Beach Boys

Our first family vacation with all 4 of us!

As the summer came to a close, we went on our first family vacation as a family of four.  We drove to Amelia Island Plantation in Florida where my parents own a rental condo on the beach.  I've been going there every summer since I was a year old and now we go with my parents at least once a year.  This expedition marked Blake's first time going to the beach and out of state, and (not as notably) it was Dominic's fifth time going to the beach (his favorite place in the world, I'm pretty sure).  Brian, Dominic, Blake, and I headed down after dinner on night and met my parents there.  Packing for 3 people (Brian was the only one I didn't pack for) was a little stressful especially while having to supervise/play/take care of/enrich the boys, but I've always loved packing...unpacking is a different story, however!

The boys were a big help when I was packing. ;)

A minivan truck full of luggage and kid gear...thank God for the minivan!

The minivan was pretty full but surprisingly not filled to the brim.  It definitely made me thankful that we bought that vehicle because there was absolutely no way we could have driven down in the Accord with 2 kids and all of that kid gear!  We had to take 2 pack n plays, toys, pump parts, bottles, a stroller, and of course clothes.  It always astounds me that considering how little these boys are they require so much stuff!

Sunset on our date night

A friend of mine recently called these trips with kids a "working vacation" which is exactly what they are.  There's no more carelessly lying on the beach, listening to my iPod and/or reading a book or magazine.  Now I have to make sure that one son isn't consuming too much sand, while the other son nags me to play in the ocean with him.  As relaxing as this vacation was not, it really was a ton of fun watching Blake play in the sand (and by play I mean crawl around in it and eat it) and experience his first time at the beach with him and watch Dominic run around from and in the water and enjoy the wide open space.  I'm thankful that Dominic knows exactly how far he can go in the ocean before it's "too far" for him, so we didn't have to be on-guard with him too too much, although one of us typically stayed close.  There were some wipeouts for both boys in the ocean, but each and every time Dominic and Blake came up with huge smiles on their faces, obviously not being too negatively affected by the experiences.  After hearing their huge laughs all week, I think Blake and especially Dominic love the beach!

Most of the trip was spent floating from the beach back into the condo for feedings/meals and nap times then to the pool and back to the condo to get ready for dinner before we rushed to and from to get the boys to bed before it was too late.  We had the same schedule basically all day every day.  Blake's morning nap always seemed to affect how long we were able to spend at the beach each morning before we had to get back to feed both boys.  Having a baby on the trip definitely makes our schedule more rigid between his 2 naps and bottles as well as solids.  It's funny to realize how Dominic requires so much less structure since he only naps once a day and can snack preventing him from getting very hungry.  Going out to dinner was sometimes challenging because beach time seems to run at a slow pace, while Blake and especially can only sit down for dinner a total of about an hour before deciding they've had enough.  When we ate on the Plantation, we used the free tram to transport us back and forth, which was convenient (no car seats to strap the boys in!).  Dominic loved riding the "bus" out to dinner as I don't think he's ever ridden a bus other than the AI trams before.

jumping in the water, then swimming back to the side, getting out, and doing it all over again ...all with a HUGE smile!

At the pool, Dominic and Blake loved swimming and playing as always!  Dominic is doing better after the slight regression he had over a month ago when he learned to raise his head out of the water to take breaths.  At this point, Dominic is very independent in the pool (thankfully).  He can swim half the width of the pool by himself now.  Dominic now loves jumping into the pool from the side, swimming back to the wall, and then climbing out of the pool all by himself!  When I'm busy playing with Blake in the water, Dominic loves swimming a few feet away the stairs and back, going under the water, and just splashing around, all independently enough that all I have to do is just keep an eye on him without worrying too much.  It makes life so much easier for me and this is exactly the reason I believe parents should just start teaching children to swim as babies instead of wearing swimmies ever. 

9 months are already starting to swim on his own!

Blake is also now swimming a couple of seconds independently between us!  For both boys, this is without floaties/swimmies or any other flotation device (I wouldn't count that as swimming if they did).  Blake does it on his own and does a great job kicking already.  He seems to always want to be splashing around and get in the water, which I take as a great sign of what's to come.  I'm planning to continue working on swimming over the school year but with both boys this year instead of just Dominic like I did last winter!  I look forward to the time in the future when I can lie by the pool frozen drink in hand as the boys swim around confidently in the water, and I don't have to be on guard so much.  I know I have a couple of years of teaching before the boys and I are ready for that, but we're on our way.  However, by then we'll probably have another little one in our family to teach to swim. :)

The funniest thing to me is that after every family vacation, Brian comments that it doesn't feel like a real vacation like it used to, which I know is true, but it's a little different for me as a full-time mom versus one who has a paid career.  Until he spends 5 or 6 straight days with us, I don't think Brian truly understands how much energy chasing after 2 very active, little boys on a daily basis 24/7 requires.   The chasing is tiring in and of itself but keeping the boys as much on schedule as we can with naps, feeding them several times a day, and continuously making sure they're not getting into trouble - all while constantly multi-tasking and having to be especially on-the-ball and enthusiastic the entire day - can be completely and utterly exhausting.  With Brian there with us for 7 days straight, these vacations serve as excellent reminders to Brian about what I have to do day after day.  Plus although vacations like this can seem like more work considering that we're off schedule, don't have all of your typical supplies/toys, and most of all are in a non-child-proofed home, it is still a vacation for me in many ways as Brian helps me instead of me being on my own taking care of both boys.  Getting the extra help serves as a little break for me, which is very nice!  

As much work as these "working vacations" can be, they are worth it just for the fun the boys have as well as the great view.  There's nothing better in the world than seeing the huge smiles the beach put on Dominic and Blake's faces and of course spending time with my 3 favorite people in the world for a week. It's so fun to see how Dominic has changed since our last beach trip but still loves playing in the waves and being chased around in them the same way he did last summer.  I can't wait to see what Blake thinks next time! I may still be recovering from this "vacation," but it was worth every single, exhausting minute, and you really can't beat the view!  I look forward to the next beach vacation we go on!

Pool time with the fam!