Welcome to Miami!

Hello all! We spent the last week visiting my sister, Alicia, in Miami. She has lived there for 2 and a half years, and we had not found time in between being pregnant, having babies, and adjusting to multiple children to make the 12 hour trip down to see her place. I did not want to fly because we have too much stuff. (Oh yeah, and I'm terrified of flying and avoid it whenever possible.  The 3 kids and all of our cargo were a good enough excuse to convince my husband to drive :). At any rate, we were told that October is a beautiful time to visit Miami; it's not too hot, but you can still enjoy the ocean/water activities. It was beautiful weather and beautiful scenery, but we mostly enjoyed our beautiful company:

"Cool Aunt Alicia" soothed Elizabeth to sleep after a long drive. The drive down was way more eventful than we were anticipating. Our 2002 Honda Odyssey, despite being looked over by our trusty mechanic just before our departure, decided to have transmission failure about 45 minutes south of Gainsville, FL. I noticed a funny smell, and Cline noticed a change in how the car was running. Thankfully, we were able to get off at an exit, rather than be stranded on the turnpike. The exit didn't have much, but God knew exactly what we needed - 1 hotel, 1 restaurant, a couple of gas stations, and 1 car-fix-it place!! The hotel was really reasonably priced and nice and clean. Everyone we encountered there was super nice and helpful. We had AAA tow our car over a block to the mechanics, got a bite to eat at the BBQ restaurant, and slept in the comfy beds as well as you can sleep in one room with 3 children under the age of 5 who each wake up at least once during the night. The next day, we were given the price for the repair, and after brief consideration, decided the car had too many miles (180,000) and was not worth the hefty investment and cost of getting it back home. Fortunately, there was an Enterprise about 15 minutes down the road, so we were able to rent another minivan (sans DVD player) and continue on our journey to Miami.
It was a big headache to move all of our stuff into a rental, and it was stressful not knowing how we would get home, since Enterprise would not allow a one-way rental back to Georgia. But we've had some money set aside to buy a new(er) car with, knowing our two older cars aren't going to last forever. After arriving safely in Miami, we went to the Honda dealership the next day, hoping to find the perfect car at the perfect price. It rained on Wednesday, our first full day there, so we didn't have to miss out on any beach time! We found a lovely 2007 Honda Odyssey with low mileage and all of the features we wanted. After some haggling, we agreed on a price that was within our budget. It is a beautiful shade of navy blue, and I just love it! It is not like Cline and I to go and just buy a car. We both come from long lines of "deal-loving dads" who search newspapers for months until they spot the perfect bargain. And we honestly could have probably gotten a better deal if we had some time and the luxury of being at home. But after considering the expense and hassle of transporting our family of 5 home some other way as well as the time it would take us to test-drive and search for another car, we decided it was well-worth paying the small amount extra. After the whole car issue was settled, we were ready for some beach fun!

This was Elizabeth's first trip to the beach. She liked it, just fine - not any more or less than laying on the carpet at home!

Mimi and Pa (my parents) came down, too, so my whole side of the family was able to spend some time together for a few days.

Fun in the sun! The water was beautiful - clear and green, much like Grand Cayman or Hawaii! It was way too cold for me to get in, but Cline and Abby Kate had a great time playing in it. Abby Kate's lips were blue, and she was chattering away, but she wanted to continue playing. Christa stuck her feet in, and that was enough for her.

Christa and Aunt Alicia were buddies this trip. Christa wanted to sit beside Alicia every time we went somewhere, and wanted Alicia to take her to the bathroom when she needed to go. They were a cute little pair!

Our hotel was great and had a kids area where they built up sand mounds and had beach toys. Christa and Abby Kate had a great time climbing the mounds.

Elizabeth was very comfortable playing on the beach chair.

On Friday we went to Alicia and Brandon's condo and swam in their pool. This is the view from their clubhouse - isn't it gorgeous?? They technically live in Aventura, and it was huge! We didn't even actually see Miami, and we didn't scratch the surface of Aventura. It was beautiful, though.

A sisterly photo-op. I do miss my cooler, younger sister being around where I can see her anytime I want, but I sooooo appreciate the times I do get to see her.

The family enjoying a final dinner outdoors.

Elizabeth chilling in her stroller during dinner.

Cline dancing with the girls to some live music after dinner.

It was a great trip, and I hope we get to go back. Actually, I hope Alicia and Brandon move closer to home in the not-too-distant future, but if they stay in Miami for a while, there are much worse places to have to visit! Hopefully, we won't have to buy a new car every time we do!