Tolsma's in Florida!

Just look at that face...what a sweet baby.  This is Dawson Robert Fountain.  He was given this name in church on August 31st. We made plans before he was even born to be there when he got his name and blessing.  We were so happy to meet him and share in the joy with his family - Jeff's sister, JoAnna & husband Robert and the cute new older sister, Annabelle. 

Now you know the end...the purpose of our trip and culmination of all of our preparation and plans! Let's go back to the beginning....

Jeff and I bought two tickets to fly from Seattle, Washington to Tampa, Florida. It is almost as far as you can go across the country...with two girls under two years old in tow.  We had a short layover each way. We debated whether to get a third ticket...and Jeff decided to gamble on the fact that we would fly Southwest and might get the last seat next to us....so we didn't buy a ticket.  I in turn, worried the whole way there and the whole way home... :)  After we returned from our trip, Jeff admitted to me that in hindsight, he should have purchased that third ticket. ha ha! We both learned a lesson that mobile children over 1 years old need their own seat for a long flight...regardless of the fact that children under 2 are free! We were lucky in that we went straight to the last row on the plane each flight and indeed got the very last available seat between us so the girls could sit and play in that space. Whew! It was a close call each time. We had very nice flight attendants and passengers around us. 

Here we go...ready to check in at the Seattle airport! 

I had a duffle bag that I had filled with toys I borrowed from other moms in advance.  I wrapped each toy in wrapping paper as that was the advice I was given for long flights.  It was great advice! Unwrapping each "new" toy was so exciting for Brielle and took up more time between each new toy to play with.  The girls did great on the plane rides, took short naps and were entertained.  It was exhausting for Jeff and I to keep them busy for so long! From door to door it was a twelve hour travel day. 

But boy, was it worth it! We had so much fun even the first night we got there! Annabelle loved playing with Jeff and she was such a cutie.  We just loved her from the first night we hung out together. She has such a fun personality. 

My girls came in and immediately started playing with all of Annabelle's toys that she was so kind to share. I couldn't believe how Annabelle was perfectly content with us taking over her space! JoAnna & Robert live on the 15th floor of a beautiful skyrise over-looking a bay.  We could see dolphins from their balcony! It felt like a hotel in paradise. We settled in, and got the girls to bed.  They had a 3 hour time change which they adjusted to as the days went on.

The next morning we took the girls to a children's museum.  It was huge and awesome! We were a little jetlagged from the time change however,...and all of us Seattleites were sleep-walking as we played!

Brielle zoning out in the ball pit:

We came back and rested until Jeff's brother Jason's family came. They were driving from Atlanta, Georgia and we were SO GLAD they decided to join us! We were happy they made the sacrifice to come all that way for the weekend so we could see them too!

We all headed to a splash park.  Of course the babies all crashed in the car ride. Hilarious! We gave them a little snooze, and then they were off to play again.

Here's the group:

We saw alligators (terrifying to me in the wild...right in the water next to the park!), went home and ate pizza and had a great time playing and catching up. We enjoyed being back in the air conditioning...we weren't used to the Florida humidity! Although I don't mind the fact that I look tan in these pictures...I don't mind that Florida sun! 

The next day we went to the beach.  Beautiful white sand, warm water, bright sun...we don't experience that in Seattle! I own exactly 3 swimsuits total for the girls to wear...we don't need more when we swim once a week in the summer here! So we borrowed lots of beach supplies from our beach pros JoAnna & Robert. I even got a new swimsuit out of it all when I realized I forgot my swimsuit at home...(or unpacked while my back was turned by one of my girls?) and bought the first swimsuit off the rack at the store.  Not bad! 

Brielle liked playing in the sand from the moment we got to the beach. The salty water took a little longer to warm up to. She especially liked playing with her cousins! 

Annabelle showed us that chewing on seashells is necessary to enjoy the full beach experience. 

We came back and relaxed and got all washed up. I enjoyed holding little baby Dawson as much as I could when not taking care of my own little ones! 

Brielle especially LOVED Dawson.  From the very first night she was very attentive to him and kept bringing him toys wherever he was.  I thought it was very sweet how she would always put her hand on his cheek:

We headed out to dinner at a yummy seafood restaurant around the corner. We were the main attraction with so many children and lots of activity at our table! 

While we were eating, we experienced a true Florida rain storm - complete with a flash flood! Here's a picture when it had stopped raining and we were ready to leave. It was deep by the stairs! It was exciting. 

We came home and got everything ready for the big blessing day the following day. Dawson just slept in his cradle, unamused at all the commotion in his honor. 

And then it was Sunday! We dressed in our Sunday best and attended church where Dawson was blessed and it was lovely. He's such a sweet little guy.  He's got great big things ahead of him. 

He was so cute in his little outfit and had his initials monogrammed on his chest.  Nice touch. 

Here's all the proud family afterwards:

We were melting in the humidity, but happy! 

JoAnna had reserved the community room in her building for after church.  We decorated the night before and took out all the fake plants and child proofed a little. :) JoAnna prepared a nice spread for our celebratory meal together complete with homemade Texas sheet cake! yummmm.

She also had a cool idea to tell us to bring a tie for Dawson and then we wrote down our well wishes for him on strips of fabric that she would sew to the back of the tie. So neat! I am going to steal this idea for my brother on a mission! 

After that, the girls were cranky and anxious for a nap.  So I left and put them to bed for all of our benefit. :) 

That night we drove by Robert's law school - Stetson and it was so neat to see! What a beautiful campus.  We then went to downtown St. Petersburg and walked around.  It was a perfect night along the marina and fun to see the downtown life. A great ending to our Florida sightseeing. 

We went back and had a rousing game of Just Dance and some good laughs.  

And then it was time to say goodbye! We are missing Annabelle's hugs. 

 And Brielle is missing the attention from her cousins.  First thing she asked for when we got home was to see the "baby" - Dawson.  Cute. 

We headed back home, exhausted from a fun weekend. Jeff and I were so tired and had a hard time keeping our eyes open to monitor the girls and entertain them on the long flights home.  At one point I looked over and Brielle was STANDING on the tray table! It was a wild trip home, but the girls were pretty easy going and we made it.

We got home, unpacked and went to bed early since we were tired from the 3 hour time difference coming back west! We are so glad that we went, and had such a wonderful time being with family and celebrating the new little life that's joined ours! Perfect trip.