You know summer is half over when you are suddenly celebrating the Fourth of July. Our holiday was pretty low key, but full of summer fun. We enjoyed some swimming at brother-in-law's pool. I mean you've got to show off those red, white and blue bathing suits! That afternoon we attended a cookout and the girls got to do some fishing. It was a hot Fourth of July, but a fun day none the less.
A few days later Olivia was packing up and getting ready to head off to Notre Dame soccer camp. She attended this camp a few years ago and loved it. This year she attended with her friend Sara who she not only plays soccer with, but goes to school with as well. These girls were beyond excited to be roomies in the college dorms for a few days.
When they weren't on the soccer field, they spent time exploring the campus and making new friends. During the four days they were at the camp they received some amazing soccer training, learned teamwork and got a taste of the college life!
The week after she got home she attended a local soccer camp she has been going to for years with her friend, Aleah. The Beasley Soccer Camp is a great opportunity for the girls to continue practicing their skills throughout the summer. Olivia's cousin, Ella tried the camp for the first time this year, so the three girls had fun hanging out all week. Olivia and Aleah have been going to this camp for so many years that they have become like mini-camp counselors at this point. They helped out a little bit this year and took pride in being the "big kids" at camp.
Cece's camping adventures continued throughout the summer too. She enjoyed Franke Park Day Camp at the start of the summer, and them she tried Solomon Farm Camp in late July. This camp took place on a small farm, so there were some animals. It was a very hot week so it made things a little unpleasant, but she still had fun...I think.
With all of the girl's camps behind them the summer was starting to drag on a bit. We had a vacation coming up, but it was still a few weeks away. They spend most days with my Mom and it can be hard to find things to do day in and day out. The girls were starting to struggle to fill the days. Suddenly they had an idea! With my Mom living on a golf course the girls thought they would set up a stand and sell golf balls, drinks and cookies. They put a lot of effort into their stand and worked hard to get the attention of the golfers. Sales started to take off and they immediately started realizing that they could make some good money to take with them on vacation. Within a few days they made about $120! They were thrilled knowing that they had a wad of cash to take with them to Florida and spend on whatever they wish.
So with their wallets full of money, we packed up our bags and headed to Fort Myers beach for a week of fun in the sun..our first true family vacation in years! Todd's friend offered us his beach home for the week...for free! We arrived late at night, woke up the next morning and walked across the street to the beach! The girls couldn't jump in the ocean fast enough.
We spent most of the first day relaxing at the beach and enjoying the ocean wildlife. Within minutes of being in the water we saw a couple of dolphins and got up close and personal with some pelicans. The nice thing about the house we were staying in is that it was literally across the street from the ocean, so when we needed a break from the salt water we could just walk back and jump in our private pool...by far one of the best parts of having our own house for the week!
That evening we ventured out to the touristy area...Times Square. We spent a few hours walking around the shops and the boardwalk, watching the girls carefully pick out the first of the souvenirs they would buy with their own money that week. We stopped for a nice dinner and wrapped up an awesome first day in Fort Myers Beach!
We made it back to the house in time for a walk to the beach to watch the sunset. Not only was it a perfect sunset, but it was a great time to look for shells. My girls are definitely beach babies and love spending time at the ocean. I just love watching them in this environment, without a care in the world.
The next morning we ventured to Sanibel Island to visit another beach. The drive to Sanibel was beautiful and the town itself was super cute. The beach was gorgeous and while the girls swam I searched for shells and watched for sea life. We even saw small schools of sting rays swimming by. Although it was frightening at first, the people around us said they were harmless and don't sting unless you step directly on them. After the beach we stopped for lunch at the Lazy Flamingo before heading back for some pool time.
That evening we headed back to the boardwalk for dinner and another gorgeous sunset. The girls were begging to play mini-golf so that was our after dinner entertainment. The mini-golf courses in Florida are pretty impressive, but what was most impressive was Cecilia's golfing skills! She had multiple holes in one and came close to beating all of us!
The next morning we were up early for a dolphin cruise. It was a nice cruise but we didn't see much. We remedied our disappointment with more beach time, because there is really nothing better! We would try to eat lunch on the beach as much as possible. We found a cute little restaurant right on the water and on our walk back from lunch we spotted a fisherman that had just caught this beauty!
Throughout the week the girls kept seeing people parasailing off the beach. I asked them if they were interested and the girls decided they wanted to give it a try. We made an appointment and they were beyond excited as we headed to the boat. Because of their light weight they had to go up with one other person. She was a younger girl which made it less awkward. I think I was more nervous than they were as they got strapped up and were given their directions.
And just like that they were 1200 feet in the air! It was so fun watching them up there. I went parasailing as a kid, so I knew just how much fun they were having. On their way down they were dipped in the ocean a few times and then were landed safely on the back of the boat. I am so glad they were brave enough to try this new experience. It was a something they will never forget!
We had lots of fun and tasty meals during our vacation, but one of the highlights was our dinner at the Bubble Room! The Bubble Room is this quirky little restaurant on the island of Captiva, a short drive from Fort Myers Beach. It was a colorful, funky restaurant full of all different kinds of memorabilia. The girls were fascinated with all of fun things that filled up this cool place.
The restaurant is known for their amazing cake, so after looking over the menu we allowed the girls to have dessert for dinner! The couldn't believe it! So they each ordered their own piece of huge, delicious cake! It lived up to the hype, because it was amazingly good!
After dinner we stopped at a beach in Captiva and walked around for a bit. If we had more time I would have come back and spent the day on this beautiful little island. If it were up to the girls we would stay for another week, so we could keep exploring other beaches.
The next day brought clouds and the chance for rain. The morning was just overcast so we squeezed in some beach time at another beach a few miles down the road in Bonita Springs. The sun may not have been out, but the water was warm. We just wanted to soak up every last minute of our fabulous family vacation!
We spent the afternoon at a huge outlet mall. The girls still had money they wanted to spend and this was the place to do it! The weather wasn't great so it was a perfect way to pass the time. That night we headed back down to the boardwalk for dinner and to enjoy another beautiful sunset!
We woke up on our last day in Fort Myers Beach praying for good weather, and we were not disappointed. We walked down to our beach for the last day and the girls spent hours wake boarding. For the first time all week there were big waves! They had the time of their lives and I began to get sad thinking about our trip coming to an end. Our girls are made for the beach! They would move there in a heartbeat if they could. The waves eventually wore them out so we took in one more beach side lunch. The Salty Crab did not disappoint!
That night we had plans for our last nice dinner out. At the last minute Olivia was contacted by a school friend that was also in Fort Myers. Sofia's family has a house in the area and they wanted to take Olivia for a fun night out. So Sofia and her Mom picked Olivia up in their convertible and off they went!
Todd, Cece and I still went out for our dinner and it was lovely! The restaurant sat right on the water and the view was gorgeous. It was nice having some time with just Cecilia while soaking up every second of our last night in Florida. After dinner we headed back to the house to wait for Olivia to get home. Cece tried to stay awake, but the excitement of the day caught up with her.
The next morning it was time to pack up and say goodbye to this beautiful house and Fort Myers beach. No one wanted to go home, but Cecilia was by far the saddest. We had a wonderful week together, so I was in agreement that I did not want it to end.
Our Fort Myers trip was by far the highlight of our summer! The girls had a few weeks left before heading back to school, so it was time to wrap up our busy summer.Why does it always go by so fast?
