Family Fun in Pensacola

So apparently when I find a good book and/or series, I drop everything and spend all my free alone time reading that book.  This explains why I have neglected this blog for a little while.  I apologize, but this probably won't change anytime soon.  I just finished an awesome series (His Dark Materials) and now I'm looking for a new world to be absorbed into (always open to suggestions!).  Anyway, I'm going to try to postpone starting anything new until I catch up on this blog!  And we've had a lot of fun in the past few weeks, so I've got a lot to do!

On our St. Pete/wedding road trip extravaganza, we were fortunate to stop in Pensacola on the way there and back to see our families.  However, we had so little time with them that we were anxious to get back and see everyone.  Luckily, Michael had a Thursday and Friday off one week due to a conference that some students and teachers were attending.  After the 32 hours in five days we did on the road in May, we figured this trip would be a breeze with lots of downtime.  So we packed up and on Thursday headed south.

Paul napped a little on the way down, but didn't have much fun in the car.  He was done with the whole car thing by the time we got to my mom's house and was clearly telling us this with his tears.  As soon as we opened the door and he saw his Grammy, his whole attitude changed.  He was thrilled to see her!  He also happened to spy a neighbor's cat across the street (half-hidden in the grass) and said "Cat! Cat!" pointing at it.  I mention this because for the entire weekend, when we went to my mom's house, he always looked first for the cat (and sometimes found it), and then continued to point in the general direction saying "cat" whenever we were in the house.

For a little while he just played with the little piano Grammy has for him at her house and ran around the house.  It was nice to have a little rest time before the Harris clan came over for a pizza party.  Of course my aunt Jean came as well, and my cousin Haley's boyfriend, Caleb, who is pretty awesome.  I miss seeing my family often, so I always enjoy spending time with them when I can.

We had a mini-photo shoot in the front yard.

My beautiful cousin Haley with Paul.

 I think this is such a sweet picture.

 

He was loving it.

Around 7:30 p.m. (about 45 minutes past Paul's bedtime) Paul wanted me to hold him and started waving bye-bye to everyone.  This is something he has done before, when our play time with friends starts cutting into his nap time.  He also does it when he is nursing and just about to fall asleep, although not often.  I think it is the cutest thing.  He is already asserting his own needs to others, but still handling himself quite politely.  We took that as our cue to leave and head back to home base at Michael's parents' house.  As worn out as Paul was, he was just as thrilled to see Mimi and Papa and sprung back into action as soon as we set foot in the house.  He stayed up another hour playing.   If only this translated to an extra hour of sleep, but it never seems to.

I was determined to get Paul to the beach so Friday morning we got to Casino Beacharound 8:30 a.m.  This ended up being a perfect time, since it was Paul's peak happy-playtime, the beach wasn't crowded yet and the sun wasn't beating down as hard as it was bound to be in a few hours' time.  Paul had an awesome time playing in the sand.  We filled up a little watering can for him and he would spend his time pouring it on the sand, and then ask us to refill it, holding it out and saying "cup" which is his word for water of any kind (playing or drinking).  He would wander away from us, but away from the water and well within sight.  It was nice because we could see him and know he was safe, while also letting him gain a little independence.

For some reason, I think he crawled this whole way.  He was fascinated by the sand and kept laying in it and scooting backward.

Coming back to us after his little adventure out.

This watering can may be Paul's favorite toy -- definitely his favorite outside/pool toy.  Unfortunately the handle is broken so we are trying to find a replacement.

Paul was starting to wander a little too far so Michael had to go rein him in.

Haley and Caleb joined us after a little while.  We had a great time with them and are so glad they came out to hang with us so early in the morning.

Paul had so much fun that he fell asleep in the car on the way back.  Not only that, but he fell asleep with a piece of swirl bread from J's Bakery.  The sugar from the bread and sand from the beach covered his face.  I'd say that's a pretty good combo.

Everyone was worn out so we all took a nice, long nap after lunch.  Resting up a bit before visiting with Michael's family.  I'll continue this saga in the next post.