Holy Moly we love the beach! This year we went to Panama City. We had never been before (well, Todd has been once before in his younger, singl-er, days), but we've never been as a family. It was super crowded and I'm not sure we would choose to go there again, BUT the beach was BEAUTIFUL and we had the best time ever so the crowds didn't bother us too much. The weather was good and we hit the beach and the pool every day. We loved our condo - the amenities were fantastic and the view was perfect. We even saw dolphins from our balcony!
Going to the beach with my family is one of my favorite childhood memories, so being at the beach with Cade and Luke is extra-special. Watching them on the beach is so funny - the way they approach their ocean-fun perfectly sums up their personalities. Cade had a love-at-first-sight relationship with the ocean. Every time we go to the beach and walk down to the ocean for the first time, he runs, full speed into the water with the biggest smile on his face. He's so adventurous and fearless - boogie boarding, diving under waves, getting totally tossed around, dunked under - and comes up with a huge smile every time. He can't get enough! This year, he bought an inflatable boat from a tourist shop and had the time of his life "white water rafting" on a red-flag ocean day. We are in for a wild ride with this high-sensation seeker!
Lukey, on the other hand, is a bit more cautious. He prefers to spend his time on the beach building sand castles and playing peacefully with his ocean animals. We got a video of him doing a crazy dance (unaware that anyone was watching - or recording) on the beach. He loves to play in the water, but is TOTALLY hesitant with the ocean. On our last day there, he went out to his knees and he tolerated the ocean while I held him. He giggled and giggled as the big waves crashed into our backs. We were calling them the "Gina Giant" waves - I could listen to his laugh all day for the rest of my life.
Both boys loved the pool - their favorite thing is jumping into the pool from the side. They literally did it 50 times in a row. Lukey especially loved the hot tub! :)
One of the highlights of our trip was a Pirate Cruise. It was the best! The boys (and all the other kids on the cruise) had a water gun fight, swabbed the deck, had a sword fight, heard a pirate story, pulled up a treasure chest from the ocean. Totally awesome!
We now have the post-beach blues, but we are so grateful for the memories we made and we're already looking forward to next year's beach trip.
