To the beach we go!

Some people might think we are crazy, but parents with young children need to go on vacation too. We weren't quite ready to leave for a trip without Brinley and Landon, so we took them with us. Jennifer has wanted to go to the beach for a few years now, but we have always thought of a reason not to go. So, this year we decided we weren't going to make any more excuses and just head out on the road with our kids. We initially thought about Myrtle Beach because it was a shorter drive, but the week we were planning was biker week and we didn't think that would go over well. Instead we decided to head out to Gulf Shores, AL.

We decided that with a looming 12 hour drive in front of us that the best option for us would be to drive during the night. We were planning on Brinley sleeping for the majority of the trip and were just hoping to make good time on the road in between Landon waking up to eat. As it turns out, every time Landon woke up so did Brinley. A couple of times it was actually Brinley that was waking up and crying in the back seat. Every time we stopped to do anything we got both kids out so they could have a break from the car seat. A couple of the gas station attendants probably thought we were awful parents for having our kids out at such late/early morning hours. With all the stopping and walking around we still made pretty good time. The only problem was that we forgot about the time change and that it was 8 am when we arrived. We weren't able to check in to our hotel until 3 pm. We started off our trip with breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Next we made a stop at the outlet mall to look in a couple stores. I decided to test my luck and called the hotel to see if there was any way we could check in early. It was only 11 am, but I really wanted get settled into our makeshift home for the week. Thankfully they said we could head on over.

We unpacked all the things that we thought were necessary for the trip and then decided to head out to the beach. We walked around a little and Brinley instantly discovered how much she enjoyed sand. She was picking it up and just watching it fall through her fingers to the ground. We collected a few shells and even tested out the water, which was a little on the chilly side. Since we were still in our regular clothes we decided we needed to find a grocery to pick up some food for the week. While exploring around the area we decided to eat a late lunch at one of my favorite restaurant spots because of the atmosphere, Lambert's. (The rolls that they throw across the restaurant helps.) Brinley even got a chance to catch her own roll that they tossed to her. After lunch we got some groceries and then headed straight back to the beach. Brinley again loved playing in the sand. We were exhausted from the drive down so we grabbed a quick dinner at McDonald's (Brinley got her first happy meal) and laid down for bed. Only problem was that Brinley didn't think it was time to sleep. She woke up about every 2-3 hours. Finally at 5 am I took her down to the lobby to try and run off some energy and to let Jennifer and Landon try and sleep.

If you haven't been to this place then you are definitely missing out! 

Brinley's first happy meal. (Hasn't had another one since.)

Brinley enjoyed the balcony that we had at the hotel.

Brinley loves being a "bucket head". She puts all kinds of things on her head, except for hairbows.

Brinley loved picking up the sand and having it run out of her fingers.

Brinley was my sandcastle buddy.

Brinley's first time in the Gulf of Mexico.

Brinley and Jennifer playing in the sand.

Heading out for a day at the beach.

We decided to try and do a few other things besides hanging out on the beach all day long. We looked into all the attractions in the area and a few things seemed do able with 2 young kids. One was the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo. Brinley loves animals so this was an easy choice. The zoo was small, but had quite a few animals. We enjoyed having Brinley tell us what noises all the animals made. Another place we thought would be fun was mini golf. This proved to be quite the adventure since the course was not stroller friendly and we had to carry it up and down many sets of stairs. Also one day we decided to take a stroll down the pier. We got to see many fish below the pier and a few up close that some of the fishermen had caught.

My girls ready to visit the zoo.

Brinley really wanted to pet this little baby deer.

Landon loves his mommy!

I have never been more upset in my life in such a quick moment. I had been watching Brinley closely to make sure that she wasn't close enough to the ducks. (I am right out of view behind Brinley in this picture.) The duck lunged through the fence and bit her shirt.

We drove to Florida one afternoon and had a picnic on a boardwalk overlooking the gulf.

Brinley didn't really care about eating lunch she just wanted to run around and explore.

Dinner one night was at the Original Oyster House. Brinley really enjoyed this large alligator.

Brinley also decided to try out a little deep sea diving.

Beautiful sunrise from our hotel balcony.

We took a little trip to walk around and look off the pier. We spotted a pack of dolphins. We got a picture, but we are not too sure that Brinley was able to see them even though she said that she did.

Brinley and I taking a peek over the side. I had to hold on tight because Brinley would have loved to jump into the water.

Brinley posed with this big fish that this boy caught on the pier.

Family picture on the pier.

Sea turtle statue at the end of the pier. This picture was taken right before Brinley decided to get down by herself and took a nose dive into the sand.

We spent a lot of time on the beach and because it was October we practically had the beach to ourselves.

Brinley practicing her numbers and the year.

Brinley loves her mommy.

We decided to take the kids to play mini golf. We thought that maybe they would take a nap so we brought the stroller on the course. Brinley loved it, but if you look closely you will see all the chocolate around her face where she was kept happy with M&MS.

Landon however did not enjoy golfing and did not get any candy.

Brinley being taught how to putt by mommy.

