Beach Baby!

Pearce and I just got back from going to the beach with Mama and Papa!  Oh my goodness, it was so much fun!  He spent the previous week with them just by himself while I came home and enjoyed time to myself, then I went back to Dallas and off we went to Gulf Shores!  We drove halfway to Monroe, LA and spent the night and then the rest of the way the following day.  Pearce did really well with the long car rides and we were all so thankful!  When we got to Monroe, we went to eat dinner and then decided we needed to let Pearce burn some energy and luckily there was a big outdoor area with lots of walking trails right next to our hotel.  We didn't realize how long the trails were and about an hour later, we were finally out of the maze!  It was really neat to walk through these wooded trails and there was absolutely no doubt that Pearce burned a ton of energy on them!  We got up bright and early Saturday morning and were off again for the rest of our drive to the beach.  Pearce slept part of the way and once again, did really well with the drive.  We got to the beach around 2:00 that afternoon and after getting everything unloaded, we got our suits on and headed to the beach!  Pearce loved the waves and the sand and running and playing!  We stayed at the beach for a few hours and then decided we were already wet, so let's go do the lazy river at the condo!  We stayed at The Caribe Resort Condominiums and it was definitely resort-like.  There were tons of pools all over and a lazy river, too!  Poor Mama totally flipped over backwards while trying to get on her tube :)  Pearce used his floaties and just floated with us.  Then we all took showers and got cleaned up and went out to eat at the restaurant right next door.  For having a half day at the beach, it definitely FELT like a full day!  We kept that same schedule the rest of the time we were there....beach in the morning, home for Pearce's nap, pool in the evening.  Pearce loved swimming at the pool because there were several shallow areas where he could touch, plus there was a neat water slide that we would do together and Pearce wanted to do it over and over and over again!  On Sunday, we went for an early dinner after Pearce woke up and then took him to The Track to ride a few kiddie rides.  He LOVED them!!!  He rode the swings, the train, and the airplanes.  After that, we decided we needed some ice cream.  That was such a fun evening!  On Monday, we went to the National Seashore in Pensacola to try out the beach there.  It was so gorgeous!  We loved this beach because there were just a few people there and just very natural.  In fact, these beaches don't get plowed, so the waves actually beat into the shore and made an actual little cliff of sand!  Pearce loved climbing up and sliding down the sand cliffs.  It was just so much fun to watch him play in the water and have fun.  On our last day, Tuesday, we were at the beach, and we found a dead fish in the water.  So, I got it in a bucket to show Pearce.  Then we noticed a big Blue Heron standing near the water's edge.  So I threw the fish towards it and eventually he walked over and got the fish and worked on breaking it up so he could eat it.  After he ate it, he walked a little closer to where we were sitting and just stood and watched us for about 45 minutes!  It was so fun to watch!  After staying at the beach for a couple hours, we decided to go to Pensacola where they had an area of food trucks.  We all got something different and we all loved it!  It was a cute area because there were lots of tables and umbrellas to sit under.  Pearce had fun eating his grilled cheese and walking under the misters they had going.  On our last night, Mom and I were talking about what we liked best about our little beach vacay.  We both said we loved watching Pearce play and have fun, but we also really liked our time together during Pearce's naps.  After I put Pearce down for a nap, Mom and I would go get coffee and talk :)  One day we went and got manicures and pedicures and then got coffee.  It was so simple, but so fun to just have time together.  Wednesday morning, we had to wake up bright and early...5:00 am!!  I got Pearce up at 5:30 and we were in the car driving by 6:00 am.  I was unsure how Pearce would do on the ride home because it would be a 12-13 hour car ride back to Dallas.  Well, we all could not believe how perfectly he did!  He really did not cry or have a fit at all!  He just looked out the window with his BB's, watched Milo and Otis on the iPad, looked at his books, or slept.  We stopped a few times, but made great time and got home by 6:30 that evening!  We all laughed when at one point he said, "Papa, where you taking me?"  We spent one more night at Mama and Papa's house and then drove back to Austin yesterday.  Thank you Mama and Papa for taking us to the beach!!!  We had such a great time!!!!   

Mama holding an ice pack on Pearce's mouth because he fell and bumped his lip :(  Mama made it all better, though!

This was Pearce's set up at Mama and Papa's house....his little table for his snacks, his little chair to watch TV in, and his baby doll that he loved to rock :)

Papa's car was packed to the top!!!

 

 

 

Otis and Sissy spent one night at Doggy Daycare while we were gone.  Pearce had fun going to get them when we got back.  The doggies were worn out!!