End of Summer Fun

Recently we decided to take another trip to the Guy Harvey Outpost in St. Petersburg, FL. As you know we are big fans of the Hotel Tonight app so there is nothing better than a spontaneous one night stay at the beach! Since it's the slow season, we preactically had the entire resort to ourselves which was a nice treat! It's these moments that make Florida's long summers oh so enjoyable :)

I'm hoping we can get one more beach stay before our 'winter' comes :)
Be sure to click here to see our last visit to Guy Harvey Outpost!

Our Mini Family Getaway

Recently we took a mini getaway to Orlando. Danny had business to tend to so the kids and I came along for some fun in the sun. We love...love...LOVE Orlando! It's only a little over an hour away and there is always so much to do with the little ones. This time around we stayed at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World and the kids had such an amazing time. The resort had a it's own R Aqua Zone Water Park where we spent two days basking in the sun and splashing away. It really made me realize that there is nothing more relaxing than vacationing somewhere that is super kid-friendly!

When we arrived to the hotel room for the first time I did a quick scan of our luggage and hoped that a mother's worst nightmare wasn't happening...the Minnie Mouse luggage was nowhere to be found! And in that luggage was every single article of clothing I packed for the kiddos. So instead of rushing down to the water park we had to run to Target and shop the clearance racks! It all worked out and we had such a blast!  (And look at Daniel-son's little suit we found, ha!) We already have plans to go back before we experience Florida's frigid winter weather ;)

I'm gonna miss you summer! Even though it doesn't get too cold here, nothing beats splashing away in that Florida heat! 

Do you and your family have any special getaways? 

Our Disney Family Tradition

There is something so magical about Disney World. Everything you see in the movies or read in the books becomes reality the moment you step through those gates. It's no wonder we can't stay away. One of the most exciting parts of my little family is the ability to start new traditions over the years and I am happy to say, that taking a trip to Disney World on Sienna's birthday has become one. We went as a family for her first birthday and continued the tradition last year when Daniel was only eight months old. 

We definitely had our work cut out for us going to Disney with two little ones two and under. After this last trip I thought we would wait a couple years to continue the tradition, but something changed. Maybe it was the little sparkle in Sienna's eye when she gushes over all the princesses. Or Maybe it is the joy that it brings them that just melts your heart. Or maybe that Disney World is truly the most magical place on earth and there is no way I am breaking this tradition now. 
See you in December Mr. Mouse!

Deux Nights In D.C.

After our weekend in Virginia we decided to spend two more nights in Washington D.C. so we could make a little vacation out of the trip....

We grabbed our strollers, sneakers, and snowcones and were off to see our nation's capitol!

One of our first stops was the National Mall and I did a little tour snapping pics with them in their strollers since that's as good as it was going to get...

Can't you see the excitement in their eyes? If you look closely you can see me making a cameo in a reflection (and it's not the pool) ;-)

I really wanted to go up to the Lincoln Memorial, but this was as far as we got. It was late in the day and both of the normally happy-go-lucky toddlers decided to have meltdowns...needless to say we flagged down the nearest cab to take us back to the hotel. 

So after a good night's sleep we decided to spend the next day in Georgetown. We met my bestie, Christina, and her family for breakfast at this cute French restaurant, Cafe Bonaparte. 

My breakfast crepe was delish and the chocolate criossants were eaten so fast I couldn't even snap a pic. 

Before our trip I had asked one of my favorite bloggers, Taza, for some tips on where to take the littles in DC since she used to live there. One of her top picks was the Georgetown Fountains, but our parade was rained on with the rainy day we encountered. Sure, I could have let them run through the fountains since we were already a little wet, but the mom in me did not want any sniffly babies on the plane ride the next day. 

So we snapped a pic and did what anyone else would do on a rainy morning in Georgetown...

cupcakes!!!!!!! 

OMG...can I please state that Georgetown Cupcake is the home of the best cupcake I have ever eaten!

Don't mind the rainy-day hair below...the last thing I had time to do was make sure I looked presentable when I had these little cakes of joy to look forward to :)

Sienna is the only toddler I know who eats her cupcakes with a fork! Cupcakes are seriously the way to her heart!

Sienna approved!

After we left Georgetown we skipped on over to Chinatown before heading back for a break at the hotel...

