For the past few years, Tim and I have been wanting to take the boys to the beach. It just seemed impossible…..the long drive, the crowds, and would they get in the water? I was afraid of many things; would Noah have a huge meltdown after five hours of driving and refuse to get back in the car, would Nate not touch the sand, would we lose Noah in the crowd at the beach or in the waves?
Only one of those fears came to fruition…..
We broke the 12 hour drive up into two days. We drove seven hours the first day to Jackson, MS and then cut over to Pensacola the second day. When we returned, we stayed at the same hotel to keep a routine. The boys handled the drive really well. We stopped often to use the restroom (Noah had one small accident in the car) and switch cars (we took two). I think switching cars really helped, as did the DVD player in the van and their IPads.
The condo we rented was beachfront and on the 12th floor. For the first couple of days, Nate and Noah would not go out on the balcony. As time went on, they would venture out and eat meals outside. Noah was not allowed on the balcony unattended…..I just didn't trust him to be out there by himself. Nick liked the balcony form the beginning and ate most meals outside.
Nick and Noah loved the ocean right from the start. Nate on the other hand……. It took two days and he finally would go in. Tim handled Nate beautifully and got him in the water so much quicker than I thought. I was hoping Nate would go in the water by the 4th day, Tim had him in the 2nd day. We would hit the pool in the morning and then prep Nate by telling him we would go the the ocean after lunch and then talk about it through out the morning. This schedule worked well for Nate. It was also nice that the pools were right on the beach, so when Nate was finished with the ocean, someone could take him up to the pool. Nick and Noah played in the ocean as much as possible. I think Noah thought it was the best wave pool ever!
We stayed on Perdido Key, which is less crowded than Destin or Orange Beach. To avoid crowded restaurants, we only ate out once, and that was for lunch. It was easier to cook familiar foods at home instead of going to unfamiliar, crowded restaurants.
In order to make this vacation a success, we enlisted help from many people. Besides the five of us, we took my mom, our nanny, and two staff members. Without these extra hands, we could not have taken this vacation.
The trip was such a success that on the way home my mom and I were discussing where to take the boys next year. For the first time our vacation choices seem less limited…...
