First Family Vacation: Day Two

Monday morning dawned bright and clear in Destin. Eli and I were up at the crack of dawn...literally! I don't think he woke up later than 6:30 all week long, but it was okay. Those mornings were a special time for us to cuddle while we watched the sunrise on the balcony. Zue-Zue wasn't too far behind us each morning and the three of us would play, drink coffee (the grown-ups, not Eli), and get ready for the day while we waited for Josh to wake up. He normally doesn't sleep in, so I'm glad he was able to get some extra zzz's on vacation.

Beautiful sunrise

Eli wondering why I'm outside and he's inside

"Come on, Mommy! Are you gonna leave me inside all day?"

View from the front door
(I know what you're thinking...That IS the best looking parking lot...EVER!) =)

Once we had all gotten up and eaten breakfast, we slathered on sunscreen, donned our bathing suits, and loaded up all the gear to take to the beach. Luckily for us our resort had a tram service that would pick you up and take you to the beach. It would have been hard to get down there with all our gear without this great service!

We got to the beach and set up our little area. Eli immediately found the sand quite intriguing and proceeded to eat it. Don't worry, he only managed to get a few grains on sand in his mouth before Mommy intervened and wiped his hands off. We didn't know how Eli would react to the sights and sounds of the ocean, so we took it really slowly with him. He and Josh sat by the shore for a little bit to let him get used to the water. He was unsure at first, but when he started to walk towards the ocean, we knew he enjoyed it! Josh and I took turns walking him along the shore, jumping waves with him and letting him swim in the ocean. Eli had a blast! It was so hard to pick which pictures to post because, when I print this blog out one day, I want to remember it all, so I tried to select the ones I felt were a true depiction of all the fun we had.

Overall, I think Eli's beach experience was great. As a first time mom, this is one of the things I love seeing-my child getting to have new experiences. I know Eli is way too young and he will never remember this vacation, but I will. I will remember watching his Daddy hold his hands as they walked along the shore. I will remember the look of pure joy on his face as he jumped waves with his Daddy. I will remember all of his squeals of delight every time a wave would splash in his face. I will remember when he first tasted sand. I will remember the way he looked in his swimsuit and how his trunks looked like capri pants. I will remember the happiness and the gratefulness I felt being able to have this special time with my family. He may not remember, but I will. =)

Gorgeous Destin beach

View from our section of beach

"Who turned on the light? It's really bright out here!"

Noticing the sand for the first time

"That's kinda cold!"

Getting braver...

After Eli's fun in the ocean, he spent the rest of his beach time in his little pool under the umbrella with his Zue-Zue. Several people told us to purchase an infant pool for him to use while we were at the beach and that's exactly what we did. Eli loved it. He had shade, a cool breeze coming off the ocean, and lots of fun toys to play with in his pool. Zue-Zue took lots of pictures while Mommy and Daddy swam in the ocean. It wasn't too long before Eli got tired, so he and Zue-Zue left to go back to the condo for a bath, bottle, and a much needed nap.

Zue-Zue fetching water for Eli's pool

Josh and I stayed on the beach for a little bit and then spent the rest of the morning/early afternoon at the pool. We went back to the condo after lunch to check on Eli and Sue. They were having a blast. We knew we wanted to go to dinner early that night, so we had a couple hours left of pool time before we needed to get ready. Josh offered to stay in the condo with Eli so Sue and I could go read and tan by the pool. Have I mentioned how much I love vacation? Reading by a pool is so relaxing!



After a day full of fun in the sun, we were all pretty hungry. We tried to go to Fudpucker's but their wait time for a table was 45 minutes. 45 minutes with a baby?? I don't think so! We ended up at Joe's Crab Shack and it turned out to be a great choice for Eli. About every 15-20 minutes, the lights would dim and the music would rise and several of the waiters would get into the aisles and dance. Eli LOVED it! He was in his Praise Baby trance every time they would start dancing. I filmed all three dances, but only put the last one on here. Our waiter that night happened to be the best dancer there. He would add his own little moves to each song; it was a lot of fun to watch. Before we left, we took a picture of Eli and our waiter. Notice his t-shirt? Zue-Zue bought him his first little souvenier from our trip. Eli really enjoyed watching our waiter dance; he didn't really enjoy being held by him, as you can see from the look on his face.

Mesmerized by the dancing waiters

"Who are you and why are you holding me?"

It was a great day and a great night. We made it back to the condo and we all crashed. The beach really tires you out! The next day was going to be just as fun!