The kids loved looking for shells and the little shelled creatures who quickly bury themselves in the wet sand. They even had the adults helping them!
One day when we were at the beach, we saw a fin at the end of the pier - luckily it was this dolphin who seemed to be enjoying all the attention he was getting!
The dolphin wasn't the only wildlife on the beach - these ghost crabs were very busy digging holds in the sand. We didn't see many during the day, but saw several one night when we were near the beach after dinner. Because they are the same color as the sand, they were hard to spot unless you sat still and watched for their movement. This one seemed to look right at me!
The kids' favorite activity was "jumping the waves!" 
I loved the pier! I don't remember ever going to a beach that had one quite like this - it was such a great back drop for photos!
Of course, no trip to the beach is complete without a couple of sand castles!
That cutie in the last picture is our niece/cousin. Her dad is an Air Force Pilot and they are stationed in Panama City. We stayed at their wonderful home while we visited. We were so glad they were willing to put up with the extra mess, activity, and sand in their home. It was so much fun to see them and have the cousins spend so much time together. Matigan and Elliott thought everything she did was so cute and both wanted to help her all the time. Of course, she wanted to do everything herself! What 17 month old doesn't?
These pictures were taken at the kids' favortie restaurant. We ate at several nice places, but this one was special to them because of the play area which we could see from our table and the closeness to the beach. They liked it so much they even ate some shrimp and tried some fish - they are not seafood lovers (much like me), so this was a big thing to them. To show them that even we could be adventurous - Kris and I ate some oysters. They were surprisingly not too bad.
Did I mention that we drove down there and back? Yep - 20 hours straight! It really wasn't too bad, but not something I'd want to do too frequently. We went with Kris' parents, so we had several drivers which made it easier. They were kind enough to let us take their van, and it was packed! Because of his work schedule, Kris wasn't able to go down with us, so he flew down a couple of days later and we picked him up at the airport. On our way back, we went to the beach in Destin and drove through some of the seaside towns. My favorite was the one aptly called "Seaside." It was too cute! Brick-lined streets and cute, colorful bungalows. It was actually used in the movie "The Truman Show." For all you Vera Bradley fans, they have a hotel in Seaside that is owned and furnished by Vera Bradley and you get a bag as part of your package! Would love to visit it!
One day was kinda rainy and stormy and the beaches were actually closed, so we decided to see some of the other areas. We went to an outside shopping area called Pier Park where the kids rode on a carousel and we at some frozen custard. We also played some mini golf.
One day when we were at the beach, we saw a fin at the end of the pier - luckily it was this dolphin who seemed to be enjoying all the attention he was getting!
The dolphin wasn't the only wildlife on the beach - these ghost crabs were very busy digging holds in the sand. We didn't see many during the day, but saw several one night when we were near the beach after dinner. Because they are the same color as the sand, they were hard to spot unless you sat still and watched for their movement. This one seemed to look right at me!
The kids' favorite activity was "jumping the waves!" I loved the pier! I don't remember ever going to a beach that had one quite like this - it was such a great back drop for photos!Of course, no trip to the beach is complete without a couple of sand castles!That cutie in the last picture is our niece/cousin. Her dad is an Air Force Pilot and they are stationed in Panama City. We stayed at their wonderful home while we visited. We were so glad they were willing to put up with the extra mess, activity, and sand in their home. It was so much fun to see them and have the cousins spend so much time together. Matigan and Elliott thought everything she did was so cute and both wanted to help her all the time. Of course, she wanted to do everything herself! What 17 month old doesn't?These pictures were taken at the kids' favortie restaurant. We ate at several nice places, but this one was special to them because of the play area which we could see from our table and the closeness to the beach. They liked it so much they even ate some shrimp and tried some fish - they are not seafood lovers (much like me), so this was a big thing to them. To show them that even we could be adventurous - Kris and I ate some oysters. They were surprisingly not too bad.More pictures at Toucan's Restaurant:
Did I mention that we drove down there and back? Yep - 20 hours straight! It really wasn't too bad, but not something I'd want to do too frequently. We went with Kris' parents, so we had several drivers which made it easier. They were kind enough to let us take their van, and it was packed! Because of his work schedule, Kris wasn't able to go down with us, so he flew down a couple of days later and we picked him up at the airport. On our way back, we went to the beach in Destin and drove through some of the seaside towns. My favorite was the one aptly called "Seaside." It was too cute! Brick-lined streets and cute, colorful bungalows. It was actually used in the movie "The Truman Show." For all you Vera Bradley fans, they have a hotel in Seaside that is owned and furnished by Vera Bradley and you get a bag as part of your package! Would love to visit it!One day was kinda rainy and stormy and the beaches were actually closed, so we decided to see some of the other areas. We went to an outside shopping area called Pier Park where the kids rode on a carousel and we at some frozen custard. We also played some mini golf.
Elliott loved all the local creatures. He captured this picture at the gecko climbed on the rocking chair.
He also caught this cute little tree frog which he really wanted to keep, but I wasn't in to bringing this along in the van, plus when we researched it, tree frogs require a lot of work. Elliott did catch a cricket for it though, and it ate it!
Finally, we took some more formal pictures on the beach at sunset. I think they turned out pretty well!
He also caught this cute little tree frog which he really wanted to keep, but I wasn't in to bringing this along in the van, plus when we researched it, tree frogs require a lot of work. Elliott did catch a cricket for it though, and it ate it!Finally, we took some more formal pictures on the beach at sunset. I think they turned out pretty well! 
3 comments:
Awesome trip...Now I wanna go to the beach!! Sure am glad that you are back though. :)
Looks like you had a SUPER time!! We have been thinking of driving to Florida also. The beach pictures are great!
Love all the pictures and stories! We are so glad you all were able to come visit! We hope we'll be able to see you again soon! Miss you and love you!
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