It’s been a while since I’ve posted. For many reasons, but mainly summer! Entertaining two kids 5 and under is a full day job + keeping up with my Etsy shop business.
But we did take a week to go on vacation. We went to Destin, Florida and my parents actually joined us as well. It went by so fast, so we will have to remember to book at least 7-8 nights if we do that trip again.
We left on a Friday afternoon and decided to stay the night in Hattisville, Mississippi to break it up. It was about a 8-9 hour trip and took us a little longer than that. The boys did great. I was thoroughly prepared and will have to share all about our car ride activities in another post.
Here I am with my handy tool in case we fall into the water. I’m terrified of bridges.
The next day, Saturday, we headed out around 10 or 11am for Destin. We arrived at our resort at 5:30…we spent 45 minutes going the wrong direction thanks to our Garmin directions. But we arrived to such a beautiful condo. We stayed at Sterling Shores on the 4th floor.
Our view from the balcony
We stayed in a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom condo. It was all 4 of us + my parents and niece and nephew. The third bedroom was going to be where all the kids slept (well, my niece is 18 so not really a kid, but…), but it ended up working out better with our kiddos in our room on a comfy pallet (I created a very cushion-y floor bed).
My parents arrived shortly after us and we all decided to go down to the beach to check it out. Once we got down there, we decided to eat at the restaurant right there on the beach, Backyard Porch. My dad got reservations and in the meantime, my kids were soaked 5 minutes later.
The pure joy on their faces made this trip all worth it. This was the first time for both of them on the beach (well, Beckham went to Destin when he was 1.5 yrs old so he doesn’t remember it).
All fun and games until…
He got disoriented from the waves and fell in the water. He was not happy to say the least. He’s a bit dramatic though so this reaction is pretty typical.
My mom and I took them back up to the resort to change clothes and met everyone else at the restaurant soon after. Ryan and I shared a bunch of fried seafood. Perfect way to start vacation.
At this point it was around 9 or 10. We went back to the resort and gave the boys a bath and set up for the night.
Big brother always trying to antagonize little brother!
Day 1 and 2 were spent mostly traveling, but we were so excited to be on white sand finally! I will post the rest of our vacation tomorrow and Wednesday. There are too many photos to cram into one post. Here are a few more pictures of Night 1 in Hattisburg and Night 2 in Destin…
This was Night 1 before we got to our hotel in Hattisburg. The kids were making marshmallow and pretzel figures with glow sticks on!
The next evening when we arrived in Destin…
Some of the condos from the beach at sunset.
Ryan and I LOVE a beach vacation and were excited to see the boys enjoy it as well. Having my parents there was a plus! We love spending time with them as well. Tomorrow, I’ll share Days 3 & 4 of the vacation (days 2 & 3 in Destin).
Looks like fun! I am SO looking forward to your post on being prepared in the car…I’m 10 days away from my Florida Beach Vacation. We’re driving….from Michigan….21+ hours in a car with a 14 and a 4 year old… I need all the tips!!
For sure. All the things that we did were mostly for the 3-6 year old range, but the kids were entertained…I’ll share soon!
Thanks! I’m not so much worried about the 14 year old…she can entertain herself 🙂 It’s the 4 year old I’m more concerned about….hopefully we don’t regret 21+ hours straight through…. We did it twice when our oldest was 7 and 8 years old and we were fine then, but this will be our first time driving so long with a 4 year old.
I love to read vaca recaps! I need all your car tips! We just booked our vaca next summer to Panama City Beach!
Ooh fun! Can’t wait to hear how that goes! Love seeing new places around the map…it’s better when you know someone who’s gone before.
I can’t wait for your post on road trip activities! We’re driving 30 hours (broken up into many days) next month and I’m trying to gather as many ideas as possible for my 5, 4, 3, and 1 year olds. Can’t wait to read more about your vacation!