Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Vacation 2013


A couple of weeks ago we took our first family vacation of 2013. The first part was just Louie, Bella and I. We took a drive down to Orlando to take Bella to her first "theme park"  - Seaworld! We all had an awesome time; the weather was beautiful, the shows were great and Bella's reactions to the animals were priceless. Louie had never been to Seaworld, but I had been many times when I was younger. It is so fun to revel in the delight of our little one and relive past experiences. The highlights were "meeting" Shamu, seeing the dolphin show, enjoying a Shamu ice cream, riding Bella's first rollercoaster, and getting splashed by Shamu.










Bella's first rollercoaster

Splash Face



The next couple of days left in Orlando were spent at the pool and checking out downtown Disney. Bella was in all her glory walking through the Disney store shops (who am I kidding - so was I). We were hoping Bella would have an enchanted experience at the Rainforest Cafe - however the animatronic animals only scared the living daylights out of her! But - the upside is that is all she talks about.... the big, scary "ephalents".









Downtown Disney at night


The second part of our trip we stayed with my good friend Justin and his family in Tampa. We had a great time and Bella made great friends with his son, Rune. Highlights included fun pool time, our day trip to Clearwater beach, and our dinner night out.


The Awesome Gotthardts!

Lounging Louie








Clearwater Beach!





Isn't it funny how long you anticipate a vacation and then it comes and goes to quickly?! Now its back to work and schedules, but it was sure nice to be carefree for a week. This summer we will be sure to take all opportunities to have fun weekends in the sun.