Harry Potter forever

The main reason we went to Florida was to go to Harry Potter World!!!!  We are Harry Potter nerds to an extreme degree so when my parents said they wanted to take everyone for Christmas we were ecstatic.  It was kind of a wreck of a day- it rained on and off (mostly on) all day and the park was super crowded with lots of long lines but nevertheless we had a wonderful time.  It is amazing to be there; I can't even describe how happy I was just to walk around and see everything.  And the girls were so, so good.  Jilly was tall enough for a few of the smaller roller coasters which was really fun, and we also spent some time at the kids' areas in Universal.  Mattie took a long afternoon nap in her stroller, and both girls fell asleep at night and peacefully slept while we went on a couple more rides and watched the fireworks.  It was the best day.

Number 12 Grimmauld Place

the Knight Bus

Back Story- HP World was Day 4 of our trip and while driving from the coast to Orlando Bryan realized that both of the shirts (yes both, meaning he only brought 2) he had were dirty.  So he dropped us off at our hotel and went on an expedition to find a new shirt.  At 11pm he got back to the hotel proudly wearing this beaut...  I think Florida really got to him.  Also, the thing Bryan was anticipating the most was butterbeer, and it did not disappoint.  

Before and during Jilly's first roller coaster- it went pretty fast but she was brave and got braver all day long

Our ponchos played double duty- protection from the rain and helping us to always be able to find our "blue family"

Sandbridge 2014

On our way home from the beach I told Bryan it was a pretty much perfect week.  He laughed and told me I always said that, but I insisted this time I really meant it.  (He could have reminded me of the night I declared"I need a vacation from my vacation!" and he sent me off to get a Dr. Pepper with my sister but he's smarter than that.)  It was a big year- my grandparents, my immediate family, and three of my aunts and their families all stayed in one house.  Crowded, yes, but so fun.  I laughed until I cried on many occasions

Yet again, our girls were in heaven at the beach.  Jilly could build sand castles all the livelong day and was pretty good at convincing people to help her.

Mattie is a little water baby.  She loved the ocean and would fearlessly sprint out into the water so we had to always be on guard.  She also was a huge fan of beach chairs.

Jilly and Mattie don't quite get the concept that vacation = sleeping in.  For most of the week one or both girls was up by 5:55 which, conveniently, was sunrise.  I didn't love getting up so early every day but I did enjoy a few morning runs on the beach with my dad, and it was fun to get some early beach time before anyone else was up.

I am the oldest of all the cousins so my youngest cousins are just a little bit older than my girls.  Jilly and Mattie love all these cute girls and were in heaven having so many friends around all the time.

My girls are the only grandkids/great-grandkids so I was very spoiled with help and the girls were totally spoiled with attention

I have gone to the beach with my grandparents nearly every summer of my life and I think it's so fun that my girls will also have these memories with Grandma and Grandpa Rice

Everyone takes a night to feed the masses and my mom's night was by far the best

You didn't think we'd leave the beach without a jumping picture