Vacation!

Olson, Liddy Costen, Grammy and I loaded up the car and headed down to Naples for a week! The kids were great on the long drive, and we had a fun time exploring what Naples has to offer the under 3 set. A lot has changed since I lived there nine years ago! We spent time at an amazing park, the zoo, the botanical garden, and of course, the beach! 

After a day of recovering from the long drive, the kids and I hit the zoo with my friend Amy and her kids.

O loved the zoo. He is still talking about it! Obviously Liddy Costen felt the same way.

The giraffes were the highlight of the visit!

Olson and I had a couple of fun mommy/son mornings at the beach! This was the first day, and Olson was not sure what to do with it all. But he quickly got the hang of things, and loved "swimming" in the "ocean" (I had a hard time getting him to say "gulf"). It was so fun to watch him play in the surf, and I think he really enjoyed it!

The beach!

Checking out the waves.

Mesmerized 

I think he likes it!

Snack time!

 The Naples Botanical Garden has a fantastic Children's Garden that we had to check out! It was so pretty, and had many kid-friendly activities and play areas. There is even a Butterfly House! This is definitely a must-see in Naples.

Running on one of the many paths.

Chalk break!

Liddy Costen loved walking on the paths, too.

Run run run run!

Getting a better view!

A little sand play.

Walking on the driftwood.

And the highlight of the garden...

The splash park! Bathing trunks optional.

Liddy Costen loved it, too!

She loved climbing on the rocks. Showed no fear.

Thanks for the fun, Naples. We can't wait to go back! 

xoxo the nelms family