We stayed in a 3 bedroom condo on the beach with David's parents and the rest of the family stayed in a condo building next door, which was about a 2-3 minute walk by beach or by road. The kids slept in the same room this year (as opposed to last year when we shoved a rental crib in the bathroom for Luke. Poor second child.) Audrey was in one of the two twin beds, but we opted to put Luke on an air mattress in the floor. They both did really well with their unusual surroundings (and light pouring in the windows at 6:30am. PSA to all you condo owners reading this: invest in good blinds and window coverings! People want to sleep on vacation!)
Unfortunately, Luke came down with a cold on the Thursday before we left, so the poor guy was not at his best all week. By Monday, he had passed it on to me and most everyone was feeling a little more sneezy than usual, but thankfully we all bounced back within two days and he was the only one still coughing and snotty. It didn't seem to bother him too much until nighttime, when he'd get into coughing fits from the drainage. Even then, though, he only had 1-2 really rough nights and slept pretty well the rest of the week.
Instead of going into great detail of each day, I decided to do a bullet-point highlight reel. It takes the pressure and time requirement off of me and, frankly, probably means you'll actually read it all the way to the end. (Sidenote: It did take the time requirement off of me until I went to post this and half of it was missing. Grrrr.) Anyway, here are some of our favorite things about the trip:
- Flitters! As has become tradition, David's grandma cooked us flitters several mornings. If I haven't explained these before, they're kind of a cross between pancakes and biscuits. David likes his with jelly, I prefer peanut butter, and the kids do syrup on theirs. However you top them, they are so tasty and a big part of the trip for us!
- Running on the beach. I didn't go often or far this year, but there is still something wonderful and exhilarating about running beside the ocean.
- Branching out. Sometimes when you vacation in the same spot every year, you can get stuck in a rut going to all of the same places. We definitely didn't this year, though! We tried a new pizza place (Planet Pizza - pretty good. HUGE portions), a new bakery (Mon Delice - yummy!), a new restaurant (Lost Lagoon at the airport - delicious burgers and great service), and a new seafood place (Blackbeard's Inn - pretty good.)
- Watching the kids have such a blast in the water. Audrey loved the pool, but Luke was more into the beach and digging into the sand. Both of them really enjoyed jumping waves in the ocean, though (well, Luke if he was in our arms). I'd hold him and he would keep saying "Go out there, Mommy!" wanting me to go farther and farther into the ocean. Audrey would hold each of our hands and squeal as we pulled her up just in time to escape them crashing over her.
- Swimming with Audrey, especially when I got out my goggles and could do underwater tea party and races. She loves the pool!
- A crab hunt! We even let Luke stay up for this year's. We went out just as it was getting dark and David's cousin, aunt, grandma, and parents joined us. David and his cousin would try to catch them in their nets and then dump them in the bucket. We collected 13 and then released them. As we were walking back to our condo, a few fireworks went off in the distance. It was a magical ending to a really fun night.
- David's golf. He got to play three rounds with his uncle and Pawpaw. I know he had a wonderful time!
- A Mommy-Daddy-Daughter Date. This was the third year of our tradition and it was just as fun as the last two times. It was raining, so we couldn't do the all-outdoor seating DQ that we've gone to the last two years. We did manage to find another place that did hot dogs and ice cream and it was delicious. David and I took turns telling Audrey some of our favorite memories of kindergarten and she loved it. After she finished her bubble-gum flavored ice cream cone, we splashed our way through puddles and over to the souvenir shop across the street. We tried on silly hats, hunted for "Audrey" on the million personalized trinkets they had, and let her pick out a shell to buy (yes - we bought a shell at the beach. There aren't many whole ones on our stretch!) It was a lot of fun and we look forward to adding a Mommy-Daddy-Son Date next year with Luke.
- Playing cards with family after the kids were in bed. Getting out some snacks and gathering around the table for some good gab (the actual game is secondary) is one of my favorite parts of beach trips. We learned a new one this year called Skip-Bo that will definitely be added to the rotation.
- A date night. David and I took an evening off and went strolling around the shops on Flagler and then had a great dinner at Norwood's. We drove back to the condo and took a short stroll on the beach. I wonder how many times we've walked those spaces together? How our conversations have changed over the years!
- Getting to blog. I wrote 4.5 posts while I was down there, which is more than the entire month of June...and May and April, for that matter! That plus 2 naps were my goals for this trip and I'm proud to say I accomplished them. I wish I'd have snuck in a book, but you gotta leave a little room for growth for the next time, right?
- Extra time with extra family. We got to see David's parents and most of his mom's side, but we also stopped by my Great Uncle Ben and Aunt Bonnie's for a visit and then David's dad's brother came over for two separate visits while he was in Orlando for work. Great bonuses!
- Watching everyone enjoy and love on our kids. I don't think they had a single day without getting a little toy from someone nor were they ever at a loss for someone to entertain and snuggle them. We so appreciated it!
Another great vacation in NSB is in the books! Pictures are up and can be viewed by clicking here.
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