Florida vacation-2021

We came back to arctic Minnesota at just the wrong time…to negative degree temps of course! I honestly don’t mind the Winter, except for when it’s below -0 for more than a couple weeks. It gets so hard with kids and them not getting outside and getting that fresh air! The last few weeks Adam has been sending me numerous houses in Florida to look at... lol he’s kind of a wimp when it comes to cold weather. Anyways, below I will share some of our Florida trip details! How flying went, where all we went, and how everything was in Florida during Covid.

First I’ll just start by sharing how flying went with our four and two year old. I was pretty worried about Asher wearing a mask in the airport and on the plane. We haven’t really pushed him to wear one since most places in Minnesota require them starting at age 6. I practiced with him a little beforehand at the grocery store and it didn’t go very well, but I think once he understood he had to wear it so he can fly like the adults and go somewhere warm that made it easier. He did a great job. He took it off here and there while seated on the plane but overall did awesome! With Hudson, who is freshly two years old, we did not even try to make him wear one. He is so strong willed as it is, we know the mask would have lasted two seconds. I’ve seen some pretty disturbing videos of airlines kicking families off for their two year olds not wearing a mask, (which I think is ridiculous) so we were thankful no one said anything or was harsh on him/ us. Overall both boys did great on the 3 hour flight. Asher’s at a great age for flying. He watched shows/movies pretty much the whole time, with plenty of snacks. I think the toughest age to fly are between 1-3 years old. That’s when they just want to move and can’t sit still long enough for a show. On our way to Florida Hudson actually took a half hour cat nap, which helped. Otherwise he played some toddler games on my phone and watched bits of movies and shows. I brought plenty of snacks for both boys and a couple suckers and I would walk Hudson around a bit if he got squirmy. I also threw in a new book Hudson had never read before (he loves books) so that distracted him a few times;) The last half hour or so on our flight home was a bit tough. Hudson was just antsy and tired so he was a bit loud and just wanted to move. But overall, super proud of how my boys did. They both have flown quite a bit since they were babies so I think that helps too! I do have to say we absolutely love Delta and try not to fly other airlines. After our first flight the pilot was so sweet and showed the boys the cockpit, which they loved!

Our first five days were spent in Ft Lauderdale and we stayed at the Conrad. We had a great two bedroom suite with a nice kitchen area and the hotel was right across the street from Ft Lauderdale beach. To be honest the hotel wasn’t the most kid friendly spot. They had a decent pool but directly right next door to the pool area they were building a massive hotel so the construction was a bit noisy. Plus, it wasn’t the warmest when we went so I wasn’t really about swimming..unlike my kids lol (the pool area was in the shade all afternoon too)! I do have to say the Ft Lauderdale beach was super nice, very clean, and great for families. Mornings and afternoons we’d either go to the pool or walk down to the beach and make sand castles, look for sea shells, and run the boys around The board walk in that area was also great with many restaurants, hotels, and cute shops. The hotel did offer complementary yoga each morning on the beach, which I loved and was super relaxing. It was a great trip just the four of us before we headed off to Orlando for two and a half weeks.

We rented a place for two weeks at Reunion resorts in Kissimmee. The place was awesome and super big with 7 bedrooms (with a few Disney decorated ones), a game room, huge kitchen/ dining area, and a nice pool/whirlpool in the backyard. We wanted something homey feeling with plenty of space for family to come and also for us to cook most meals, do laundry, etc! The resort is pretty big so you have to drive around (or rent a golf cart) to get to most things. I think they had 3 heated pools, 2 small playgrounds, and our favorite—a big waterpark with a lazy river. The first week we were there Adam’s sister, husband and two boys (8 & 10) came to stay with us. Adam played in a celebrity golf tourney that week in Orlando so it was nice to have the two older cousins there to help me distract/ play with our boys.

The week they were here we went to Magic Kingdom one day. Kids older than two and all adults need to wear masks at all times (indoor/outdoor) while in the Disney parks. I believe capacity for the parks is around 20/30%, so to be honest it was awesome. I remember going in the past and barely being able to move because there were so many people. Yes, wearing the masks 24/7 wasn’t ideal, especially since it was pretty warm the day we went but definitely doable. We went around 8:30 and stayed till 4 so it was a day well spent. I recommend going a little before it opens (like a half hour) so you can get in and get on your favorite rides right away. I think we got on like three toddler rides within the first hour, and that’s without fast past or guided tour or anything. Standing in line for too long with a two and four year old would not be fun. When Adam’s family was there we swam, went to putt putt, and also checked out Adam’s golf tourney a day or two. Overall it was a good time and our boys absolutely love being with their older cousins!

We were planning to leave after that week because we were supposed to be in Mexico right now with my parents for ten days, but with the new protocols we decided to cancel. We didn’t want anyone to get stuck there if by chance they tested positive/ I didn’t want to for safety reasons and being pregnant. So we extended our trip another week in Orlando and did all the fun Disney things:) My parents came in that week to help and soak up some sunshine too! We went to Lego Land, Animal Kingdom, Pirates Cove putt putt, Disney Springs, and Universal (just for putt putt & dinner not the actual park). Lego land was pretty dead the day we went (which makes me sad for those types of places). Both boys loved it and there was still plenty to do and see. It was nice because I think they said ages 14 and up only have to wear masks! Asher could pretty much do all the rides and Hudson could do some. Hudson just loved going up to each lego figure lol!

I also have to share a bit about this super fun breakfast we went to. It is called Goofy & friends and it was at the Four Seasons in Orlando. I’m not positive, but they may only do it on the weekends, but it was so fun for the boys (and us;). Mickey, Minney, and Goofy all danced around the tables as you ate an amazing breakfast. It was the closest we got to any characters the whole time we were in Orlando! They play super fun music and the characters waved and blew kisses to all the kids. I guess normally they come to each table and you can take pictures and what not, but with Covid they kept 6ft of distance while dancing/waving to everyone. It was a little spendy but well worth it and so much fun!

Animal kingdom disappointed me a little bit to be honest, besides the safari which is our whole families favorite. A lot of the toddler rides and most shows were closed down. Finding Nemo, the musical was one of our favorites a couple years ago so that was kind of a bummer we couldn’t go to that. Also, Dinoland, which is a fun area for kids in Animal kingdom had like only one ride open while we were there. It was a cold day when we went and the monkeys/ gorillas didn’t come out till noon so we didn’t even get to see them either before we left. We tried to get on the Avatar slow boat ride but the wait was about an hour and with two little ones close to nap time we decided to pass. We were at this park from about 8:30-12 and mostly walked around. I’d recommend Magic Kingdom, or Hollywood Studios (where Toy Story land is) over Animal kingdom with young kids (especially during Covid).

Adam and I even got to sneak away one night to Disney Springs and ate at the Boathouse and it was super good. We took the boys there a couple nights later and ate at T-Rex which had decent food and a fun atmosphere. Overall we all had a blast in Florida and it was a great family vacation. I am very thankful for the offseason months…away from football and just lots of time as a family. Football season can be chaotic and draining for everyone, so even though it can be a lot to travel with little ones (and being pregnant), it’s definitely worth it once you get there (especially a warm climate)! Our next trip is to Arizona in a couple weeks. We have a wedding there and Adam’s parents are snow birds there and his other sister lives there. My brother and niece are also flying in for a few days so I am excited to see them! We rented an airbnb, so it will be nice to have space and a pool in the back for the boys to swim.

If you have any Q’s about Florida or our trip you can DM me or comment below:)

xoxo,

MRS T