2016 Navarre Beach Trip

Last week was the best! Travis and I agreed it was definitely our best beach vacation post-kids. Obviously, “vacation” takes on a different meaning when you become parents, but this one was so worth it! We were both ready for a getaway from the weekly grind, and a week at the beach was just what we needed. And, we’re pretty sure Brooklyn and Savannah enjoyed it too ;)

We headed down to Navarre Beach on Saturday, September 24th. The drive down was pretty uneventful, which was a good thing. Brooklyn had plenty of books and watercolor paint books to entertain her, and Savannah only cried for maybe 30 minutes total, and that was right before lunch. The rest of the trip she was either asleep or pressing buttons on the Elmo potty book…haha. Whatever works to keep her happy!

Mommy got to pick where we stopped for lunch, and of course, I chose Chick-fil-a. When we told Brooklyn we were going there, she shouted, ” I DON’T WANT TO GO TO CHICK-FIL-A! I WANT TO GO TO THE BEACH!” Apparently in her mind, we couldn’t do both–just one or the other ;)

I think the ice cream must have won her over…

Playing on the playground after lunch didn’t hurt either :)

Savannah had fun watching the other kids come down the slide…

After lunch, Brooklyn fought it, but she finally succumbed to a nap around 3 PM. We only had to make one other stop after lunch before we got there! I think we did pretty good. And I was so proud of Brooklyn—she never had an accident in the car going there or coming home, and she used public bathrooms without throwing fits (which has been a problem in the past). Go B!

The first thing Brooklyn wanted to do when we got to the condo was head to the beach! No surprise there. Thankfully, she has a pretty cool Paw who took her down there right away. She couldn’t get her toes in the sand fast enough!

Beautiful view from our condo not too long after we got there!

Pookie thought the balcony was pretty cool. She had no fear—she kept trying to stick her feet through the railing and made me nervous. We were on the 9th floor, so we were pretty high up!

That night after supper, we watched some football and hung out in the living room. A perk of going to the beach in the fall—football on TV when you’re not outside!

Heading to church Sunday morning! Does it get any cuter? :)

We’ve got that Daddy trained in the practice of using sunscreen now :) He even wears it himself *most* of the time!

Somebody was ready for the beach!

This little somebody was too!

Brooklyn enjoyed hunting for seashells with Paw. So sweet!

I wasn’t sure how Savannah would like the beach. Last year, she was only 3 months old during our beach trip, so this was her first real trip that she could enjoy it. Good news—she loved the beach! She sat and dug in the sand and had a big time!

I think we lost count of how many Pop-Ices were consumed over the week. They got a good start on Sunday afternoon ;)

We stayed at a new condo this year—Belle Mer. The pool wasn’t as big as the ones at the other condos we’d stayed at in 2014 and 2015, but it sure had a nice view!

More fun in the sand!

:)

If you need a reason to go the beach in late September, just check out the (lack of) chairs and people! It was SO quiet and relaxing, especially at the beginning of the week. Toward the end of the week, it was little more crowded with people on fall break. But, it was still so much nicer than the summer crowds!

Covered in sand, but who cares when you’re eating a Pop-Ice!

The weather was so nice that I could have sat out there all day and not broken a sweat!

Can you find Paw? Hint: He’s sitting on the couch—hiding until a pile of blankets, pillows, and toys courtesy of Miss B. Good thing he’s a such a good sport!

Daddy-daughter time on the balcony after breakfast :)

I love my girls!

Pool time was not Savannah’s favorite. Brooklyn LOVED the rocket ship float in years past, but Savannah didn’t really seem to care for it. She definitely preferred the beach to the pool!

Brooklyn was just happy to be outside—didn’t matter if it was the pool or the beach!

I was surprised that Savannah actually wore her sunglasses for a few minutes before taking them off. It was bright outside!

Snack time!

Savannah took some good naps on the beach last week. The sound of the ocean + busy mornings full of fun = one sleepy little girl!

We enjoyed eating lunch on the balcony several days too. The weather was perfect for sitting out there.

Tuesday night, we went out to eat at Flounder’s in Pensacola Beach. It was fun! We ate outside, and there was a beach volleyball area and playground outside too.

Coloring sheets are always helpful before the food comes out! Savannah is starting to scribble with crayons pretty well, although she still tries to eat them sometimes ;)

After supper, Brooklyn and Savannah played on the playground while everyone else finished eating. I wish I’d known about the playground before we got to the restaurant because we wouldn’t have worried with giving them a bath beforehand. The playground area was full of sand, and both girls (especially Savannah) were covered in sand when we left. I didn’t get any good pictures because it was dark by that point, but they had a blast!

By mid-week, Brooklyn had amassed quite the collection of seashells! She enjoyed lining them up on the balcony.

Savannah had more fun walking around the pool area than she did in the actual pool. She would go up and down those steps over and over.

Hop in, big girl!

