Florida Part #1

Sorry this is so long coming. I was daunted by the number of pictures I took and they are all so cute. Only posting a reasonable number is going to be difficult! The boys both enjoyed the beach so much and the weather was perfect. We were there when Hurricane Alex came through and the rain made it all the way to Florida. It hadn't rained for 6 weeks, and it rained every day we were there. At least it was only the evening, except for the last day. It was slightly overcast too, which made the beach bearable.

The first day we enjoyed the pool at my dad and Tammy's house. It was a little chilly, but the kids did fine! We discovered that Justin liked having water poured over his head. And Travis started diving for things that would sink to the bottom, particularly a plastic shark. Both kids were so tired from swimming that they slept most of the afternoon. This became the norm, which was a real treat for us!

We went to Bubba Gump's for dinner and we all enjoyed that. Justin boycotted dinner, as he does on occasion, but he wasn't stingy with his snuggles with grandpa Al. And Travis was treated to ice cream. After dinner we walked around the pier and watched the construction on the nearby bridge. Travis loved it and asked a million questions. Given that my bridge construction knowledge is a bit rusty, a lot of the answers were "I don't know" and "I have no idea". Justin is starting to show some interest in construction equipment and he points out equipment and workers when we see them around town. We found a few cute picture places, but while we were taking pictures at the dolphin, Justin wanted to move on to the fork lift. That's the first time he found equipment before Travis. And he didn't want to let Travis on!

My dad, Tammy, and the boys outside Bubba Gump's

A little grandpa Al and Justin snuggle!

Travis and his huge ice cream sundae. ALL the topping eventually ended up on the ice cream!

On the pier outside Bubba Gump's

Checking out all the construction equipment

All the "boys" by Bubba Gump's. Justin was reaching for something out to the left, and then we realized he saw...

The fork lift!!

The next day was the beach. My dad and Tammy live right across the street, so after a quick five-minute jaunt, we were in the waves. Justin wasn't sure at first if he wanted to go in, but after daddy showed him how fun it could be, he was ready! And Travis liked swimming, but with the whole beach being a place to dig and scoop, he couldn't pass that up for long. Justin did his share of digging, but it got a bit cold for him so fortunately Tammy was there to do a bit of snuggling.

Travis was a little scared at the beginning and wasn't sure about the waves and the water so he stuck close to us. He got brave quickly though.

Justin knew what to do with the shovel!


Travis doing a bit of digging in the sand. The sand wasn't good for making castles, but Travis didn't really care!

The whole family on the Gulf of Mexico. Tammy gets pictures of everyone who visits in the water like this. We couldn't disappoint!


This was one of Travis' favorite ways to swim!

Tammy's lap was the perfect place to end Justin's first visit to the beach in Florida!