A Spring Break Visit

The day that Tim's parents left, my mom and Zach arrived for Z's spring break. My dad wasn't able to come due to his work schedule, but we got to see him briefly later in the week when I dropped Zach off in Orlando.

It was so nice to have my family here and Mak got spoiled with more birthday gifts. Man oh man. Lucky little girl.

It was my family's first time meeting Ginger, and of course Zach aka Dr. Dolittle was in love.

We had an awesome time eating out, getting ice cream, watching scary movies, playing outside, going bowling, playing tennis and just relaxing. Time always goes by too fast. 

I had an adorable video of Zach and Mak playing ball, with lots of belly laughs, but it disappeared off my phone and is trapped on iPhoto...which makes me sad. I'll have to figure out how to get it on here because it is too cute.

Mak really enjoyed reading with Grandma and Zach. She just kept bringing over more and more books. 

Makaela also enjoyed rocking the tiara Grandma brought her in honor of her birthday. Such a princess.

My mom had to leave Tuesday to get back to work, and as always it was sad to see her go, but we were excited that Zach was able to stay until Saturday. I love spending time with him and he is helpful too!

This family photo at McDonald's deserves a frame, no?

But for real, this one is one of my faves of these two <3

Later in the week, Makaela got her 1 year photos done (can't wait to get them and post them!) and Zach got to be the photographer's assistant, hauling props and holding up special things to block and angle the sun. After we were done with the photos, we headed to the zoo so Zach could meet the baby wolf I had told him all about.

He wanted to take that wolf home BADLY.

Zach also got up close and personal with a 12 pound snake. Yikes...

We fed animals, almost got charged by a psychotic donkey (scary!) and made friends with this fella...

And this little nugget just kicked back in her stroller, snacking on crackers. A girl needs to relax after her photo shoot, duh.

On Saturday, Zach, Mak and I headed to Orlando where we would be meeting my Dad to drop Zach off. Unfortunately, Tim couldn't join us because he got called in to fly. The drive down was great though. Zach had Makaela belly laughing in the backseat and she even snorted. It was hilarious. 

Since we got on the road early Saturday, we got to Orlando at a decent time and were able to enjoy the pool at our hotel, go out to eat and relax in our room. 

We set up Makaela's pack and play in the bathroom so she would be in a different "room" because we knew there would be no chance of her going to sleep while we were sitting right there watching TV. She went to bed okay, but did have some trouble sleeping throughout the night as I expected. Oh well, it could have been way worse.  

My dad got to our hotel early in the morning and we got to have breakfast with him but then we all had to hit the road. He just loves his little grandbaby and she loved seeing him in real life instead of on Skype :)

It is really nice living within a reasonable driving distance from family and hopefully we will all meet up again soon.

Not gonna lie though, I was TOTALLY nervous/dreading making the 6 hour drive back on Sunday by myself with Mak because there would be no one in the backseat to entertain her or hand her her pacifier 15 times, but she was a GEM. I don't know how I got so lucky. I tried to prepare for the worst and had a bag full of snacks, drinks, and toys that I could keep handing her to keep her calm, which definitely came in handy.  I'm not in any hurry to road trip solo again, but at least I know it is doable!

Oh, I must include these photos from the rainy rest-stop picnic me and Mak had on the way home.

Love that baby <3

Sensory Sunday Funday: At the Beach!

This weekend we took a little day trip down to Destin, FL (which is right on the Gulf) to enjoy the sun and the beach. It was one of those last minute trips where you wake up in the morning and decide to go for it. See you can still be spontaneous with a kid, hahah.

I do love that we are only 1.5-2 hours away from some really great beaches. The drive is just the right length for a Makaela car nap :)

Last week we played in fake sand (brown sugar) and this week she got to play with the real deal. Man did she love it. She picked it up, dumped it, pushed it around and ate it, of course. 

The weather was great. Warm water, a nice breeze, quite sunny but not too hot. We rented an umbrella so we could seek refuge from the hot rays. We didn't explore the area TOO much because it was just a quick trip, but we'll definitely be heading down there again. I did notice lots of places that cleverly had "destin" incorporated into their name. "Destin-y's Landing" "Destin-y Villas" etc. Har har har. 

We tried going to a restaurant that had been recommended by several people but that was a total fail. Wah Wah. Apparently on Saturdays they don't serve food? Bummer! So it was basically a bar and people looked at me awkwardly as I fed Makaela applesauce while Daddy finished his beer, lol. 

So...we ended up elsewhere for dinner. When in Rome Florida....

I mean, if you're going to go to Hooters you may as well do it in Florida where it all began. Notice how Makaela is not looking at the camera....just like Daddy she was checking out the umm hooters. And can I just say I don't think this will be Mak's last time here. Those Hooters girls swarmed the table like flies to play with my girl! Daddy was in heaven. I must say, they all were really sweet and the food was actually quite delicious.

Destin, I can't wait till we meet again. I want to get to know you inside and out. 

Let's go to the beach, each, let's go get away...

Guess who went on a mini-road trip to Panama City Beach?!

That's right, we did. One perk of our new location is that we are only 2 hours from some gorgeous white-sandy beaches.

Truth be told, I'd been feeling a little burnt out on the 'bama. Life was feeling a little repetitive and this is exactly what we needed to spice it up. The fact that baby girl actually slept in the car for the first time in a long time really sweetened the road trip deal. 

The hotel we stayed at was family friendly, but there weren't many kids around being that most schools down here are already back in session....jackpot. 

The weather was picture perfect and comfortable, and this is coming from the girl that gets moody in the heat. We enjoyed hanging out by the pool and taking Mak for a swim. The child loves to kick kick kick, I could see her little diaper butt going up and down all the way from the other end of the pool. 

Did I mention we started out the stay with some free drink coupons? Of course Mak came prepared with her own special cocktail. 

As per usual, we stuffed our faces and then asked each other whyyyyyy we allowed ourselves to overeat again. But in the heat of the moment, countless shrimp and crab legs are impossible to turn down. We've all been there, am I right?

We enjoyed a walk along the beach before bed. The sand was heavenly. Like the kind you can actually go barefoot on without cutting your feet on rocks and shells.

At night the resort also put on some fun shows. There was a magician, there was a hula dancing show (the cutest hula girl is pictured below) and right before bed time they even brought out a huge outdoor movie screen and played a movie poolside.

In the morning we got up early (no need for an alarm clock when you've got a baby that is hungry every few hours...) and went down to the beach to take a dip in the gulf, and contraire to what the picture looks like below it was NOT a skinny dip, haha.

The little girl loved having her toes in the water, ass in the sand piggies in the sand, and she loved going in the Gulf, however, she did NOT like standing on the shore and having the water pull the sand away from under her feet. Gotta draw the line somewhere. Sheesh. 

After hanging at the beach, we got some yummy breakfast and some of us took naps. Not going to name any names....

Then, I went and got a massage, a lovely much-appreciated birthday present from the hubs. It was just what I needed and daddy and daughter got some one on one time at the pool that ended like this...

We didn't want to leave. I must admit, the south is growing on me. This was a great overnight trip that I hope we can do again soon. We've heard great things about the beaches in Destin and want to check those out as well. 

And I would like to end with a little PSA if you will. I'm going to have to assume that second to last bullet point had to be added after some sort of "incident." I have no words.