Last week our little family ventured down to Gulf Shores for a few days of r&r (ha ha ... that's just a little parent-of-a-toddler sarcasm) at the beach. Josh and I were super excited to introduce Liam to the beach for the first time, and even though we knew our time wouldn't be quite as chill as vacations used to be, we anticipated lots of good family time. We began our journey last Tuesday night & drove to Josh's grandparents' house in northeast Mississippi, where we met up with his parents. All of Josh's dad's side of the family lives in Mississippi and we hadn't seen any of them since Josh's sister's wedding last summer. Liam LOVED Papaw & Mamaw (Josh's grandparents) and it was so sweet to watch him love on them, even though the last time he saw them he was only 3 weeks old.
 |
| 4 Generations of Lawson men, summer 2011 |
 |
| The 4 generation pic from last year - look how much Tiny has grown! |
After a day and a half "on the hill" with the Lawson clan, we drove the remaining 6 hours down to the beach. We were SO thankful for our sweet friends who loaned us their headrest dvd player. I can't imagine how much more difficult it would have been to keep Liam happy over the course of nearly 30 hours of driving without the help of VeggieTales and Bob the Builder. Anyway, we finally made it to our condo late Thursday afternoon, and later that night we were joined by Josh's sister and her husband. Here are just a few pics from the trip for your enjoyment:
 |
| Little man in his new swim trunks & swim shoes, ready to hit the beach for the 1st time |
 |
| He was fascinated with the waves |
 |
| Whether at home or at the beach, banging tools on surfaces is always a favorite activity |
 |
| Chillin' in the shade in his pool |
 |
| 1st Waterslide! |
Beach Highlights:
- Playing with Aunt Heather & Uncle Kyle - I wish Liam got to see these two more often, but he had a great time playing & flirting with them.
- Inflatable pool & pop-up sunshade - Our time on the sand was WAY more enjoyable than it would have been if we hadn't had these with us. Liam did fine walking on the sand, but he wasn't a huge fan of getting it on his hands, so it was nice having a less sandy spot he could play in.
- EARLY morning beignet run ... more on that, later.
- Watching our little man experience so many new things - he "talked" non-stop about the seagulls, para-sailing boats, kids around us, etc. It was fun to see how entertained he was by his surrounding.
Beach Bummers:
- On the first day at the condo Liam fell over the lip of the sliding glass door and got a HUGE bruise on his precious little thigh. Made my mama-heart sad every time I saw it.
- EARLY mornings: While in Alabama Liam started our days by 4:45 pretty much every morning. This was most unpleasant, but one morning as Josh and I attempted to keep him quiet & entertained so he wouldn't wake everyone else, we left and found a little hole-in-the-wall beignet shop where we ate breakfast. When life hands you pre-dawn mornings, eat beignets. It's a sweet little family memory.
Aside from the nasty bruise & sleep deprivation, the trip was fantastic ... made even better by the fact that this was just the first several fun trips that we have planned over the next few months.
 |
| quick family pic before dinner the last night |
2 comments:
Looks like such a wonderful time! Though, vacations really never are the same with children. It is a harsh reality. But, like you said, eating beignets probably made it a little better!
yay! such a fun time. and he is so adorable! glad the inflatable pool worked for you, it can be such a lifesaver when at the beach!!
Post a Comment