Oh my goodness! We had the best little time in Anna Maria Island, Florida with the girls, my brother, & sister-in-law!
We stayed on the north end this time in a house with a pool (an ESSENTIAL for the little ones) and canal access! You can find the exact link to the home here (I had a lot of you messaging me on Instagram asking where we stayed). We would stay there again + I can’t recommend it enough for 2 couples or a small family!
Our days were spent hitting up the beach in the morning, going back to the house to make lunch, & while Ellie went down for her nap, Ava swam in the pool! Then, we’d either make our way somewhere in the evening for dinner or cook at home and then go out for a bike ride. It was so casual + laid back (well, as much as it can be with a 3 year old & a 1 year old)!
I was able to sneak away a few times during nap time to snap some shots of the gorgeous houses on the island. I love all of the cotton candy colored homes!
We made so many meals at home this time around with the girls being so tired by the end of the day, it was cheaper, and quicker! Basically 100 times more convenient but we did go out to eat a couple of times!
We had to make our traditional stop at The Sandbar! We also met some friends at Island Time Bar & Grill for some live music. Oh & we had The Donut Experiment and ice cream multiple times we were there (Two Scoops & Dips)!
Our last day at the beach was the clearest, sunniest, hottest day! The sky and water could not have been any more beautiful. We love the Gulf. Especially for the kiddos. You can see through the water and there are hardly any waves.
One funny part of the trip was when I thought I saw a whale in the canal while we were kayaking. My heart stopped, I yelled, and Nic started paddling so quickly because he thought it was a gator! I completely froze. It was not my finest moment but let me explain – This HUGE rock-looking thing in front of me MOVED. Once we got back to our dock, Nic said, “Do you think that could’ve been a manatee?
They have signs all around the canal about watching out for the manatees.” HMMM…. Well, YES! UGH. I was obviously not properly educated on the waters before my voyage. That is so cool! It was definitely a manatee and next time I’ll be sure to enjoy that moment much more. 🙂
One of my favorite memories from the trip is going to Shiny Fish Emporium with Ava to paint a sand dollar. It’s the most colorful, eclectic shop located on Pine Avenue.
Ava no joke painted her sand dollar for an entire HOUR AND A HALF! I had to cut her off, honestly. The employee joked that he had never seen so much paint on one of the sand dollars before! 🙂 Girlfriend knows how to be thorough with her painting though! In the end, it resulted in a beautiful dark blue/light blue swirl combination which I was thrilled with because it was brown and black at one point.
They let it dry, sprayed it with glitter, tied a ribbon on it, and now it’s the most beautiful Christmas ornament. When we go back to AMI, I hope we can do that again.
These photos from watching the sunset at Bean Point (the quietest, most northern tip of the island) are some of my favorite of the entire trip. I wish we could’ve seen the sunset every night but the cards didn’t align with bedtimes 🙂 The girls went hard during the day! 🙂 Nic + I were tired too! 🙂 Love them and these memories, so.
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