We packed up all the things...though probably just half of what I packed for Carter's first trip...that lasted four days. :)
We stopped by Grandma's house on the way. She fed us well and read thousands of books. This is the children's FAVORITE thing about Great-Grandma for sure.
It was the perfect time to be at the beach. The weather was warm without being stifling. The beach had been abandoned for school by summer vacationers and the group that flocks to the coast for the winter had not yet arrived. It was really convenient and nice.
My kids can feel like an uphill battle indoors. I feel like I'm in constant "correction mode" for voices too loud, arms too rough, feet too fast, etc, etc, etc. They have to learn these things. But outside? They barely need me. Given open space, these three hardly need a toy. Which was good, because one non-walker + umbrella + towels + waterbottles + sunscreen + lunch was pretty much my packload capacity.
Since my children don't know anything at all about central time, we were up early enough every day to be on the beach pretty early (I mean, in the sand at 8 am you guys)
Ella promptly crawled straight into the ocean and only got angry when I prevented her from drowning. Carter loved splashing in the waves as they hit (Gulf "waves" = perfect speed for a cautious five year old) and letting them wash him up on shore. He jumped over them, fell into them, and attempted to swim in twenty-four inch depths...because that is precisely how far I let him go without me. Again, the Gulf means he would have had to walk approximately 18 miles out to get deeper than this :) Samuel was happy in a few inches of water...splashing and running.
We ate lunch in phases from about ten till 12:30 when everyone started tiring.
Normally, Ella would take a little nap each morning while I rocked her in the sand and the boys played. It helped her stay awake on the short drive home where all three would pass out for a couple of hours.
Thankfully, we had the perfect weather. It was sunny or partly sunny all but the last day we were there. To be outside all morning every day was just the break we all needed. All four of us seem to bloom in the sun and the wide open space. It was such a fun week.
Someone asked if I had a relaxing week.
Well.
No. Not at all. But fun?
Yes. So fun.
It was a lot of work, all the swimsuits and sand and stuff. But it was the good kind of work. The fun kind. The same brand of work of camping or road trips or parties with friends. Sure, it is work. But it is fun work. Kind of the way I feel about this parenting gig in general. Mostly.
Every evening the kiddos would wake around the time our family came home from work and school. The boys made an enormous amount of noise that was accepted with much gracious patience. Uncle Scott read and listened to stacks of books and Aunt Beth cooked full, delicious meals every single night. That was a vacation in and of itself!
(Uncle Scott and I reading when I was three)
It did rain on our last day, so at my aunt and uncle's recommendation, we went on base to the National Aviation Museum. It was all free and such a fun time. There were so many things to see, and so many cockpits to climb in!
The boys had such a great time climbing around!
We drove into downtown Pensacola for lunch. I researched a cute little cafe for lunch. It wasn't really very cute, but it was super delicious and we were four of five lunch patrons, so it was super easy. Good enough for me!
When it was finally time to head home, the kids traveled well and patiently. I hit the jackpot with road trip children. They are so great in the car. I've found little tricks along the way that help things along...but really, they are just so great in the car.
The trip wasn't perfect. My van broke down just before we left. There was this one moment the kids were all crying in the sand at the same time and I wasn't sure how we were going to recoup and get to the car with dignity. There was the point mid-morning EVERY SINGLE DAY when Samuel had to take an extended trip to the bathroom and we all have to go because: one grown up. There was the point on the return trip when I finally plugged in the long-awaited and promised DVD player for the last two hour leg of the trip...and it didn't work. The trip was a lot of shuffling and hauling and packing and moving.
But good things take work. Good times take planning. It takes effort to love other people and do fun things. And honestly, there is nothing I would trade for our week. They are kids who know how to wait in line for sunscreen and who love to help Mama...because they have to. All three know what it is to be patient and chip in to be able to share in a good time, and I am grateful for that.
I'm so grateful for family who open up their lives and homes to us. Thankful for the memories I made with my three adventures and for the adventure it is to be their mama.
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