Finally.....a vacation!

I know, I know, I know that I am not great at updating the blog every week or every two weeks, but when you are chasing a toddler all day and night Plus pregnancy= TIRED! The only time I have to myself is when he is asleep and resting is THE only thing that comes to mind at that time. Believe me I am reminded regularly how bad I am at the blogging...so sorry everyone. My husband informs me that nobody wants to see pictures of Christian that happened weeks ago, so I will not bother to post anything that has happened in the month of April. Take it up with him if that is a problem for any of you. I thought the point of this blog was to see pictures of him no matter when they were taken!!! Alright, now that I got that out.... I will tell you about the much needed vacation that our family recently took.

Lately it seems that every vacation that we have planned has been foiled in some way or another. We were supposed to got to Tahoe and I got horribly sick and could not go. We were supposed to go on a cruise through the Mediterranean this August and because I will be more that five months pregnant we can not go. Needless to say, I needed a break and a chance to get out of Birmingham! Brian and I planned a beach trip to Seaside, Fl. We were gone for six days and Brian did a pretty good job of not working. I do not think he is capable of ignoring work completely on any vacation. He did work the last two days and stayed at the beach to work through the week. Which is unfortunate because that meant he would be spending his birthday alone and without his family.
We left Wednesday afternoon after picking up Christian from daycare. The plan was that he would sleep most of the ride down to the beach. The trip takes us exactly 4 hours without stopping. Obviously, we took separate cars because Brian was staying down in the panhandle for work. I was glad that he was near by so that if I needed a bathroom break he could watch the little guy. We got down to the beach around 5:30 and checked into our condo. This place was in the middle of town which was perfect. If you have never been to Seaside it is this great little town outside of Destin and is so family oriented. There are not a lot of tourist and plenty of activities for children and adults. Little shops all around and everybody rides their bikes from destination to destination. The beach is across the street, but the water was very cold and we spent more time at the pool. The weather was in the eighties and at night it did get a little cool for this southern girl, but Brian thought it was perfect (typical Yankee)!

The week was so relaxing and we just all hung out together. Every morning we went for bike rides and put Christian in a bike trailer, which he absolutely loves! Then we went to the pool each afternoon and Christian played in the baby pool. The pool water was really cold too, but the baby pool was warmer because it was so shallow. If you stayed out long enough you wanted to jump in the pool because it did get hot. However, you quickly cooled off and wanted out of the water. Each afternoon we would have lunch and Christian would take a quick nap. He does not sleep well outside of his bed so his naps truly were short if existed at all. Brian laid down with him one afternoon and I got this adorable video of them sleeping. Both were snoring up a storm and I do not know if you can hear it in the video, but it was soooo sweet!

When Christian woke up we would go outside and shop around and play in this big grass area in the main circle of Seaside. We would eat ice cream and just enjoy being together. It truly was relaxing. I believe that Christian was the happiest he has ever been to have both his parents to himself for a whole week. Brian got a little taste of how exhausting it is to have a child want you and only you 24/7. Christian is in the stage where he only wants daddy and only daddy can make everything better. This is fine by me because I get a break from the daily routine. I actually enjoy it!? I think Brian now understands why I am so tired everyday. It is mentally and physically exhausting to have a child pawing at you all day long.
Brian's best friend Reed and his girlfriend Melanie were also down in Destin. They were staying with Reed's father who was in town for a wedding. We had dinner with them a couple of nights and just relaxed. I think we were in bed, at least I was every night by 10:00. Reed's father rented this big beautiful house with a pool and Christian loved running around playing. Being around a pool with a toddler will definitely keep you on your toes. We did get a break for one night and went out for a nice dinner at Cafe 30-A. Brian's birthday was Wednesday May 7th so we all went out for a nice dinner with Reed, Melanie, Reed's dad and his wife. No, we did not take Christian to Cafe 30-A. We got a babysitter through a service down at the beach and Christian was not thrilled with this idea at all. He survived and we were able to sit through a dinner and enjoy our meal.

Monday rolled around and Brian had an appointment that he could not cancel in Montgomery so he left that afternoon and would be back later that night. This was perfect because Christian and I had plans to surprise him with a birthday present, but we had to make it first. In the little town was a pottery place. One of those places where you go and paint pottery for fun or gifts. I had already given Brian a birthday present, but Christian had not. I wanted him to have something that was personal and something that Christian could participate in making. This pottery idea was perfect and something that would be lots of fun. When Brian left we headed over to the store for an afternoon of painting. Since we were at the beach for his birthday I wanted something that had a beach theme to give him. We picked out a little tile that you could frame so Brian could hang it in his office and begin to think of ideas. The ladies that worked there were very helpful and gave me many ideas. I wanted Christian to do most of the work so hand prints had to be a part of the picture. We painted the background and I do not know who had more paint on them me or the tile. Christian was having a blast and really liked when I had to paint his hand for his print on the tile. His hand print turned into a fish with lips, eyes and gills. His thumbprint turned into a crab and this little picture turned into a precious gift from a child. We added some sponging and other background things and it turned out adorable. This picture is one of those things a parent can treasure forever because it was literally made with love. Christian wrote Happy Birthday Daddy (with my help) and we were done!

Tuesday Brian had an appointment for breakfast, so Christian and I packed the car and got ready to leave. When Brian got home from work he played with Christian and took him for ice cream before we hit the road. Christian gave him his card and present and I think Brian was pleased with his gift. I think Brian would have stayed for another week if he could have done so. We had a great time and were all tired when we got back home. I think Christian was glad to be back home in his bed and I was too. Brian's birthday was today and we wish we could have been with him, but we could not. We will celebrate more with him this weekend. Happy Birthday Brian and Daddy! We love you and had a great time at the beach!

I hope you enjoy the pictures! I must say...I believe we have the cutest child on this planet!