Brandon & Steph - Land O' Lakes

Aaron & Brandon holding Penny

We enjoyed a relaxing conference weekend in Florida hanging out with family we don't see often enough.  Aaron's brother, Brandon lives in Land O' Lakes which was about 1.5 hr. away from our condo in Orlando.  Since Steph had a bridal shower to attend nearby on Saturday, Brandon brought Jack and Penny to swim with us in the morning before the start of the first Saturday session (12-2pm).  We enjoyed lunch together before settling in and watching conference.

Aaron with Jack, Jantzen, Brandon with Penny

Quinn - loves pools but not putting his face in the water

Aaron and Jack, Elsie

Penny was so tired she basically put herself to sleep drinking a bottle on the floor in the middle of all of us!  Steph returned just as the session was ending so the timing was perfect for us to load up in our vehicles and head to their place where we spent the rest of the weekend.

Gotta love this sign posted at the entrance of Brandon & Steph's neighborhood.  Jantzen really wanted to see gators in the wild during our Florida trip.  We did see plenty of gators - but in safer surroundings.

I'm sure Brandon & Steph felt like they were feeding an army with our arrival.  They were such great sports and we had fun cooking in the kitchen together.  No doubt more food was consumed over the weekend than they consume in a week...

And while I didn't think to take pictures during our time together, Aaron snapped a few with his phone. The kids had fun swimming in their private pool Saturday evening.  

Most of the homes in the neighborhood have a similar set-up with an enclosed private pool in the backyard.  Without this screened in arrangement, the bugs would be horrific.  Needless to say, Jack is a solid little swimmer at age 4.

Someday Quinn will put his face in the water willingly:).

Sunday morning we leisurely started on the day.  It was different adjusting to the east coast general conference meeting schedule.

This trip to Florida allowed us the opportunity to meet adorable Penny (9-mo.) for the first time.

She is such a good-natured baby and an awesome sleeper.

Brandon and Stephanie moved into this lovely home last December so it is their second house in the area.  You can see a tiny bit of Brandon's beautiful workmanship with the white finish work (in a doorway) behind the couch. With Steph's great sense of style, they have made a very comfortable home together.  And they have a sofa big enough for all of us!

It was an exciting General Conference as we sustained three newly called Apostles, Elders Rasband, Stevenson and Renlund.  We felt the loss of our beloved Elders Perry, Packer and Scott but know these new Apostles have been called by inspiration through our dear President Monson.

The kids were stoked about trying out Jack's drivable jeep for a few minutes before bed.

Quinn, Elsie & Jack

Monday morning we packed up our belongings and made a picnic lunch before heading out for a day at the beach.

I wish I thought to snap a family shot of Brandon, Steph and the kids!  Here's one capturing the energetic zeal Jack shows towards his little sister.  He really loves on her and she puts up with it quite well.

A partial picture of the exterior of their home in Land O'Lakes.

Brandon left for work and met up with us later on and we followed Steph (about an hour) to the Treasure Island Beach near Tampa.  It's a clean and quiet beach with fabulous white sand.

Steph & Penny

Aaron lounging

It's not every day you see police cars drive onto the beach and hand-cuff a man.  The boys went looking for seashells near the scene but the fairly calm incident didn't offer much information for the bystanders.  In time, the police left and the man stayed put.

The unpredictable weather held out long enough for us to have a true beach experience.  We were super grateful Steph had all the gear to make it comfortable.  And many hands made light work lugging it to the shore.

Heather foot-zoning Steph

Maybe not ideal conditions for a foot zone, but this relaxing afternoon afforded our only opportunity!

 Elsie enjoyed the hunt for the perfect shell.  

She scored quite a collection by the end of our beach time.

 Jantzen, Anna, Brinley - body surfing the waves.

 At one point during the afternoon, Brinley rushed out of the water concerned she had seen a large white fish with a distinct fin swimming near her.  We enjoyed watching lots of porpoises jumping and swimming through the water and assured her it was probably a porpoise.  Later in the week, however, she recognized a similar creature in an aquarium at Epcot.  It was a white sand shark.  Hmm...??

Steph & Penny chatting with Tanner

Brinley, Anna and Tanner especially adored playing with little Penny!

Jack and Quinn enjoyed their time playing together and got along so well over the weekend.

Later in the afternoon Brandon joined us for an hour or so as Steph left for another commitment.   We decided to drive back to Orlando rather than return to Land O' Lakes for dinner so we could get a good start on Tuesday morning.  Our short but sweet time with Brandon & Steph added a wonderful dimension to our family vacation.

Thanks for hosting us and taking our only full family photo in Florida.

We love you guys!