Gabriel's Birthday Trip

I really like having a kid. Yeah, they're tough and a lot of work, but damn...everything is so much more interesting. Like...plane rides! Gabriel and I headed off to Florida last week to celebrate his early 2nd birthday--compliments of Auntie Rachel, Uncle Erick, and Auntie Ellen. Gabriel actually flew for the first time when he was 10 months old, but of course, this one was much more interesting. He was surprisingly very well behaved, and looked out the window as we took off. "Wheeeeeee!!!" He loved taking off and giggled with delight!

The first day was pretty laid back. Auntie Ellen and cousin Isa picked us up from the airport, and after a quick refreshing, we met Uncle Erick for dinner on his break. After dinner, we were all done for the day and turned in early for a busy weekend.

After a restful Thursday, Erick took the day off to hang with us. The kids woke early and had breakfast and playtime, while Erick got ready to start his day with us too.


So what's to do when you're on vacation with your toddler? To visit Target and Ikea, or course! Erick intended to let Gabriel pick out his own toy, but he didn't seem overly attached to anything...except a simple ball.
Here's Gabriel showing he's not afraid to get in touch with his feminine side, while borrowing his cousin's pink headband.


Erick took me to Ikea, which is a really cool furniture/houseware store. Gabriel slept through most of it, but woke up in time to be powered up for lunch in their cafeteria, and even got the opportunity for some old hag to shove him out of her way with her shopping cart while waiting in line. Nice!

Now, Saturday was our long awaited day. The weather wasn't so great, and it rained a few times on us, but hey...who can't be excited about Disneyworld??



Once again, the kids fell asleep for a short while (1 1/2 hours for Gabriel--carried!), and they were on the go! With the exception of boredom from standing in line, I thought he was fairly well behaved, and enjoyed being on the rides.


Gabriel enjoyed Pirates of the Carribean, and even wanted to be one with his uncle!





After a long day of Disneyworld, we were all tired and ready to order in food for the grand finale. Auntie Ellen brought out a cookies and cream icecream birthday cake for the birthday boy!

It was a great ending to a fantastic day. Again, we were all whooped and eventually got to bed to be ready for our flight back home the next day.

I was a bit skeptical on how travelling with Gabriel would be, but I have to admit it was a lot of fun. Not easy by any means, but memorable and enjoyable. On top of that, Gabriel got some bonding time with his cousin...






...as did I!!

Thank you, everyone, for making Gabriel's birthday so special! We had a wonderful time! It's always so nice to be with the family!