Goodbye Gasparilla

So this weekend is the first time I've really missed our pre-babies freedom. Don't get me wrong, I am nothing but grateful for these beautiful girls and we did plan to expand our family, but we got a little spoiled with the freedom of having a really well behaved 7 year old, as opposed to the 7 year old PLUS two infants! We simply can't do the same things we used to do. Usually I don't mind at all, since my favorite thing to do is just be with my family anyway, but this weekend was the Gasparilla Pirate Festival. It is a HUGE deal here in Tampa! There is a pirate invasion, ships, fireworks, live music, and a big, extravagant parade with bead-throwing to rival Mardi-Gras! People dress as pirates and the excitement and festiveness are contagious!!

Last year we went all out in honor of Aidan's long-standing pirate obsession (going on 4 years!) We bought tickets for the invasion brunch so we were right there at the convention center when the pirates "invaded." We got to see the ship and pirates up close and we were among the first to get the coveted beads. We even had front row seats to see the mayor hand over the key to the city. Aidan was in pirate heaven! His neck was draped with massive amounts of beads before the parade even started. We also purchased reserved seating for the parade and had a great, unobstructed view of the parade. It was so exciting and fun!!

This year we missed it all :( ...we were home with the babies. Luckily, Aidan DID get to actually be IN the children's parade they had last weekend! We have a close friend that is in Boy Scouts and they invited him to walk in the parade with them! So at least Aidan still got his fill of the adventure, but Sean and I missed out. There is no way we could have taken the girls to something like that! Of course I would MUCH rather have my precious girls than go to a pirate parade, but I do look forward to them getting a little older and more portable. Gasparilla 2009.... here we come!

I'm still waiting for the pics of Aidan in the children's parade this year, so here are a few pics from LAST years Gasparilla...