a week at the beach

Last week we took a risk and headed to Destin, Florida during Hurricane season and in the midst of the oil spill. To our luck, we had blue skies every day and didn't see a single tar ball. So if you are considering heading down for one last beach trip...go for it!

These two boys kept us busy but we did find some time to relax, read books and go to a matinee (can't remember the last time I was able to do that).

David's parents joined us for the week and I think the boys were more happy to be on vacation with Nana and Pops than with Momma and Dadda.

We sure were glad they were there too!!

Family Vacation

This past week we headed to Destin, Florida for our family vacation. David's parents joined us and we were so thankful for their company and help throughout the trip. We also enjoyed many games of cards, reading books,eating bearclaws,chocolate eclairs, and Kay's coffee ice cream pie! Below are David's parents and the kids in front of the house where we stayed for the week.

We were very pleased with the weather during our stay. It called for thunder showers every day but thankfully we had pretty days after brief morning showers. We also were able to enjoy some beautiful sunsets!

Below is Pops trying to warm Asher up to the ocean. They dug a hole in the sand and were waiting for a wave to come and fill it up. They had to wait awhile since Asher would not budge any closer to the water.

This was Asher's second trip to the beach but his first time in the ocean! We were so excited for him. He wouldn't go in by himself but did allow us to take him out to the higher waves.

Asher had not been sleeping well prior to our vacation (and not so great during) but seemed to enjoy his own king size bed, especially on this occasion. He took over a four hour nap and we could NOT get him to wake up despite multiple attempts to be "loud" in his room. I guess the ocean wore him out!


We had precious family time throughout the week. Asher and Jonas really enjoyed each other and practiced "sharing" their beach toys. This was one of only a few times that the two were actually sitting still next to each other. Notice they both are wearing hats that are really too small for their heads.

This was our first vacation for all four of us and Jonas' first trip to the beach. He loved every part of the trip (except for his nap times). This little boy loved the water and if he had his way, he would have preferred to go in by himself. He would giggle with delight when a wave would crash on us. And of course he also enjoyed splashing in the pool.

Jonas conquered the beach. He would play in the sand and then would crawl great lengths all over the beach (thankfully not into the ocean). We kept a pacifier in his mouth to keep him from eating the sand. We actually only lost his pacifier once in the ocean but it managed to wash up on the shore and another family found it for us.

Jonas enjoyed getting his picture taken with all of us on the beach at sunset. However, Asher did not. He wanted to play in the sand instead. So, this is why we have a precious picture of Kay and Jonas but not one with Asher. Oh well!


We went to dinner two nights at the Villages of Bay Wharf in Sandestin. It had a really fun playground for Asher to enjoy and one night we were able to watch a beautiful sunset over the docks. This was our last night and a great ending to a much needed vacation!

Reunion in Florida

Last week I traveled to Florida with Jonas to see two of my dear friends from Harding. (Thanks David for letting me go and a special thanks to Nana and Angie for taking care of Asher during the day while I was away.) Julie was my maid of honor and Melanie was my matron of honor. I think the last time we all were together was four years ago at Julie's wedding. So, when I caught word that Julie was going to be in Orlando for a conference (she now lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband Paul where they are starting house churches.), I cleared my schedule and booked a flight. This was my first time to fly with one of the kids. I was very nervous but Jonas did GREAT!

Since Julie and Paul were at a conference during the day and Melanie and I had the responsibilities of moms to nap our children, we mainly hung out at the house. It was fun just to layout in Mel's backyard. Jonas took some incredible naps while we were there but when he was awake, he cooperated by playing on a blanket in the shade (thanks Daisy, Mel's little girl, for letting Jonas play under her Dora tent).

This is Melanie's sweet boy, Isaac. He loved being near Jonas and would sometimes want to crawl into my lap. It felt like I was holding Asher at times, which helped me from missing him so much.

We hung out one afternoon at the YMCA. The backyard wasn't going to do it for me anymore...it was in the high 80s and I needed WATER and somewhere snake free (yes, I saw a fast, long black snack in Mel's backyard)!! Above, Jules and I are checking out the Y's water slide.

The Red Rocket...

Jonas hanging out in the carseat, while his mom is sliding down the Red Racer?, Red Rocket? (Don't worry Melanie was watching him.)

Melanie was kind to get us a babysitter one night so that we all could go out for dinner and have uninterrupted conversations. We headed out in the minivan that Julie and Paul had rented for the week. (Our waiter gave us a hard time when he found out we were traveling in a minivan...he's right, we should have rented a Hummer limo...what were we thinking!)

Night on the town without the kiddos! Good times! Good times!

We had an incredible dinner at Taverna Opa. It's a Greek restaurant, which included hummus made fresh at your table (I could not get enough), flaming cheese appetizer, napkins being thrown in the air, occassional "opa"s being shouted out, and belly dancers (???, I don't recall seeing any of these in My Big Fat Greek Wedding so not sure where they fit in the whole Greek mix).

After dinner, we all held out for dessert. Dan and Mel said they knew of an incredible bread pudding. So we ordered one "to go" and Daniel put it together for us. Above is the final product. It was good but not as good as the Nutella gelato I found for my dessert choice. (Sorry, Dan and Mel...but Jules agrees with me. :))

As Melanie drove Jonas and me to the airport for our departure, I had the sad sick feeling in my stomach like I did the day I left Harding. It stinks when your best friends (besides you Dave) are spread out all across the US and now even in Canada! We used to look forward to the next wedding where we would all meet up but those days seem to have come to an end. I am going to hope for the best that we can meet up again (including those who were not able to be with us...Schepp, Amber, Christy, Lorina) and hopefully in less than 4 YEARS! Vancouver Winter Olympics here we come!

Florida Family Vacation

With the dreary summer days we are having this week, I thought that I would post about our family vacation to Destin, Florida earlier this summer. We went in May with David's family before it was too hot and too crowded. Our family joined Grandpops and Nana, Uncle Greg, Aunt Angie, Elijah and Meadow, and Uncle Steve, Aunt Julie, Luke and Katie. Thanks, Nana and Grandpops for a fun week!

Nana, Grandpops, and grandkids (Asher, Katie, Elijah, Luke and Meadow)

Family picture on the beach

This is the beach we would hang out on during the day but the homes in the background are not where we stayed.

Elijah and Luke loved wearing Nana's hat and pretending they were "Nana" while they did. Asher watching.
Keeping ourselves shaded while playing on the beach.
Asher LOVED playing in the water (although not the waves) and the sand. Daddy and Asher in the neighborhood pool.
Asher enjoying his shovel and bucket.

Cousin Luke checking out the crabs at a "local" pier restaurant we ate.

Family picture on the pier after we had dinner.