One of the best parts of summer is vacation! This year our family rented a house on Palm Island in Southwest Florida. The island was so pretty and gave us my definition of a true summer vacation. We did absolutely nothing but wander from the beach to the pool to the boat all day. To me, nothing feels like summer more than spending all day in your swimsuit. It was really relaxing and of course Lincoln had a blast. He’s still talking about the beach, boat rides, seashells & sharks’ teeth. It’s pretty sweet for me as a mom to watch him experiencing childhood in a way that is similar to my childhood. I have to smile when I watch him walk on the beach with his grandparents looking for seashells and  when I think about all the beach & boat hours he’s already logged in his first two years of life. There’s nothing quite like a Florida childhood :)

And now for the photos. Don’t mind a few iphone pictures mixed in. Sometimes it’s difficult to carry around the “real” camera on the beach.

Home away from home for one week.

Lining the “dineys” up on the stairs.

My husband. Totally in his element here.

Disclaimer: I do not condone Mike’s use of that Gilligan hat. I just can’t convince him that it’s not fashionable.

We explored some new places this year, and I think we found some new favorites. This day we took the boat to a small island called Cabbage Key. It was absolutely beautiful.

Taking a ride on the golf cart back on Palm Island.

A boat ride always proves to be a nap inducer.

We didn’t plan to match. Mike copied me ;)

The best part of SW Florida? Seashells and sunsets, of course!