We stayed at the Sofitel, which was conveniently located near the White House.  The kiddos just loved looking out the window! I really love all of the architecture on the buildings in D.C.

Our trip to D.C. was short, but sweet! Perfect for juggling les deux!

Have you attempted Washington D.C. with toddlers? 

Flying With Toddlers

While we still have travel on the brain I thought I would share some tips and tricks of certain must-haves every parent needs while traveling with toddlers. As you saw here we recently flew to Virginia and Washington D.C. with les deux! The trip was definitely a lot of work with a one and two year old and only Danny and I, but if you have these essential items below, it will make for smoother sailings :)

photos via here

1. First off we have the beloved iPad. Daniel doesn't like to watch tv, but Sienna loves a great  Sophia the First episode or Elmo movie. I made sure to download a couple of surprise movies and shows onto the iPad before the trip to whip out when needed. If it can help keep one cranky toddler calm during a long flight, I'm all for it!

2. Next we have the One Step Ahead Ulti-Mite Umbrella Stroller. As much as we love our Bob Duallie, that beast is not made for flying. So a couple months prior to our trip I decided to get two umbrella strollers for traveling. Lucky for me I snagged two of these strollers with a 30% off coupon on Gilt one day and they came out to $50 for both! If you haven't signed up for Gilt, it's amazing, you can do it here. There were many times on our trip when I did miss by double stroller, but smaller is definitely better while on the go! And one also came in handy as a luggage carrier through the airport while Daniel was in the Ergo Baby carrier. 

3. And then we have my new favorite the kids' new favorite snacks, Plum Organics Teensy Fruits. These are soft fruit snack that hold to their name and are small and safe for Daniel to eat. The kiddos love them and fight over them so I have to separate their piles while snacking. My concern with flying was of course their ears so I brought lolli-pops, but they didn't keep them in their mouths long enough to soothe any ear discomfort. The fruit snacks kept them chewing and swallowing. Looking back we definitely looked like crazy first-time-flying-parents with how many packs we opened via takeoff. Hey...at least they had multiple servings of fruit in ten minutes!
4. Of course every mom needs a good crossbody while traveling. Having two free hands while juggling multiple boarding passes, IDs and toddlers is vital! I made sure to bring along my Kate Spade Cobble Hill Ellen crossbody. It's pink, perfect, and made travels with les deux easy breezy...
5. And last, but not least my fabulous Wet Ones travel pack! While traveling through airports no parent should be without these. The bathroom lines can be long and washing the their hands doesn't happen as much as I'd like.  Of course I had hand sanitizer which was in the carry-on zip-loc bag with all my liquids and I also packed travel packs of Clorox wipes. These are great for wiping down arm rests or any surfaces that just seem icky. 
My biggest piece of advice when flying with toddlers is to carry-on as little as possible. We had to carry WAY too much through the airport! Next time I will bring a diaper bag and MAYBE another carry-on, but it is worth it to check as much as possible. 
As hard as it was I can't wait to do it again! 
Do you have any tips on flying with littles?

Virginia Is For Lovers

For our first trip with les deux we headed up to Virginia for our best friend, Lindsay's, wedding. We decided to go ahead and make a vacation out of it so we stayed in Washington D.C. for two nights after. The last time Danny & I had visited Virginia was for our grade school D.C. trips so we had no idea what kinds of things we could do with the kids. After some recommendations and research I found a child friendly winery that we decided to visit.    Thursday night we flew in so we would have all of Friday to do things. We went out to visit the Barrel Oak Winery and it was just amazing. I had no idea there was such beautiful scenery in Virginia...and great wine as well!  

 ^^^If you know our family, you know it's only fitting that there is a VW in the background :)     On Saturday, we had the wedding in the evening at another winery, The Farms at Hamilton Station Vineyards. Once again Virginia did not fail to please. The backdrop of the wedding ceremony was just breathtaking and made for such a beautiful moment.  

The kids were a little rowdy so they had to watch the ceremony from afar.

The cocktail hour and reception were inside the rustic barn, but we spent most of the cocktail hour venturing the grounds with kiddos.

These kids could play with gravel all day if I let them...

After dinner Danny and the kiddos were chasing lighting bugs? or fireflies? Not sure what they are called, but we don't have these neat little things in Florida!

and we danced the night away...

  Virginia was a wonderful time and we can't wait to go back!