The Held Family Happenings

Monday, June 23, 2014

Family Vacation - Part 1: Siesta Key

We've been planning our family vacation for a few months now and the time has finally come! We had arranged to go to Siesta Key for a few days, then drive to Orlando to visit Disney for 2 nights and then back to Siesta Key for the remainder of the vacation. It was definitely a busy week leading up to our vacation. We had lots of packing, errands and wrapping things up at home (I even took Leah out for her first manicure too). Saturday morning finally arrived and we were up early. Our flight was at 8:15 am, which means our car came to get us at 6:00 am! My kids are never up and ready that early, so it was a little challenging. We did it though! When we got to the airport, the lines were much longer than anticipated. It took a while to get through check-in. Security was a breeze though, since we had the stroller. We got to go through the express stroller lane. My dad and Maryann met us at the airport and had gotten there much earlier than we did. It was a 2 1/2 hour flight. Leah did fantastic the entire flight. Mason.....on the other hand was a little meatball. He is still under 2 years old, so he didn't have a ticket and sat on our laps. Little man didn't want anything to do with sitting on a lap. He did great for the first 35 minutes of the flight, but then got pretty antsy. We were all thankful to land!

Leah all ready to go at 5:45 am!

We flew into Tampa and then had an hour drive to head to Siesta Key. We were staying at a condo with a short walk to the beach. (Rob has a coworker that offered for us to stay in her penthouse)! It was AMAZING! It was a 2 bedroom that had plenty of living space, with a beautiful lanai. Sarasota/Siesta Key was always my family's vacation destination growing up as a kid. It has been years since I've been back so I was definitely looking forward to it. My dad hasn't been back in a long time either so I know he was really excited.

The living room, dining room and kitchen

Master Bedroom

The Lanai

Living Room

As soon as we got there, we checked everything out! By this point, we hadn't eaten anything so we headed into the main town area to grab something to eat. We went to the Daiquiri Deck. What a fun place! We hit up the grocery store and picked up some food for the week. When we got back, Leah was dying to hit the pool, so that is exactly what we did.

Mason was OBSESSED with the lizards. He must have chased 50 lizards.

The next few days we spent going back and forth between the pool and the beach. Mason was not a fan of the beach. Day one ruined everything for little man when he picked up some sand and got it in his eyes. I think it scarred him because he wasn't a fan since. Leah liked the beach, but definitely preferred the pool. She could only play in the sand for so long before she'd ask to head to the pool. We went for a walk on the beach and came across the old condo we used to stay at when we vacationed. It was pretty nostalgic.

This is the same condo we stayed at every year growing up.

Sunday, the day after we arrived was Father's Day. We spent most of the day with my Dad and Maryann down at the beach. I sure hope my Dad enjoyed his time there.

Me and my Dad on Father's Day enjoying a beer at 10:00 am. Hey - it is 5:00 somewhere!

Playing in the sand

Mason not so sure about the sand

The beach with the whitest sand!

Me and Mase man

Looking for shells!

Mason's 'standard' look

Later that night on Father's Day, we took Rob out for a nice dinner. We went to a restaurant called Clayton's. It was really good! Rob had Fish Tacos and I had some Scallops. Yum!

Me and my beautiful girl

Family shot

Rob and his munchkins

Us and my Dad

The next day was more of the same. Pool time and the beach. Leah amazed me at how well she did in the water. She was swimming around without her floaties on! Later that evening, my dad and Maryann offered to watch the kids so Rob and I could go out for a drink and have dinner. It was nice to have a night out.

Mason liking the pool much more than the beach!

My little fish!

Ready for a night out!

Second take....

Tuesday morning we were up early and started on our journey to Orlando to head to Disney!

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Family Pictures 2014

I love getting our family pictures done and try to stay on top of it every year. I especially love the photographer we use - Rose Alene Photography! She is the best. She is great with the kids and always manages to get a lot of good shots (even when in reality the kids may not have been cooperating)! We've used Rose three times now and I've been highly satisfied each time. This year, we decided to go to Cantigny in Wheaton. It was the perfect place, with many good spots to snap a few pics. I loved how the pictures turned out! We had them done in May and it wasn't quite warm outside, but at least it didn't rain.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Leah's Step-up Program at Preschool

I can't believe three year old preschool has come to an end for Leah! She definitely loved school and made many new friends. She enjoyed learning and grew attached to her teachers, Ms. Deb and Ms. Julee. I loved being able to parent-help a few times during the year too. It was great being able to meet all of the kids and interact with them. I have many of Leah's projects and special creations saved in her memory box. It will be fun to go through them all when she is a bit older.

To celebrate finishing up the year, there was a 'step-up' program held at Settlers Park in Plainfield. The kids walked up to the stage and had a few songs prepared. It was very cute. Each child was then recognized individually and received a certificate of completion. Leah was so proud and I was definitely proud of her too. Unfortunately, during the ceremony we received the sad news that Rob's grandma passed away. We had to leave the program early and met his family at the hospital to say good-bye. We didn't get the opportunity to do pictures after the step-up event. Overall, I am so proud of my little for having a great year at Great Adventures Preschool! I am sure she'll enjoy summer break, but will be ready for 4 year old preschool in the fall! She will start going 3 days a week. My little girl is growing up (tear)!!