Florida - Day 5

Olivia slept soundly the whole night. She was up at 7 ready for the day after some cuddles with Mommy. Soon after breakfast (well, 10 a.m.) Great-Grandma dropped us and our gear off at the beach. While GG and G went to church, my mom, O and I spent the morning frolicking in the waves and building sand-structures. I had to ignore the looks from beach-walkers as I worked diligently battling the surf to create a "baby pool" for my toddler, when my toddler was hanging with Grandma 15 yards away. I imagined more than a few people commenting to their companion, "That girl must be like, what - 25? What is she doing building a fort? Weird." We, once again, used a mixing bowl and a measuring cup for sand toys. Olivia and I went in to the ocean and she enjoyed it - it didn't seem too cold and there were certainly other people swimming. Olivia was pretty cheerful during our outing. On the walk back to the house (our chauffeurs were still at church) she fell and skinned her knee which made her a little unhappy, but other than that, she was pretty good-natured. She ate a good lunch during which we discovered she loved cottage cheese! Auntie Nicki knew this months ago, I'm sure. I had just told Evan we should try give it to her sometime, her being the Diary Queen and all, but she hadn't had it until now. We did our usual nap/read outside routine for two hours and then headed for the pool. She spent as much time out of the pool as she did in it. She enjoyed pushing her stroller around, playing on the lounge chairs, and exploring the gardens around the pool, as well as swimming with Mommy. She's getting very good at blowing bubbles, enjoys edging around the pool and being thrown up into the air. Oh yes, panda and bunny were present during this pool visit and provided Pie with much entertainment on the steps of the pool. We left the pool at 4 to get ready for another (early) dinner out. We ate at the Ocean Club to celebrate my Great-Grandma's (early) 80th birthday. The grouper almondine was divine, though Pie's ability to be angelic through another dinner out was not. She spent quite a bit of time on the deck with Grandma. She was obviously exhausted from a day of sand and sun, but I had thought she could last until 6 or so. On the wall home, we pointed out the outlet mall that we had shopped at yesterday. Olivia said "go back there" to which Great-Grandma laughed and said we had our hands full with this one. I told Olivia that we may be able to go shopping there again, but not tonight to which she replied, "want to go shopping!" Even tired girls usually can muster up enough energy to find a good deal, I guess. As soon as we arrived home, I got her ready for bed. She was sleeping by 6:50. Hoping for another good night so we can enjoy our final full day in Florida tomorrow. It has really felt vacation-y. I wish we could stay longer -- and that Evan could join us here, of course. :)