Beach Bits

Now that I've caught my breath, I can bloggingly backtrack to our beach trip from last week.  On our way south, we stopped a night in B'ham to cut the drive time down.  Then we stopped a night in FL to visit with Josh's oldest brother and family.  It was neat to see all the things we've heard about since they moved there 3 years ago - their home, their town, their church, their friends.  We got to see Johnmark preach as well.

THEN we headed to Orange Beach.  One of the best parts of this vacay was our hotel accommodations.  We could see the pool AND the beach from our patio.  And we were able to get two adjoining rooms, both free - thanks to every last one of Josh's hotel points.  It was so great to put the kids to bed (and naps when needed) and shut the door and not have to creep around quietly or go to bed at the same time.  The free hot breakfasts each morning were worth their weight in gold as well.  Great stay at Hilton Garden Inn.  Whatever are we going to do when Josh doesn't travel for a living and earn all these precious free hotel nights?

The other great thing about our beach trip was ... being at and on beach!  It was perfectly warm-not-hot and in the 70s.  It was not busy or crowded or noisy.  It was quite windy though which meant the waves were a little rough and that was a bit overwhelming for Noah's and Anna's first ocean encounter, but really I didn't expect them to venture any further into the water than their ankles anyway, which is all they did.

Day1 (Sunday evening) at the beach. We hadn't been in the hotel room for more than 10 minutes before we beelined for the water.  I was so excited for Noah and Anna to take in their first real live ocean view.  Anna knew just want to do when we reached the end of the steps.  Shoes came off and she took off and did. not. look. back at all.  Noah was much more hesitant.  It was orange flags that day. After this we hunted down some dinner at Crico's Pizza (delish) and dessert at Bruster's - which was a mistake; turns out toddlers and preschoolers and wind and heat and sand and ice cream don't mix all that well.

Day 2 (Monday) at the beach then dinner then putt-putt.  This was Noah's actual birthday so he opened some presents from us and of course played a solid hour of his new game on his new game system that Josh projected on the wall for them.  Then we headed out to swim in the pool which ended up being WAY cold that early in the morning.  After lunch at Guthrie's (Josh had been craving that forever) we bolted back outside for some play in the surf and sun.  It was orange flags again so we had some good waves.  After that and naps and showers, we met Josh's brother and family at Lambert's for some good eats and then went putt-putting.  It was such a fun time together!  Anna was a hoot, Noah wasn't half bad, and I managed to get in a picture by the end of the night.  We went swimming in the pool again after that and trotted down to the beach again after dark.

Day 3 (Tuesday) at the beach I went off duty and did not snap a single picture.  But I did start the day off as a shutterbug when we headed over to a nice spot at Gulf State Park.  I was determined to get a family picture and we did just that - thank you, Amy!  We swung on the swings, wandered around a bit, and then headed back to the beach.  This day, in particular, Noah and Anna did a lot of whining and crying and complaining.  I guess all the wind and activity at the water's edge was overwhelming.  It was a red flag day so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.  Noah didn't calm down again until Josh and the guys came out of the water.  Noah claimed to "not wike dis pwace" but I think another day, another head count might have produced better results.  Rain moved in that afternoon, so after Anna took the world's longest nap and the guys got in some good iPad gaming and Amy got some schoolwork done, we shopped Tanger Outlets until Johnmark and the gang had to leave.  This was also the day my sister had her third baby in a long drawn out and painful process, so I was glued to my phone and iPad all day just about.  For dinner we ate at a local Mexican restaurant and called it a day.  After the kids were in bed and we were settled, the news broke about Osama bin Laden's death. But we were too wiped to stay up and here the president speak.

Day 4 (Wednesday) at the beach was less about the beach and more about taking things slow.  Noah woke up on the COMPLETE wrong side of the bed and had to be spanked, lectured, and put down to nap again all before mid morning.  Not a good start to the day.  While Noah rested, Anna and Josh went back to walk the beach and find more shells and when she got back, she and I washed and dried them which was a lot of fun for her.  After Noah got up, his mood had improved so we headed out to The Track to ride rides until the pool would be warm enough to swim in.  Between The Track and the the pool, we spent a number of hours in the sun and both kids napped hard after that.  After naps and video games, we went to eat at a beachfront restaurant a friend recommended called Bahama Bob's. So glad we made a point to eat there.  It was a nice time.  Then we got souvenirs (mermaid doll, 2 tshirts, and glass bowl for our shells), then we got ice cream again (Scoops), and THEN we hit the last place on our to-do list which was the Gulf State Pier.  Josh says it is the largest pier on the Gulf of Mexico, so that's kinda cool.  Before heading back to the hotel, we combed the beach again for some last minute seashells and treasures as the sun went down.  It was a nice calming walk and a lovely end to our time at the beach.

Day 5 (Thursday) was our departure date.  We had breakfast, loaded up, got 5 minutes down the road, and THEN realized I left all the swimsuits and half my clothes in the dresser drawers!  Back to the starting line we went. :) Other than that, it was a smooth trip and the longest drive (8 hrs) we have done together in a single day before.

It was such an enjoyable vacation - proof that the kids are growing up and able to do more with less fuss and routine keeping.  I am already scrambling to see how soon we can take another trip this summer.   The possibilities are endless when naps are optional, diapers are disappearing, and drive time is not full of screaming babies.Thank you, Lord, for family, for getaways, for safety, and a world full of really fun things to do!