Soaking up some sun...

This past week we took a family vacation to Panama City Beach, FL. I admit dreading the 2 day drive to get there. We left Sunday after the morning services and got to our hotel in Vicksburg, MS around 7:30pm. The girls did great that afternoon/evening and we didn't even break out the DVD player. (That's a miracle if you know my girls!)

Monday morning we woke up early (or should I say the girls woke us up early?) and we drove the rest of the way (about 7 hours). We got to our condo around 4pm. It was perfect! It had 2 bedrooms (each with king beds....great for when you have a little one sleeping with you who doesn't know how to stay in one area), a full-size kitchen (a must when you have a child with lots of food allergies) and a TV in every room! We also had a screened-in porch that overlooked the pool.

Tuesday morning we visited the local zoo. It was pretty small when you're used to the Fort Worth Zoo, but the girls had fun seeing animals. It was AC's first time to a zoo and she loved it! They both helped some workers feed the ducks. The zoo had a petting zoo and we saw several animals there: a giraffe, goats, a pig, a turkey, a camel, roosters and chickens to name a few. It was a fun morning! Later that day, we went to the pool. They were in bed by 8pm that night. :)

Wednesday we thought we'd go to the beach. There was a state park not far from where we stayed. It was a pretty beach, but EK didn't appreciate it. In fact, to say she disliked it would be an understatement. She got so upset! We think the vastness of the beach and ocean just overwhelmed her. EK likes her own space. She has a wagon that she uses at preschool. We use a stroller on Sunday mornings until she's ready to explore. She loves to ride in her carseat. Anyway, she also hated the wet sand that stuck to her hands. AC and I played on the beach for a little while and Keith took EK for a ride in the car. Eventually we met them on the pier and enjoyed the beauty of the beach from a distance. That afternoon we drove over to Destin (about 45 minutes east). After having lunch, we went to the beach there. There were more people on the beach and EK did better until she put her hands in the wet sand. It's one of those things where you want to say, "Don't put your hands in the sand if you don't like it" but she doesn't get it. AC and I played for a bit in the water and sand and then headed back to the car to meet up with Keith and EK. Not quite how I envisioned our trips to the beach.... I had hoped to get some cute pictures of the girls in matching outfits on the beach, but nixed that idea after realizing EK's preferences. They would've been horrible pictures if I'd tried!

EK's favorite place to be!

Thursday we tried to walk to the pier near our condo but never found how to get there (unless we walked across the golf course). We found a nice playground by the pool and a kiddie pool that we'd missed on Tuesday. It was only 6 inches deep and perfect for my girls. EK loved it. By far, that was the easiest hour and a half in FL. She played and was happy and I got to relax some and enjoy the sunshine. :) Wish we'd seen that pool earlier in the week!

We left Friday morning and headed to Noxapater, MS to see Keith's parents. It was PaPaw's birthday so that was a special treat. On Saturday morning we left there and drove until we got home. Lots of driving over 7 days! Overall, it was a nice time. The girls and I enjoyed having Keith all to ourselves for 6 days straight. We didn't have places to be or things that had to get done. I didn't even check my e-mail! (That was a hard one for me, but worth it.)

This girl NEVER sleeps during the day. It was only a 5 minute nap, but worth documenting!