We had an amazing, short few days at the beach earlier this month! When our daughters start date for school got pushed back to the Tuesday after Labor Day, we decided to hop on a jet plane to Fort Myers Beach!

We flew this time, and used our companion passes you can use through American Express. I think it was because of the “C” word, I had two passes that hadn’t expired yet! Hadley was beyond excited to fly! She has flown before, but she was little like two and three years old, so she doesn’t remember it at all. This trip was like her first time that’ll she remember. She was so excited at the airport, she couldn’t sit still. We arrived at the airport earlier than normal, traveling with Huxley and all. It was a breeze getting through security.

For takeoff, I grabbed a random pacifier from home, and he surprisingly took it. To help with his ears in case they started to hurt. It was his nap time, so he slept for the first half of the flight. It was awesome! And, we had the whole row behind us empty so Kevin hopped back there and took Huxley once he woke up so he could lay down and play with toys and stretch out. This kid does not like to be held for long periods of time. During takeoff, the look on Hadley’s face was priceless. I wish I would’ve grabbed a photo, but my arms were a little full. She was excited and a little nervous like woah this is fast!

When we arrived at the Florida airport, we got our rental car. A Jeep with a soft top! It was fun! I will say I would never buy a jeep for myself, but it was fun for the short few days we were there.

I had rented a few baby items for Huxley, since we flew, we couldn’t take all the baby gear like we would’ve if we would’ve driven. I rented a baby crib, a swing, and the Hatch sound machine. When we got to the condo, it was all waiting for us outside. It was amazing! And the company was so nice and friendly, and made it super easy for us. The company is called Posh Baby Equipment Rentals and can be found by clicking on this link.

Our condo was right on the beach! It was amazing. We took this selfie when we got there, and kind of cut Hadley’s head off haha

The weather was a little rainy when we got there, but luckily it didn’t rain the rest of the time! Here are a few photos of the condo. The beach chairs had to stay on the grass, you couldn’t move them to the sand. But it was so nice because we would set all of our stuff down on the chairs, as we got our tent and chairs set up on the beach. The condo provided the tent, chairs, and beach toys.

The jeep we rented! Kevin was in heaven; he’s always wanted a jeep. We did ride around with the top down once, at night. During the day would’ve been too hot for the kids. Now if we go back on a no kid trip sometime, definitely have the top down all the time!

Huxley and I took a short walk around the property while Kevin and Hadley went to the grocery store. After we got all settled, we went to dinner at Junkanoo which is a great pizza place just a few blocks down the street. I didn’t take any photos at dinner; I was so tired!

The beach felt amazing, it was a little warm but still felt good to cool off in. Lots of seaweed you had to walk through to get past the waves. It took Hadley a little while to get over that part, and then she was fine.

Here’s the condo, looking from the beach. It was pretty empty. We’re not used to beaches being so empty, we love to people watch. So, this was different, but the best part about it all was the condo was literally steps from the beach. We didn’t have to pack up the car, drive to the condo, it was all right there. It was great!

First day at the beach! All smiles! Even from little Huxley. We found this little boogie board for Hadley to use, and she used it every day. And I love how she wears hats in the ocean, it keeps the water out of her eyes, and she doesn’t have to squint as much because she doesn’t really wear sunglasses. Huxley took a couple naps on the beach; we actually crammed this tent into our suitcase. We used it at the pool all summer too, it was great! Just toss the stroller fan in there, and he’s good to go. The tent and chairs provided by the condo, weren’t in the greatest condition but they got the job done.

Here’s our little lanai, it was perfect with furniture, a coffee table, and a cool little rack that broke down to hang towels and bathing suits on.

We went to dinner by the marina, Hadley’s eyes were so bloodshot from the pool. She kept opening her eyes underwater, and it was a saltwater pool! We forgot her goggles at home, so that was part of it. After dinner we went to the famous Love Boat for some ice cream!

After dinner and ice cream, just Hadley and I went on a walk on the beach at night. Kevin put Huxley to bed. It was so nice! She was so excited to just be with me by herself. We walked pretty far and looked for crabs but no luck. She and I had a great time together.

The next day, I took a fast walk on the beach by myself. It was amazing. No headphones, no music, just the sound of the ocean air. It was so nice.

Hadley loved her room! She had a TV, and her own bathroom. Huxley was in our room, with this little portable crib.

Hadley loved to pretend she was a surfer girl. Tying the board to her wrist. Sometimes Huxley would nap on the beach, or he would nap up at the condo. Kevin and I would take turns sitting up at the condo with him. And Hadley loved it, because she got our undivided attention for a little bit.

The pool was so nice, we pretty much had it to ourselves. At the most, there would be one or two other people. We also crammed Huxleys pool floatie in our suitcase, it breaks down very small.

Probably one of THE best parts about this condo was, Publix was right across the street! Like a crosswalk away. It was awesome! We walked over a few times for sure!

The condo right next door to us had an open house, so Kevin and Hadley went in and looked around just to be curious. We were guessing maybe $500-$600k, nope! It was almost $900k! Good lord.

On our last night, we stayed in for dinner and grilled out steak. We used the grills they had down by the pool. After dinner, we all went on a walk on the beach. The sky was like we were in a different world! I didn’t edit the photos at all, but the sky looks like we were walking in a different world. It was pretty cool. Huxley has a thing for Hadleys hair in almost every group photo we try to take. Kevin volunteered to wear Huxley in the baby carrier, I cannot wear that thing for long periods of time. It hurts my neck! It was such a nice night to walk on the beach and watch the sunset.

After the kids went to bed, Kevin and I sat out on the lanai and watched the storm rolling in. We had the best weather too, it rained on our first day, and then no rain until after dark on our last day. It was perfect!

A few more pictures of the condo, it was perfect for us.

For the flight home, we had about five hours to kill after check out. I wish I would’ve known to ask for a later check out time, so we could’ve stayed there. So, we went out to brunch at First Watch and took our time there. And then we visited my Aunt Cindy! It was good to see her and a comfortable place to kill some time before we headed to the airport. I was dreading hanging out at a restaurant for that many hours with the kids.

The flight home was even smoother! Huxley had his own seat, and if you can afford to, I highly recommend getting your baby their own seat so if you need to lay them down you can. I can’t imagine holding him the entire flight. We had the whole right side, and then Kevin and Hadley had one seat open on their side, so it was perfect. Huxley was awake the majority of the flight, but he was so very good. A few of the people sitting around us, commented on how good of a flyer our kids are. Hadley loved flying and wants to fly everywhere instead of drive from now on. She said her favorite part about flying is when we take off.

It was a short trip, but just enough to get me into that relaxation mode. All I have to do is think of the ocean waves, and that ocean breeze, and I’m instantly relaxed. It was a great time to restart before school, and a few days to get away from reality.