Crab Boil

My Aunt Nita with Ginny

Our last evening in Florida was spent at my Aunt Nita's. We went over there with my parents as well as my sister and her family for a crab boil.

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I do NOT like fish of any kind, which works out for me since I am allergic to anything that lives in the water. However, there are a few sea creatures I like and do eat despite my allergies, for example, calamari.  I don't eat these items in large amounts. I will get sick. Luckily, I am not deathly allergic, rather I have gastrointestinal issues only after eating them.  To me, it is worth the occasional issues. (That being said I am highly allergic to scallops and haddock. Therefore I avoid those for fear that I will have a worse reaction.) Since I am pregnant, I have been told to try and avoid foods I am allergic to because my hormones could alter my response to the food.  I could react much worse which would be dangerous for the baby.

My Uncle Todd and Dad (in beard) boiling the crab legs

Back to the subject at hand, I love and adore crab legs!! OMG!! So wonderful!! A crab boil sounded amazing! However, since I'm allergic, it would mean avoiding. Yuck! I didn't fully avoid though.  I indulged in one crab leg. Totally worth it. I wasn't willing to take any more risks than that. Ginny got to taste crab for the first time too. She really seemed to enjoy it. She has great taste! ;)

Ginny is pooped at the end. ;)

Besides eating crab legs and all the fixings (kielbasa, potatoes, corn on the cob), we enjoyed spending the late afternoon and early evening with family.  Ginny found some stairs and learned how to climb them (we don't have stairs in our home). The problem was in her climbing down them. She tries to climb down going face first. I have all sorts of nightmares when I see her doing that. We tried to teach her how to go down backwards, but she still wanted to try and go her way. She can be a bit stubborn.

Anyhow, our last evening was fabulous. We are now back home recovering from our trip.

Cousins

The cousins: Carson, Ginny, and Kendall

Auntie Amy with Ginny

Living in Illinois means that we don't get the opportunity to see my family very often. While my parents have been able to visit us, my sister and her family have not. Thety are quite busy with two active children, my niece Kendall and nephew Carson.  So, when we do make a trip to Florida, we make sure we visit with them. The last time we saw them was in early December.

Yesterday, my sister, Amy, her husband, Jeff, and my niece and nephew arrived. All seemed to be thrilled  to see Ginny.  My sister, in particular, couldn't wait to get her hands on her one and only niece.  Getting her to let go of her became the challenge. :)

Kendall hugging Ginny

My niece and nephew have been LOVING the visit with Ginny. Ginny seems specially drawn to Kendall.  You can already tell that Ginny looks up to her older cousin. Kendall appears to be enjoying all the attention thrown her way.  Carson also has a special fondness for Ginny.  Ginny is their only cousin so I'm quite sure this has something to do with it.

Carson, Aunt Amy, and Kendall with Ginny

Ginny experiencing sand on her feet for the first time.

After Amy and her family arrived, we all went to lunch at a Chinese buffet. Ginny discovered fried rice for the first time. She ate it all up, as well as some fruit and hot dogs.  Then, we went to a Mayport boat landing to feed bread to the sea gulls.

When we got back, the kids all went down for a nap or quiet time. Once everyone woke, we all spent time as a family. The cousins all delighted in playing with each other.

Kendall and Ginny spending quality time together

Today we had planned to go to the beach; however, the weather is preventing us.  At least the cousins will all get another day of playing and fun despite that.

Our Florida Vacation...so far! :)

This past weekend, Chris, Ginny, and I drove from Illinois to Florida in order to visit my family. Originally we thought about coming in August, but decided to move the trip up since I got pregnant. The idea of being on a 16 hour drive in the 3rd trimester was less than appealing.

Our girl Ginny with a goofy grin!

Now, we planned to leave at 6 a.m.  I like getting on the road early and making it as far as we can. Of  course, though, Ginny decided not to sleep well the night before. Ugh! She had been sleeping wonderfully, but on that night she was up from 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.  So, our plans changed and we left at 7 a.m.  

Luckily, our drive was pretty uneventful, other than a few cars who tried to kill us by cutting us off. Sigh. Some drivers are so selfish they don't realize their are other people on the road. Well, that or they don't care about other drivers.

My parents were thrilled to see that we arrived safely and scooped Ginny up immediately. Eventually they gave us hugs too. LOL! ;)  

Ginny enjoyed shopping!

Our first full day in Florida was spent shopping.  We drove with my folks down to the St. Augustine Outlet Mall.  We went to Carter's for Ginny, a luggage store for my parents, Levi's for Chris, and Motherhood Maternity for me. Afterward, we drove into downtown St. Augustine and had lunch at O.C. White's. All in all a wonderful day.

Then on Tuesday, Ginny got to go swimming for the first time ever!  She was not sure about it. The water was a lot colder than her bath water. However, she enjoyed bouncing with me in the water. The hardest obstacle she faced was getting her belly wet. Isn't that the worst part for everyone?  Obviously that never seems to change. Later we put her in a float boat that she really enjoyed, especially as we pushed her from person to person.

Ginny and I checking out the water for the first time.

Ginny wasn't so sure at first.

Ginny with her daddy! :)

We hope to go to the beach tomorrow, but the weather seems uncertain.  I can't wait to see how she reacts to the sand and the ocean. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather is clear for the beach.