To Florida

We were on the road by 7 am Tuesday morning. This was the short drive of our trip: a mere 6 hours from Huntsville, Alabama to Destin, Florida.

Our boys are great travelers.

River slept the majority of the time, snuggled up in his car seat, which he seems to actually enjoy being in now.

Taking a cue from my own childhood road trips, we prepared several small "presents" for Liam to open periodically along the way. Things like a dinosaur figurine, a coloring book, stickers, lacing cards... all wrapped up and waiting for him to open them up. It's really amazing how much easier these small surprises made the trip for our energetic two-year old.

Welcome to Florida!

Back when we first learned that River was going to be born at the end of April, we decided to postpone our usual Memorial Day weekend trip to the farm in Iowa until August. Gabriel and I both thought that we wouldn't be up to a road trip with a newborn.

But then after River was born, and we realized that adjusting to life with two kids wasn't so bad, or at least that life at home is just as difficult as it would be on vacation, we thought we'd make a trip to Alabama for a visit. Not long after making those travel plans, Ben invited our family to join his for what is actually his work conference with very hospitable accomodations, including an extra room in their condo.

And that is how we came to find ourselves staying at this fancy schmancy resort on Destin Beach:

Gabriel and I planned to spend the next morning on the beach with our two boys while Ben attended meetings and Carolyn stayed in the condo with Grace.

After slathering ourselves with sunscreen, wrestling Liam into his swimwear, and gathering all of the beach necessities, we went to catch the shuttle to the beach, which started service at 9 am.

When the lady at the front desk politely informed me that the shuttle wouldn't begin service until 9 am, it took me a minute to register what she was saying. What time is it? It's only 8 am. What?

Apparently, the clock in our room was set to the wrong time zone...

So, Liam got to run around and splash in the puddles on the tennis courts while we waited for the real 9 am to come around.

Finally on the shuttle, which took us across the busy highway to Henderson State Park. Liam thought the shuttle ride was very cool indeed.

The last time Liam saw the beach was back in September. This was long ago enough that he looked clueless when we told him we were going to the beach.

When we first came down the steps, Liam saw the white sand and shouted, "SNOW!" But as soon as he stepped into it, he declared "Shoes off."

This is an extra large sand box.

As exciting as all of that sand was for him, Liam wasn't so sure about the water and those scary waves.

There's nothing like sitting in the sun with my toes in the sand.

River napped well out of the sun in the warmth of the gulf breeze.

What a rough life. Yawn.

Gabriel preferred to lay back at the water's edge, and ended up with a lot of sand in his pants...

And what would a giant sandbox be without sand toys?