This was our second vacation to Watercolor, Florida and our first time to make the drive. It's about 10 hours away, and since this year we would've had to buy the boys plane tickets too, it just made economic sense to drive versus 4 tickets plus a rental car.
We were actually excited about the boys' first road trip!! We bought carseat trays and giraffe neckrolls that the boys didn't actually use, but I had a bag full of new toys/small goodies to keep them entertained between books, snacks, naps, DVDs, and iPads.
Here are the cute but not-used neckrolls:
We drove to Tyler Thursday, to shave off a couple of hours for the next day and make the trip with my parents, who went with us. Yay for grandparents on vacation! It's how I grew up and we are excited to start our own tradition of having our parents with us on vacation - it's such a great way to spend QT with grandparents. Here are Ben & Jack ready for their first big road trip:
And on the road:
We stopped about an hour away for dinner at Cracker Barrell in FL. Ben & Jack were READY to stop and had fun in the store and in the rocking chairs outside.
The cute little cottage we stayed in has been featured in Better Homes & Gardens and a coffee table cottages book. It was SO cute! I fell in love with it online and was so excited to see it in person. It was a precious little house and decorated so cute! We were really comfortable there and I especially loved the porch bed-swings - what great naps!
Ben & Jack were really glad to get there, too!
Day One - we had breakfast at the Great Southern in Seaside before heading to the beach. It was yummy and so nice to dine outdoors in the beachy breeze. Next we went to the beach! It has been a whole year since we have felt sand between our toes and it was so nice to be there. The boys took a couple of days to really warm up to the sand and being in the water independently, but by the end of the trip they were asking to go to the "beech!"After naps, we headed back to Seaside for a jazz concert on the lawn before dinner at the Great Southern. Mmmm nothing like seafood when you're steps from the coast! The boys put on a show with laughter and smiles - Jack learned how to throw his chin into his chest when he was laughing; you know, for emphasis :) Afterwards we went to the resort bonfire and s'mores roast on the beach at sunset - so pretty!
That was just day one!!
Here is a compilation of pictures of the boys on the porch talking with their grandparents - they would not let anyone else sit in those rocking chairs. Even if Ben was sitting in one and I tried to sit beside him, he would say "Get-up, Mama. That's Jack's chair." So no one else got to use those...!
Day two Mom & I lounged on the beach while Dad & J went golfing. That afternoon mom had to take dad to the ER for a foot injury! So while they were at the hospital (his foot is better now, thankfully) we took the boys to Borago and walked around Seaside.
Day three we all spent at the beach & pool and actually used the baby pool this year (we didn't discover it last year until the last day). Jack met a 1.75 year old in the baby pool and took him under his wing, by gathering up all the toys in the pool and taking them to him, saying "Hee you go, baby." It was pretty funny, considering the "baby" was only a few months younger than the boys. After dinner, there was supposed to be a play in Seaside but it was canceled so the boys ran around the amphitheatre lawn instead.
We didn't bring high chairs this year so my big boys sat at the table in chairs. It was cute but crazy! They really liked the freedom :)
Day four mom and I took the boys to the playground/splash pad area in the morning while the guys golfed again, then we went shopping in Rosemary Beach before dinner that night at Cafe Thirty-A. We also took beach pictures.
After pictures, my little explorers discovered "Chicago" (seriously, someone stopped by and pointed out that this was a representation of Chicago) and proceeded to destroy something beautiful (!). They had a good time walking around the moat and knocking down the buildings. :) Tide would've washed it away anyway, right? I didn't feel too bad.
Day five mom and I enjoyed a spa morning and then we went shopping at the outlet mall, where Ben & Jack got hats like mommy's. They wouldn't take them off, so we bought them - luckily they were half-off :) The boys participated in an arts/crafts activity that afternoon and made us beautiful stepping stones that we got to bring home! Then J & I had a date night to Cafe Tango, which was muy romantico! Molto romantico? Tres romantique? IDK. It was really nice though and nice to get away with my sweet and handsome hubby!
Our last day we had a relaxing morning at the cottage, went bike-riding, then spent the afternoon at the beach and pool, which Ben & Jack call the "blue agua." This was probably our most fun time in the water yet! The boys had a blast running into the waves, making and tearing down sand castles, dunking daddy in the pool, and playing with their grandparents in the water. We also attempted a boat ride but the captain was too late for us to wait, so the boys "YOLO'd" for a couple of minutes in the boat house. Too cute! For dinner we went to Christiano's, which was fantastic! Even got to meet the chef! Lobster ravioli, mmmm.
Our last morning we had brunch at the resort restaurant, overlooking the ocean and it was so beautiful. We didn't want to leave, but, it was time to come home!
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