Christmas in Florida

We didn't plan on this trip. But Troy's brother, Nick, passed away unexpectedly on Christmas weekend, so we flew to Florida to be with his family and help with the funeral plans etc...

We left on Christmas morning and spent the week there. There were a lot of firsts. Ella's first time on a plane, her first trip to Grandma & Grandpa Robinson's house, her first trip to the beach... she had a great time.

It was a very difficult week for the entire family. Troy helped sort through Nick's things and make arrangements with his parents. We considered leaving Ella at home, but she was a welcome break for her Daddy and just about everyone else.

Wednesday morning, Troy wanted a break from anything that had to do with a funeral, so we took Ella to the beach. We only had about 45 minutes between errands and visitors at the house. But it was well worth it.

At first she didn't know what to think of the sand between her toes or how to walk on this weird stuff. But pretty soon she played in the sand, tried to eat the sand, and found a seashell to bring home. She wasn't big on the water... but it was pretty cool down there. We'll try that again next time.

Rough trip... but Ella made for some light moments and as usual, she was a big hit.