Miami Vice

For those of you that don't know, Scott's Grandmother (his actual birth mother's mom) passed away this past September. Due to less than ordinary family circumstances and several hurricanes that were brewing we were not able to go to the funeral.

Instead we had a small memorial service with Scott's sister and her family at home with her Rabbi and planned a trip to Miami around the time of his grandmother's birthday this November.

We decided to fly instead of making the trip by car. With a set of twins, a four year, and an 8 year old what would normally be a 10-12 hour trip would of easily turned into a 16 hour trip by the time you add in the numerous potty breaks, diaper changes, stops for food and drinks, etc....

So, instead of us suffering we made 200 other people suffer by boarding a Delta 757 with a set of 20 month old teething twins!!

Papa carried us and ALL of our luggage to the airport where we met up with the Jackson Gang for Bonnie Kay, Molly Margaret and Jill's very first flight!

our adventure begins....

Scott hates to fly, but was trying to be brave for the sake of the Girls and his nieces.

Here's Scott and ALL of his girls strolling through the airport.

Molly Margaret was very excited and all smiles for her first flight!

but, I'm not sure who's more nervous here, Bonnie Kay or her Daddy!! She had a pretty tight grip on him!

Basically we spent the entire flight passing babies back and forth and trying to find new ways to entertain them!


Here are four very tired little passengers! They were very happy to be off the plane and on the ground in Miami...the others on board were happy as well!

Once we arrived in Miami we got our bags and rental car and headed to Scott and Shawn's Uncle Paul (birth mother's brother) and Aunt Robin's house. I was a little worried about staying with them because their kids are now grown ups and they don't have any grandchildren just yet, so I felt certain they would be ready to take us all to a hotel by noon the next day!!

Instead they welcomed us with open arms and made us feel right at home! This was great for Scott, he had not seen his Aunt Robin and Uncle Paul in over 20 years. Within the last several years they have talked on the phone and Shawn has visited with them a couple of times, but for Scott this was the first real contact he's had with anyone on that side of his family for a number of years.

Uncle Paul and Aunt Robin were great and very normal!! This was a huge relief for me, as well as for Scott after the issues with his birth mother over the years.

We settled right in at Uncle Paul and Aunt Robin's and once we got the kids to bed we stayed up talking and looking at pictures until the wee hours of the morning!

The next day Scott wanted to go and see the house that he lived in with his Dad, Shawn and birth mom for the first few years after he was born.

Here it is!

Scott and Shawn said that the house looked just the way they remembered it!

I thought this was kind of neat, Scott watching his Girls play in the same front yard that he played in as a little boy.

Scott and Shawn's old neighbor still lives in the house next door and she was home so we got to visit with her. The neighbor knew the person that currently lives in Scott and Shawn's old house so she was able to let them go inside a take a peek at the interior of the home. The person living there was an elderly lady so Jon and I stayed outside with the kids so we didn't overwhelm or should I say scare her!

After that, Uncle Paul and Aunt Robin took us to South Beach for some fun in the sun.

Bonnie Kay and Molly Margaret were very excited about this outing! They love the beach and feeling the sand between their toes!

We never dreamed it would be warm enough, but after playing in the sand the kids were ready to splash in the ocean. Luckily, Aunt Shawn and I packed swim suits for them. The water was actually freezing, but the kids didn't seem to mind!

These little bikini beauties fit right in on South Beach!

Even Uncle Paul and Aunt Robin had the chance to relax!

We played on the beach so long that we all worked up an appetite. So we were treated to a very posh dinner on South Beach then returned back to Uncle Paul and Aunt Robins house and called it a night!

The next day, all of Scott's cousins arrived and we went to the Miami Metro Zoo. This zoo is amazing!! We were there the entire day and still didn't get to see all there was to see!

The animals were great and very people friendly.

Bonnie Kay and Molly Margaret loved every minute of it!

Here they are checking out one of our favorites!

No, it's not another one of Scott's relatives!!

What a Zoo Crew!!

After the zoo we were beat so everyone headed back to Aunt Robin and Uncle Paul's house, ordered in dinner and spent the rest of the evening relaxing, catching up and talking about old times.
Scott's cousin Jenn and Adam's wife Natasha with all of the girls!

The girls loved Adam and Natasha. They warmed right up to them and Adam amd Natasha were great with Bonnie Kay and Molly Margaret!

On Sunday we got an early start and went to the cemetery where Scott and Shawn's grandmother was buried. Uncle Paul also showed us several other family grave sites. He knows a lot about their family history and has done a great deal of research and genealogy on the entire family, so he had a lot of interesting information to tell us. For instance, Scott is related to the Three Stooges, as well as Houdini!

After our visit to the cemetery we went to a local Cuban restaurant for a delicious Cuban lunch and then I got to see Scott's elementary school and another home where Scott lived just before he moved to Georgia. The lady that lived in the home happened to be outside and she let Scott and Shawn go in for a quick peek.

Later that evening it was time for the cousins to head home. They all live in Florida, but in Orlando and Gainesville so they had a bit of a drive ahead of them. We did manage to get a quick photo of all of them before they had to go.

From left to right: Jenn, Adam, Scott, Shawn, and Noah.

The next morning we had to be up bright and early to get to the airport for our flight home.

Uncle Jon was such a trooper and a huge help with Bonnie Kay and Molly Margaret!


Of course we couldn't of done it without Aunt Shawn!!


Here's Anna waiting in the airport. This photo kind of takes me back, she's reading one of the same magazines that I used to get with New Kids plastered all through it. Now it's Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Camp Rock......


Before we know it Jill will be reading those magazines, but for now she's content with her Mickey workbook!


Bonnie Kay and Molly Margaret were content just people watching while we waited to board.

Bonnie Kay spent most of the flight home with Anna sitting on her tray table!

Between her ears, teething, and needing a nap Molly Margaret required a bit more entertainment!

This trip did Scott a lot of good and we all had a great time in Miami and can't thank Uncle Paul and Aunt Robin enough. Hopefully it won't be another 20 years before we see them again!