Good morning, everyone!! This week sure is an extra busy one, but I am still hoping to find time here and there to write these fun vacation recaps!

Welcome to Day 2 of our time in Clearwater, FL! When we woke up, nothing sounded better than a room service breakfast. We love a room service breakfast and try to do at least one on these types of trips!

Quinnie perusin’ the menu with us.

It was going to take about 40 minutes for the food to be delivered, so I headed out for a short jog to start the day.

When I stepped outside I was immediately enveloped by the humid, yet warmly inviting, air. Ohio, who?! 😜 The eager morning sun beams mirrored my own excitement about the day ahead.

I didn’t run for long by the time I got out the door, but it felt great to put on the Happy Morning Mix on Spotify and get my heart rate up!

I made it back just minutes after the food was delivered. By the time we finished feeding Quinn our food was cold, as it goes. Well, we were in luck because my mom and Pete got an unreal upgrade to one of the Sandpearl suites. They told us to bring up our food so they could watch Quinn, and we could reheat our meals & enjoy them hot!

And enjoy the meals we did!!! I failed to get good pics of it all, but I did capture the highlight: this extra crispy chicken apple sausage – yum!! It tasted like it was cooked in a cast iron skillet.

After breakfast, my mom and I headed down to the beach to go for a walk with Quinn. On our way down we were able to really take in the resort for the first time since arriving.

This resort struck the perfect balance of being peaceful and kid friendly.

I thought Quinn would fall asleep immediately in the carrier with the fresh air of the beach and white noise of the waves, but I think it was just all too stimulating for her because she didn’t snooze a wink. She particularly perked up whenever a dog strolled by.

Below is a picture from her putting her toes in the sand for the first time 🥰.

Also, my mom and Pete brought this little dress with them that she’s wearing- isn’t it stinking cute?

After our walk Quinn was no longer able to fight a nap. My mom insisted DJ and I go enjoy the day and she would just have Quinn nap with her. I gave my mom some breast milk and Little Spoon meals to have on hand and off we went. She and Pete made it very clear they were happy to be on Grammy and Grampy duty through the trip- we were so blessed to have them there! Within minutes of leaving, my mom sent me a sweet photo of Quinn fast asleep on her chest ❤️.

Beach time! DJ and I lathered up the sunscreen and grabbed a beach cabana. We got two free ones with our stay which was nice!

We grabbed some beachy drinks (spicy margarita for me, piña colada for DJ), DJ loaded up a podcast, I opened up a thriller, and we went into total relaxation mode for hours.

My mom sent me this sweet update of Quinn eating her lunch after a nice long two hour nap!

All rested and fed, they then got Quinn ready for the big beach day! (These are the swim diapers we used – we use them for swim class too!).

First some dancing to the grand piano in the lobby 🥰.

We met up with them at a bubble station set up for the kids 😊.

Then it was time for the pool. Quinn was all about it!

I got her this little pool float which she tolerated and seemed to enjoy the first day, but did not have any interest after that.

Beach time!!

Going into the ocean for the first time- All giggles and smiles!

After all the fun in the sun, Quinn was ready for another nap. My mom and Pete got her to sleep again while we were able to leisurely get ready for dinner. Sweet picture of Grampy supervising ❤️.

I enjoyed a late afternoon decaf Nespresso which became a tradition on this trip. I lounged in bed and sipped while reading. Bliss.

Nearing the time of our reservation, I went up to my mom and Pete’s room with Quinn’s outfit for the evening and waited for her to wake up. When she did, we promptly changed her into this sweet outfit from Gigi and then took the elevator down to the restaurant in the hotel, Caretta on the Gulf. We were particularly looking forward to this meal as it is known as one of the best in Clearwater.

This girl is ready to eat some good food!!! we had teether crackers and a pouch as an appetizer before the food was delivered.

Side note- It’s so much easier to get reservations when you go out with a baby because you’re usually vying for the early time slots (5 pmish).

Quinn decided she was in a yelling “YAH YAH” phase for this trip. We started calling it the vacation of yah yah. Here’s a little snippet of it!

Now the food! To start, the waiter brought out some complimentary ceviche. It was refreshing and kicked off the meal on a delicious note!

And, of course, one of my favorite parts of the meal- the bread with dips!!!

My fam tried not to rave too much about how good the Asiago cheese rolls were knowing I couldn’t partake, but it was clear they were stellar. The regular bread was yummy too!

I have to share this mozzarella salad that DJ ordered! I’ve never seen it served like that- how fun!

My mom and I split the summer salad with compressed watermelon, meyer lemon & blueberry chutney, brûléed figs, marcona almonds, petite hibiscus, butterfly sorrel, red shiso and champagne & grilled peach vinaigrette. This was very unique and tasty! I particularly loved the brûléed figs.

Pete had their pork belly with roasted poblano & manchego grits, nueske’s applewood smoked bacon lardons, grilled scallion and savory espresso caramel. My mouth is watering writing this description out…

My mom had the impossible vegan bolognese. It was fine, but nothing to write home about. There are so many better menu items, but if you’re strictly plant based it’s nice they have this option.

For Quinn, I ordered the salmon with a side of broccoli. The salmon was amazing. I was not mad she didn’t want the whole filet because I happily devoured the rest. She loved the broccoli, but unfortunately it was extremely salty. Note to self- ask for unsalted next time! We also gave her some of the impossible bolognese since we knew it was dairy free.

DJ got the surf and turf. I’ll let the pic speak for itself…

And I wolfed down this surf and turf sushi roll with lobster, beef tenderloin, asparagus, enoki mushroom, truffle oil, eel sauce and fried onion. Definitely one of the best sushi rolls I’ve ever had. Maybe second only to the Shacho roll from Ozumo in California.

After we finished up, we headed to the terrace set up with comfy sofas and modern rectangular fireplaces. The warmth of the fire felt delightful after stepping out of the air conditioned restaurant. We took some pictures before taking an elevator ride and walking a few steps back to our rooms. Convenience is everything with a little one!

My kissing bandit!

After we got back to the room, we realized Quinn still had some unexpected energy. I took off my makeup, changed into some oversized comfy clothes, changed Quinn into a onesie and we headed out for a night walk with DJ.

And that wraps up day #2! DJ and I were saying we could have gone home that evening entirely rejuvenated and refreshed.

Can’t wait to share day #3!

<3,

Mackenzie