Most of our time though was spent on the beach. We should have known from the drive down with Brinley not sleeping well that it was going to be a interesting vacation. Brinley's teeth chose the worst possible week to come in. She was up a couple of times every night because her mouth was hurting. She was also very miserable at times on the beach. She was very crabby and we finally got things under control with alternating tylenol and ibuprofen. Some times on the beach there was nothing that we could find that would console her. One day I knew that she needed a nap and after attempting everything that had worked other times I found something new. We watched videos on my phone that I had recorded of her. This was one of the calmest times I have ever seen her. It was funny too, because she didn't want to watch any unless that were of her. Any that were of Landon she would swipe the screen to find another video. 

Our little shaded area for Landon. 

Brinley and I building a sandcastle.

Even though the water was cold Brinley really enjoyed being in the Gulf of Mexico.

We had spotted a few jellyfish close to shore so I started digging out a little splash pool for Brinley. This proved to be a continuous battle because the waves would quickly come and wash away all my work.

Brinley and my finished sandcastle. This actually held strong for three days after we built it.

Little Landon enjoyed the shaded area. We did have a lot of trouble with the umbrella because the wind kept turning it inside out.

Brinley is definitely a little beach baby. She loved playing in the sand.

Jennifer and Landon just hanging out on the beach.

I would even say that the water was cold, so I know that Brinley had to be freezing, but she just loved the water so much.

I also dug a big hole in the sand. Brinley didn't like it too much because she was unable to get out.

Brinley finally attacked out sandcastle on our last day on the beach.

Landon just got a brief time in the water. 

Jennifer and Landon right before we left for home.

Brinley and I right before we started off on the trip home. We actually had an accident while I was packing up the car. Brinley walked out onto the balcony to see me and tripped and busted her lip open. Jennifer picked her up and said that she was bleeding all over the place. I rushed back up to the room and we looked in her mouth and decided that it was just a small little cut from where her teeth hit the inside of her gums. Her bunny was all bloody because after the fall she immediately put bunny up to her face. 

Our first family beach vacation proved to be a very interesting and fun adventure. I can't wait until the kids get older and can enjoy the beach and water even more. Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Zoo and aquarium

For my birthday this year I got memberships to the Louisville Zoo and the Newport Aquarium. We thought that these would be fun activities to take the kids to periodically throughout the year. This also really works out well because Brinley loves animals, so this way she gets to see all different types of animals all year long. We picked the Louisville Zoo because Uncle McKinley lives in Louisville and we figured that when we went to the zoo we could visit him as well.

Brinley and Landon all packed up in the stroller ready for the zoo.

Our little family.

We were really surprised at how active some of the animals were the day that we visited. We had never before seen the lion roaming in his area. He has always been laying down.

Brinley loves to say "Hi" to all the animals. She waves to them and evens tells them "Bye" when it is time to move on.

Landon was just happy to go along for the ride.

Brinley gave the tiger a double wave when he walked out to where she could see him.

Jennifer and I just think it is so cute when these two act like they like each other. I am sure this always won't be the case, so we like to capture it so we can show them one day that they actually liked each other.

We got to go into a caged area with birds that you could feed and hold. Landon really liked this area and reached out many times to try and grab this little bird.

Recently I decided to make a trip up to Cincinnati to visit a friend. Since Jennifer was off from work we decided to take the kids with us and stop by the Newport Aquarium and make it into a little day trip. We also got lucky because the aquarium was having a sale on their backstage tours and animal experiences. I mentioned to Jennifer that I thought the penguin encounter might be fun for the kids. We looked into it and if your child was in an infant carrier then you didn't have to pay for them as long as they were under 25 pounds. It just so happens that we have 2 carriers and both children are under the weight limit. So we decided to give it a try even though Brinley is almost 2 years old. It worked like a charm. All 4 of us ended up getting to do the penguin experience where we got to pet 4 different penguins for just $20. It was definitely worth every penny and I am glad that we got the pictures because I am not sure that later in life either kid will remember the trip. We just wish we could have taken Aunt Andrea because she loves penguins.

Green screened picture of us with all kinds of underwater creatures.

Brinley really enjoys standing on this ledge and seeing all the sharks swim by her.

It is so neat to see sharks so close without having to worry about getting bitten.

Brinley saying hi to mommy.

It is always funny to get family pictures taken by strangers because you never know how they might turn out. This one looks like Landon is hiding.

Even though there is a barrier between us it is still scary to be this close to a 13+ foot alligator. Especially one named Big Mike.

Brinley got to touch a turtle at the new Turtle Canyon Exhibit.

Brinley gets easily distracted and wants to run all over the place. So getting put up on my shoulders is usually the way to distract her and get us going in the right direction again. She was really upset that we didn't stay longer at the frog play area.

This ended up being a good picture of us with the shark. (If only Brinley had been looking.)

A family photo with the penguin statues.

Landon really enjoyed the penguins. He would follow them as they swam around and would have the biggest smile when they came close to him.

Landon trying to catch the penguin as it dove under the water.

Brinley getting to touch one of the penguins. She was really nice to the little guys.

Landon was also really gentle with the penguins too.

Family shot with a real penguin.

A picture of Brinley's reaction to touching the penguin. I wish we could have had it on tape because each time they took the penquin away Brinley would say bye to it.

We are excited to have our memberships to both the zoo and aquarium. They are both places that the kids get excited and enjoy seeing all the animals. I believe that we will be members of both places for many years. Thanks for reading and God Bless!