. She's got her daddy's gene's in her, that's for sure!

Florida '09 - Day 1

We arrived in Florida today for the Gallagher family's annual trip to West Palm Beach. This year is special though, because everyone was able to make it: Papa, Gigi, Kim, Josh, Kate, Shaun, Deb, Brenden, Collin, Brian, and Jecholia. It's also nice this year that due to a special offer we were able to get three suites instead of one. So everyone has there space but can still be together. It's so helpful for the kids to have a quiet place to take naps and get away from all the stimulation!

Kate had a great flight. Even after waking up at 5 a.m. she was pretty pleasant today. Kate wanted to make sure Ernie didn't miss a thing on the flight down!


Day one was pretty much spent at the pool. Gorgeous day, but not even SPF 70 could keep Kim safe from the sun's harsh rays. We all are a bit pink today. Katie fared the best out of all of us. :)
She had a lot of fun. Hope we can get her out in the water again a few times before we have to leave.

Florida...the rest of the story

Well, I started out really well blogging every day. But before I knew it it was time to go, and I had not updated the blog in a few days. So here's the quick rundown and some final photos. We had a wonderful vacation.


Josh arrived on Wednesday and Kate was overjoyed to see him again! The weather had taken a turn and cold winds moved in the for the rest of the week. We managed to get Kate into the pool one more time while Josh was here. She enjoyed it, but she wasn't nearly as animated as she was earlier in the week. She's a natural in the water though, kicking away!

Tradition annually brings us back the fabulous, luxurious Breaker's Hotel in West Palm Beach. We can't afford to stay there, but they have a wonderful family oriented restaurant on site that we look forward to going to each year. This year we enjoyed a stroll along the water and through the gardens. It was a beautiful (but windy) evening.

Here's a cute video of Kate's hair blowing the wind. She just woke up from a nap, so she's a little more serious than usual.

Josh, Kate and I departed Florida on Saturday and headed off to chilly Massachusetts. Kate met her great grandfather, great aunts and uncles, and little cousins, Tommy and Joey, for the first time. Kate loves kids; it's like she knows there is a connection to other little people. She played for hours with Tommy. We also stayed with my childhood friend Michelle. Her little girl, Jillian, had fun pushing Kate around the kitchen in a doll stroller-- Kate had fun too. It was great to see family and friends again. I wish we could visit more often.

Florida: Day 3

Well I decided to keep Kate close to home base today. She has had such a busy few days, that I felt she needed to keep to a good nap schedule and eating schedule today. Plus, I am pretty tired too, so the low key day was welcome. Even though we stayed at the resort today, we still made it out for two walks with Papa and Gigi. We also spent a little time by the pool this afternoon. It took a good 45 minutes to get both Kate and I lathered up in sun screen and changed before we were ready to go swim; unfortunately, we spent even less time in the water. There's a storm brewing off shore today so although it is sunny and in the high 80's it is very windy and quite chilly in the water. The wind should die down and the sun return on Wednesday, just in time for Josh's arrival. So if tomorrow is rainy as predicted, I think it's shopping at the mall for us, one of Gigi's favorite past times. And again, it looks to be another mellow day for Kate tomorrow - which is a blessing. Here are some of today's photos of Little Miss Sunshine!

Sunny Florida: Day 1 and 2

Kate has been on a non-stop adventure since yesterday. We woke up early and hopped in the car with Papa G and Gigi to head to the airport. Kate did fabulous on her first plane ride. 45 minutes into the trip I wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to fly with an infant; she missed her nap, wasn't eating and was very fussy. But moments later she fell asleep on my shoulder and snoozed for the next hour or so. Other than some weary arms, it was a smooth flight; however, I'm glad it was only a 2 1/2 hour flight. Flying to Seattle to see the family scares me still! Anyway, Kate loved taking off, looking out the window, and peaking at the people sitting behind us. But she loved landing the most! She laughed and squealed at the plane touched down; meanwhile mommy was holding on to her for dear life! I think she has some of her daddy's adventurous spirit in her.

Kate's 1st Plane Ride

This morning Kate and I watched boats from the balcony of our room, and later on Gigi and Papa took Kate for a walk while mommy enjoyed a few minutes of peace and quiet. (It's mommy's vacation too!) She was lathered up with SPF #30+ and her hat, ready to go. She is really enjoying the fresh air, ocean breeze and sunshine. Mommy is hoping she will sleep better as a result. Last night was a bit touch and go being in a new place with new sounds.

We all have been eager to get Kate in the pool. She loves her baths, and we can't wait to see how she splashes in the pool. Papa and Gigi bought her this big crab float that provides her shade. She loved the pool. At first she was pretty serious and taking in the whole experience with her analytical mind, but she soon began laughing and splashing away. Everyone at the pool was wataching her. It was a delightful afternoon for all of us! I just wish Josh were here to see Kate's first pool experience. Josh had to work a bit this week, but will be joining us on Wednesday. (I also wish Shaun, Deb, Brenden, Collin, Brian, and Jecholia could all be here too. It's not the same without you guys!!)

Kate's been in awe of everything; there is so many new things to see, new experiences to take in, and new words she's hearing (like sailboat, ocean, waves). And I must say she is loving all the attention she's getting from Papa and Gigi. She misses Daddy terribly but knows he'll be joining us on Wednesday. Come soon, Daddy!