Aaahhh, vacation...

On Friday, August 28th we set out on an adventure - a vacation. Twelve hours away by car. But we are getting smarter with experience. We did not try to drive straight through this year. We would've quickly changed our minds anyway! We arrived Saturday evening at Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa Island, Florida. Basically Destin for those familiar with the area. After a quick dinner mom and I headed to the grocery store and the older boys went home to put the little boys to bed. So, Sunday started out refreshed, with stocked cupboards, and a trip to the beach. Here's what I learned on our trip (in no particular order!):

1. Packing for an 18 month old is much simpler than packing for a 7 month old (skip the formula, baby food, bottles, bottle brush, bathtub and go straight for sippy cup and snacks). Not that that means there's not a lot of stuff still.

2. If Luke (my excellent car sleeper) should be exhausted but has napped for only 1 1/2 hours AND it's past his bedtime, he is exhausted. He's also freezing cold. Give the child his blanket and watch him snuggle to sleep (okay, so I didn't figure it out until the next morning - bad mommy!). Duh! I was freezing with the A/C on, why wouldn't he be? Snug as a bug in a rug he slept like a log - and covered himself back up when he got cold!

3. Local attractions are overpriced but amusing for the children. Example: $50 for a family of 4 was way too much to pay to see a dolphin eat a fish out of the trainer's mouth. But the kids thought it was good fun. [Okay, there was more to see than just that, but with my love of fish - ewww - it kinda stuck with me!]Engrossed in the "multi-species show." One sea lion, two dolphins, a little kissing amongst the 3 animals and whammo - multi-species show.

(touch tank, aka ewww - one touched, one did not. See #5)

Ewwww, ewwww, ewwww, ewwwww.

4. The peace and quiet of the condo wasn't because it was a greatly constructed sound proof structure. The place was apparently empty, as in no neighbors most of the week! But on the Friday before Labor Day people started pouring in and I realized how fortunate we had been all week to have such a quiet, and deserted, vacation retreat!

5. My children are polar opposites. We first took Seth to the beach at 13 months. He hated the sand touching his feet. Luke, at 19 months, couldn't get enough of it. (Thankfully Seth has progressed, but only with the sand).

6. (See beginning of number 5.) Luke had to be watched constantly so he didn't wander into the water. He didn't even mind (too much) a large wave that smacked him in the face. Seth went into the ocean twice. Because I staged a sneak attack, grabbed him, and assured him the whole way to the water (while he was screaming to be put down) that 'Mommy loves you and wouldn't do anything to hurt you.'

7. (See beginning of number 5.) My children's skin reacts completely differently to Florida sun and SPF 50 sunscreen. Luke looks like he's been to the beach. Seth looks like he's just stumbling out of his igloo after a long winter's hibernation. Although, in Seth's defense, he does have a nice tan line. But, unless you are looking at that tan line, you don't notice the tan.

8. Luke decided this was the week to start the "I will not eat calmly in a restaurant phase." NOT a good time. I think my mom took the brunt of it. I think she was generally on the side that the food went flying toward when he decided to just send it flying. Usually, he just looked like I had ordered the completely wrong thing off the menu. Then about Wednesday we figured out that he thought he needed to dip his food into something. We went for Mexican and he looked like he'd been swimming in sour cream by the end. But he was full and so was I. Yeah!! The next morning we went to breakfast and he ate pancakes and butter. But mostly just butter.

9. My need for a semi-clean (is there such a thing?) gas station bathroom is second to the need to have some safe, preferably grassy area where the boys can stretch their legs and eat goldfish crackers and grapes. I'm still trying to block out the incident on the way home where I walked into the clearly labeled 'Women's' restroom to find it being used by a man, who I believe had converted the sink into a urinal. Let's just say that I calmly closed the door, walked briskly but unsuspiciously through the gas station convenience store, got into my van and said to my waiting hubby, 'please take me somewhere else NOW.'

10. A king sized bed is not enough room for 3 of us (this was only at the hotel on the way to Florida and on the way home from Florida. The boys each had their own rooms at the condo and slept great!). Especially when one of us is boney Seth jabbing elbows and knees into my back. OR sleeping on top of the covers (like Daddy) and pulling all the covers off of me. OR snuggling down into the middle of the bed so I have to move my pillow down to the middle of the bed so I don't cover his head once he decides blankets are acceptable. Luke's little pack and play all to himself was making me jealous!

11. DVD players in the car are great. Headphones for the DVD players are even better. I know all I need to know about the pirates who don't do anything! And my little guys look kinda cute in headphones. But really, Seth - looking like you're "over" the pictures an hour into the trip? We took 583 after this one. Get used to it Lovey!

12. On days when the purple beach flag flies (purple flag means "pesky marine life present"), the pool is a splended option! Throw in a splash area for the little guys and all is well!

13. Seth talks with his hands. On the phone. It's genetic.

14. Seth, alone with Daddy, does things that Mommy might not always approve of. Okay, it was actually the Air Force Armament Museum and I am sure Seth loved every minute of it. This picture was a just a little frightening to me!

15. Staying very near an Air Force base provides some awesome fly overs. It was really neat to see so many people stop what they were doing to watch, I hoped respectfully, as the planes and helicopters flew overheard. Sorry, I missed the planes but the expressions of these two were too much!

16. Dates are wonderful, but throw in a little local ambience and they are even better! Well, unless the local ambience is the little white, blend in with the sand crabs that ruined my moonlit walk on the beach! Those things are just creepy.

17. A little afternoon storm doesn't ruin the day. It's actually nice to watch from the porch.

18. My kids cannot get enough of Grammy and Grampy! Every morning began nearly the same, "Are G & G up? Where are G & G?" And while constantly hearing "I don't want YOU to do it" gets a little old, there were times when not cleaning up another mess or doling out another goldfish cracker was a welcome break for me! (sorry Mom)

19. Once Luke bloodies his nose in a full on flailing on the floor tantrum 15 minutes after arrival at the condo, expect many many more nosebleeds throughout the week. Of course, most likely as soon as you dress them both in their little matchy-matchy outfits that you bought specifically to take precious vacation photos. So that Luke, currently wearing 18 or 24 month apparel, then ends up in his brother's (not really matching) size 3T shirt. But kudos to Angel at the Greenwood Penney's Portrait Studio and the awesome job she did with the boys' photos in the matchy-matchy clothes (after the yellow shirt was peroxided and laundered) once we got home.

20. And finally, leaving stinks!

I asked Seth on Friday what he wanted to do for his last day in Florida. He said, "nuffin!" I knew then that Saturday morning would not be fun. And I was right. After about 4 hours of driving on Saturday Seth announced he did not want to go home, but rather "back to the condo!" I feel your pain babe. I feel your pain.