All that climbing and walking made her tired, so she took a nap once we got to the beach. Daddy didn’t mind joining in too :)

Brooklyn actually enjoys wearing her sunglasses sometimes now. At least one morning she actually wore them for a couple of hours straight!

Pookie woke up and was ready to join in!

Speaking of sleep, Savannah slept in the Pack n’ Play all week and did great with it. I think there were one or two nights where she cried out in the middle of the night, but for the most part, she slept great! She slept in her own room for the first couple of nights, and on Tuesday when Aunt Jenn arrived, she shared a room with Brooklyn. It went much better than I expected! They went to sleep at night without any trouble and didn’t wake up too early each morning. Brooklyn, who is typically our early riser, usually slept until at least 6:45 AM, which is about all we can ask for these days :)

We saw several gorgeous sunsets while we were there!

We attempted to get a family picture Wednesday night before church, but this was the best we could do. We had to wake Savannah up for supper, and she was so upset she refused to eat (which NEVER happens!). Thus the need for the paci and snack cup to be in the picture ;)

Thankfully, she cheered up by the time we got back to the condo that night :) Kisses from Rae Rae make everything better too!

Real life – what our mornings looked! Mommy and Daddy didn’t want to get up, so they got crawled on instead :) It was so nice to not have to be anywhere to be at a certain time!

Daddy with his littlest daughter!

I thought this was so sweet :)

Another beach-side nap–this time with Rae Rae!

The view from our balcony on Thursday —a little more crowded than earlier in the week, but still not bad at all.

We played a few rounds of Dominos over the course of the week. Savannah got in on the action too!

Me and my girls!

Another example of why Paw is so cool—he caught a dragonfly in the condo with a drinking glass and a magazine…haha. Brooklyn thought it was awesome! We kept the dragonfly overnight and let him go the next day :)

On Friday (our last full day), we spent most of the day at the beach. We even ate lunch down there!

Brooklyn made friends with a girl named Rileigh from Georgia while we were there. She and her family were staying at Belle Mar too and their beach chairs were set up right next to ours every day. Brooklyn thinks that all other kids are her friends automatically, so she has no fear in going up to them and playing. (I never would have done that as a kid, so this is something I admire about her!). Thankfully, Rileigh didn’t seem to mind even though Brooklyn was so much younger. They had fun playing together several days!

It felt so nice outside the whole week but especially on Friday. It was just unreal to sit out there and not sweat to death like we normally do in the heat of the summer. Never once did I feel like I needed to get in the water to cool off. The beach in the fall = the best!

Time for lunch!

Oreos were a big hit all week too…

Savannah didn’t seem to mind the ocean too much, although we never really got her down in the water. I think she’ll enjoy it a lot more next year when she can wear a Puddle Jumper and float around on her own.

There was a pretty steep slope down to the water from our chairs. Savannah wore herself out going up and down the hill over and over. It’s so funny how much she loves to climb!

It was so nice that we stayed down there until almost 4 PM!

We ate leftovers on Friday night to help clean out the fridge. We’d eaten some yummy meals earlier in the week, and it was nice to not have to cook anything on our last night!

Saturday morning (October 1st), we were sad to leave. It was such a great week! We had a good drive home with minimal crying. So thankful for that since last year’s drive home from the beach was so terrible. We are already looking forward to going back next year!

“Brooklyn Says” – Beach Edition

• One of her prayers while we were there – “Dear God…Thank you, God, for the food we have to eat. Thank you for all the things we have to do. And thank you for helping us please make cookies tomorrow. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
• One morning, we were hanging out at the pool. There were a couple of other people in the pool and a few people sitting in chairs nearby. Brooklyn got out of the pool, squatted down, and shouted, “I had an accident!” When we questioned her about it, she replied, “I think this is a good tinkle spot!” Then, when she got back in the pool, she said (loudly), “I’m washing off my tinkle pants!” I’m sure the other people at the pool were glad to hear that ;)
• Dad’s cousin, Jack, and his wife rented a unit at a nearby condo for a few days the same week we were at Navarre. Monday night, they invited us to eat with them. While we were there that night, Brooklyn was sitting in Rae Rae’s lap and looking up at her. Brooklyn suddenly exclaimed, “Rae Rae! There’s a spider web…IN YOUR NOSE!” Hahahaha! Mom said she guessed she needed to trim her nose hairs ;)
• At the end of the week, Brooklyn informed us that “sun gets you burned!” Aunt Jenn, future dermatologist, was so proud to hear that! At least she understands the importance of wearing sunscreen at a young age :)

Our annual beach week is always one of the best weeks of the year! Thank you, Paw and Rae Rae, for a wonderful time! Going in the summer was always great, but I think going in the fall takes it to a whole new level. Perfect weather, low crowds, football season…what could be better?? Rae Rae has already booked the same condo for next September, and we are looking forward to it so much!