Summer dreams on Sanibel...

I was going to continue my Christmas Countdown posts and then I remembered I never blogged about Sanibel so let me squeeze a little warm sunshine into your afternoon.

Each year my parents visit Florida for a week and this time around Natalie and I were a couple of super duper lucky ducks because we got to tag along! If you have just met me then you probably need to know that I have sand, sun, beach on my brain roughly 21 out of 24 hours a day. It's the best. Pretty certain heaven is comprised of beaches, pools, and the sound of crashing waves. (And maybe the occasional cold beer? Maybe.)

My dad really needed to check his phone, I guess.

Natalie and I were at the beach every day. One day we were there from 9:30 a.m. til 3:30 p.m. Natalie spent her time building sand castles and "camp fires" out of sea beans and shells. We built, we played, we jumped waves in the ocean, and most importantly, we were mermaids in the sea. When I grow up I want to be a mermaid. -That's me talking, not Natalie. Although I'm pretty sure she'd be cool with mermaiding with me.

Natalie and I found a heart made from shells. Whoever made this- we're feeling your vibe.

I love this view. 

We also kayaked and paddle boarded. I tried taking Natalie out with me. It went...okay. She was happier out of the canal. If I won the lottery and lived in Florida I would kayak or paddle board every day for exercise. The canal manatees, dolphins, and I would be a on first name basis.

We found a couple of wild animals in Florida.

One morning we drove to Marco and spent the day there. Our first stop was fishing with Captain Bill. Captain Bill is our regular captain and he is the best. Super patient with kids, and he always puts the shrimp on the hook for us because live shrimp look nothing like the ones sold at Hy-Vee.

Previous years when we fish we've caught sheepshead, drum fish, and bonnet heard sharks. But this proved to be an unusual year. We still caught catfish, sheepshead, and drum fish but this year we also caught a couple of starfish. We threw them back, of course.

Natalie was not a super fan of posing next to our catches and after this one flopped fishy sea water all over her she squealed. It gave us a good laugh. And I didn't get a photo but I have to share this story...

Natalie wasn't super thrilled with fishing but she was a patient little girl and sat in the boat watching us for hours. At one point a dolphin popped up. We were thrilled with the attention. Captain Bill told us that doesn't happen too often but what a nice treat. A moment later the dolphin popped up again. Natalie runs to the side of the boat and watches...the dolphin again pops up. At this point Captain Bill's as amazed as the rest of us. He said dolphin will make an appearance but they always mosey on. This dolphin however wanted to play with Natalie and I'm not even joking. He swam back and forth along the boat and wherever Natalie moved to, that is where the dolphin would come back up for air. It was incredible. Natalie was in love. What a special moment for her to hold onto.

My mom caught a 10 pound, 28 inch black drum fish. FYI- drum fish get there name from the sounds they make. They honestly sound like a drum. It's pretty unusual. I caught an 8 pound, 26.5 inch red drum fish. I think they were cousins. 

Afterward Captain Bill cleaned all our fish for us and we took them to the Tiki Bar for a big, delicious lunch.

While in Marco we visited our favorite playground.

I forgot her swimsuit but that didn't stop Natalie from playing in the splash pad.

We love those Marco sunsets.

This umbrella makes me so happy. 

Rainbows at the beach! How could anyone have a bad day after that?

And napping under a rainbow umbrella at the beach? True love.

I wish that swimsuit came in my size.

On our last day I wanted to get a good picture of Natalie walking to the beach. I kept making her pose or I would lag behind until she got fed up with me. I really wanted to get to the beach but I didn't want it to be our last beach trip. I really didn't want that day to be the last day of warm sun and sand. The beach is my bae. Can I use that term? Has it now jumped the shark?? Happy, warm, sunny = me.

But the last day did come. And we enjoyed our last views of the waves and the last feel of sand in our toes. And I felt a little bummed. I was missing my family but man alive, I love the beach.

Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us tag along. Thanks Matt for giving Natalie and I the chance to take this adventure. Thanks LeAnn and Mike for helping with all of our other little girls. I promise we made every moment count.