Our Summer Vacation - Destin 2014

Call me crazy and weird, but I really don't like beaches. #firstworldproblems

1. I can't tan. I pretty much burn if I'm in the sun for more than 20 minutes even with spf 70. 
2. I can't swim. My dad had a strange fear of us drowning (a totally normal parental concern that we all have) but rather than let us learn an important survival skill, he kept us from all large bodies of water. Makes total sense.

These two fundamental reasons are pretty much why anyone goes to a beach, but somewhere along the way, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to pack up the family and drive 14+ hours to Destin, Florida. We rounded up 3 other couples and their kiddos and rented a house for a week. 

Things I learned:

1. Adjust your expectations. Vacation with kids (7 at that!) is not REALLY a vacation. . You will not be lounging in your beach chair with your adult beverage reading on your Kindle. You will be chasing your toddler who is about to eat a fistful of sand, reapplying sunscreen every 30 minutes, looking for a juicebox, and digging through your beachbag for snacks to avoid potential meltdowns. 
2. Get a place right on the beach. We rented a house that was probably a 5 minute walk which seemed like a good idea, but with the number of bodies we had, it was such a pain to lug our gear. All our poor hubbies were worn out from the number of trips they had to take to get everything down to the sand and set up.
3. Forget the sand toys. We brought soo many toys. Shovels, buckets, castle molds, sifters, you name it, we brought it. The kids played with ONE bucket. The rest of the time they spent in the water. Who would've thought?
4. Make it a pool day. We are so glad we got a house with a private pool because the kids (and parents) loved it! The first two days, some of the little kiddos were actually pretty afraid of the ocean and sand and wanted nothing more than to just go home. Thankfully, they pool eased them into it and it gave the parents a little break to just sit in one place for more than 10 minutes at a time. 

While we were there, we took some pictures with a professional photographer, Darris Hartman, for fun. I highly recommend her. Excuse our crazy hair, it was super windy!

Of course, we had to take our first picture as a family of FOUR! Baby Deux coming in December :)

Weekend Recap

We made a quick overnight trip to Houston to visit one of the BFFs. The last time we were there was 1.5 years ago and her little one was only a couple of months old and C was due to see his cousin Caroline! How sweet are they?

We are planning on taking a group roadtrip with some of our friends to Destin this summer and the 10+hr drive is literally making me break out into nervous pit sweats. C does ok on longer car rides, but anything over an hour is risky business. We thought this trip would be a good prelimnary test run. 4 hours is not too bad.

sometimes you have to bust out the big guns - dum dums

[ iPad, & Hot Wheels - check. ]  [coffee - check. ]  [ Alien that C INSISTED must stay on the headrest- check.]

Things we've learned from this mini road trip:

• internet connection is precious - we tethered our phones so C could access videos on his iPad but of course, that connection is spotty and often slow. We had a few meltdowns and I totally sympathized. It's equivalent to toddler dial-up connection during his Barbie: Life in a Dreamhouse video marathon (uhh, he is totally into Barbie videos lately, but that's another post one day). I'm thinking we need to spring for the data plan during the trip.

• bring lots and lots of snacks - and not just pork rinds and gummi worms. Kids eat when they get bored too (except they don't gain 10 lbs like we do), and plying them with sugar while strapped in a car seat probably isn't the best idea. Lots of fruit, cheese, crackers are mandatory to survive. And of course, a handful of dum dums never hurt nobody. Pick and chose your battles people!

• a little comfort goes a long way - i know sometimes it's not always possible, but if you are getting a rental for a road trip, get something w/ some leg room. It makes for more efficiency in packing things in and out of the car, easier for emergency diaper changes on the road, less crampage of limbs. I mean, you're on vacation! Make it comfortable!

• sunshades are a must - I love, love, love Aden & Anais muslin swaddle blankets. I got these before C was born (before Prince George was rocking it) and use these babies for everything. Swaddling, nursing cover, car seat cover, blanket, you name it. It's one of C's loveys now, so he has to have it with him at bed time. But you can see in that picture how easy it is to just put one up to block out the sun. 

• Be prepared to sing your heart out - because sometimes your kid just wants to hear Mommy and Daddy sing Old MacDonald 10x in a row

• New toys/distractions - When we took C on his first flight, one of the best tips I received was to wrap up lots of new toys for him to open every hour. Hit up the dollar store for this. Half the fun for the kids is just tearing up the paper. We didn't do it on this trip, but will definitely be doing this for Destin. However, on the way back, one of our friends gave him a new set of Hot Wheel cars so it definitely made the last hour of the trip a smooth ride. Thank you Uncle James! :)

• Load up on cleaning supplies - With all the snacking and toy unwrapping, you'll need to stock the car with plenty of wipes and a large trashbag to keep everything clean and organized. Keeping the clutter and grubby hands to a minimum will help you keep your sanity!

What are some tips you have for a successful aka tear-free road trip?