"What we did on our Summer Vacation"
We loaded up the car and left Atlanta around 1:00 p.m. Thursday for our much anticipated Labor Day trip to New Smyrna Beach, FL. My bag of tricks helped to entertain Miller on our 7 hour car trip south. I won't lie, it did get challenging at times!! I kept waiting and waiting for Miller to doze off on his afternoon nap, but he must have felt the energy in the car that we were about to explore something different. Four stops and 1 Arby's run later, we arrived at the condo with a sleeping baby in tow just in time to settle in and greet Grandmama and Poppy. Miller got his second wind and ran all around the condo shrilling with excitement while playing chase with Poppy. We did get him calmed down in time for a 10:00 p.m. bedtime!!
Highlights of our trip included morning strolls on the beach while Miller enjoyed his morning naptime. We enjoyed playing with Miller on the steps of the pool. It's rare that the whole family visits the pool together. Grandmama and Poppy were on deck observers watching all the action and splashing from our water man. What a treat to have the pool all to ourselves on Friday!!
Other fun happenings included watching Miller run along the compact, flat sand of New Smyrna....so different from the sand in the Gulf. At low tide, the shore extended out quite aways, allowing Miller to get out all of his energy chasing dadda and building sandcastles. Grandmama and I got a kick out of watching Miller charge full force towards the crashing waves & then as soon as the water was about to touch his toes, his happy face turned to an "uh oh" face and he would run back to the safety of the beach chairs on shore. What a funny guy! Miller did eventually warm up to the idea of playing in the ocean and loved the feel of the waves crashing on his body. Dunking him in the Atlantic was the only way to wash off all the sand that collected in every fold and pocket of his trunks. This baby had sand from his ears to his shoes!!
During Miller's afternoon naptime each day, Landon and I enjoyed our time at the beach soaking in the sun. We played and exhausted ourselves in the water. The current was very strong & the water murky. The whole time we were jumping waves, I heeded the advice of my friend Terra. She informed me that New Smyrna ranks among the top beaches for shark attacks. Scenes from the movie Jaws did not leave my head the whole time we were in the surf! One huge wave, swiped both of our sunglasses right from behind our ears. We searched and searched but no such luck! Oh well, another excuse to shop for shades. This is exactly why I buy Target sunglasses! They only last one season.
We dined at several local restaurants around town for dinner. Our favorite dinner spot was Norwood's. They had excellent seafood. The key to mealtime success with Miller is to keep him occupied. I can somewhat relax at kid friendly restaurants, but when it comes to fine dining with white tableclothes, I try to consider the other patrons looking for a pleasurable dinner out!! I kept Miller busy, busy during mealtime with his new interactive Cheerios book. He had fun putting his favorite snack in all the pictures of the book.
After dinner each night, we journeyed to the boardwalk for ice cream overlooking the ocean. Miller ended up wearing his ice cream instead of eating it! I didn't consider this when I dressed him in all white. The game of Uno became a nightly ritual. It brought back memories of vacations as a family in the past sitting around playing board games. Gametime on vacation has always been a favorite family passtime.
We were sad to leave sunny Florida. In a way, it was a last hoorah, final farewell to a memorable summer. We're so thankful that the weather cooperated. Landon and I also talked about how we feel there's no other way at this stage of life to go to the beach other than with grandparents!! What freedom we can enjoy when there are so many hands helping out. We enjoyed making lasting memories together as a family. As we pulled up on our street this afternoon, I had an equally good feeling. There's just no place like home!!
Click on "New Smyrna Beach" on the left for more pictures.
Take a gander at our messy, messy boy during mealtime! Miller loved this Italian meal so much I thought I'd dedicate a post to his saucy hands and face. He crammed so many noodles in his mouth at one time, I had to retrieve some and encourage Miller to slow down and take his time eating. In between "Mmmm's!", he managed to clean his tray from the sticky noodle mess. The only thing that remained was it's red stain under finger nails and in every wrinkle on this boy's hands! I can only gather from all his smearing fun, that Miller was imagining he was digging in the dirt playing with slimy worms. We're already instructing our little guy to never order spaghetti while on a date unless he can get his manners under control. I figure we have 30 some years to teach him the proper spaghetti etiquette. Until then, spaghetti night will be his favorite!
