Va-ca-tion!

Last week we went to Destin, FL for a week of fun and sun.  I was a little apprehensive because last year we went to the beach when Noah was around 4 months old.  It was fun being with my family, but it was not the easiest of trips with feeding  and pumping and sleeping (or lack there of), and I am pretty sure that Noah was miserable.  This year was very different...He Loved It!  He had one day where he was cranky and generally unhappy most of the day due to teething, diarrhea, and an awful diaper rash, but other than that he was pretty happy.  Every morning we got up, ate breakfast, spent what seemed like 5 hours putting on sun screen, and then headed to the beach.  Noah wasn't a huge fan of the brightness and kept rubbing his eyes.  It took us a few tries to realize that it was better to put him in the sun in the wet sand than under the umbrella in the dry sand.  It didn't get in his eyes nearly as easily.  We played for a while on the beach, then went to the pool for a bit, and then headed in for some lunch.  After lunch, Noah took a nap while Brian and I had our own little vacation.  He would sleep about three hours so we just hung out on the beach and would periodically check on him.  After his nap, we went back out to the beach for a little bit before dinner.  This was by far his favorite time of the day.  It wasn't nearly as bright, and with less people and umbrellas, he had a lot more room to run around.  Then dinner, a walk on the beach and bed.  Overall, it was a great vacation!  The lighting isn't the greatest on some of the pictures, but you get the idea.

First day.  Ready to go!

Running away from the waves

Sand in the eyes

Noah's least favorite time of day... the clean-up

He loved the little pools/puddles near the water.  
And rolling in the sand

We went to The Back Porch one night.  The girl at the outdoor bar offered to take our picture and this is what we got... Thanks for nothing! :)  At least it proves that I was there too.

Again running from the waves.

No oil in sight.
One day we left him a little too long during nap time.  He was quite upset when we got him.  He got to keep his paci and eat his snack in front of the TV while watching a Sesame Street video that Brian found at the condo movie rental place.  We felt really bad.  He loved Sesame Street.
I think this picture is hilarious.  He just looks so proud.

This one makes me laugh every time.  It looks like we stumbled upon some lifeless doll lying on the beach.
Brian's shot of the storm rolling in.  He is a much more artistic photographer than me.
Happy boy... until he got all that sand washed off. :)
His facial expression cracks me up.  
He somehow always managed to find a stick to play with.
His favorite time of day was the early evening when it wasn't quite so bright and all the umbrellas and chairs were gone.  He would run all over the beach.  His favorite game is chase, especially when Brian is the one chasing.
Sweet boy!

Picture with the alligators at Fudpuckers.  I tried to take a picture of him petting a real alligator, but they wouldn't let me since they sell pictures.  But he, as usual,  was fearless and pet the alligator with no problem.  

From our patio after a morning on the beach.

We met some ladies from Atlanta who were kind enough to take pictures for us.  I think they did a little bit better job than the girl from The Back Porch.

It was a great time and we miss it already!  If only all of life were a vacation! :)