Vivie in Florida Part 2

What a lucky baby Vivie is; she is not even six months old and she has already been to the beach twice! We are blessed with such a great family, who always likes to have fun!
This trip was planned by Shane's dad, Steve, and it was another major success for Vivie! However, things started off a little shaky as we left on Friday afternoon. Steve, Grace, Selah, Shane, and I decided to drive down to Montgomery, stay the night, and then finish the drive to Destin on Saturday morning. Vivie did great in the car, and around 11 p.m. we decided to stop outside Montgomery. Once we stopped, every single hotel at that exit was booked, but one of the desk clerks reassured us that there would definitely be hotels available about an hour away, so we decided to keep going. And going, and going, and going. Every single hotel room was booked even in Destin, so we resigned ourselves to the fact that we would have to sleep in our cars. Finally Steve found 2 rooms at a Motel 6, but they were smoking rooms. Yuck! The smell was awful, but we made it through for the 6 hours we were there. We were so ready to check into our condo!

Once we arrived at the condo on Saturday the trip was great. Sloan and Ginny came down with the girls, followed by Uncle LoLo. Vivie had such a great time being entertained by all her cousins, and mommy loved that Vivie spent her early mornings with Papa! Papa was so sweet to let mommy and daddy sleep in while he fed, changed, and played with Vivie.
Vivie loved the pool, and had a great time on the beach, except for when Shane sat down with her and the tide rolled in and a giant wave almost took her out! She was not a fan of that at all! Luckily Daddy held on to her really tight! She maintained her easy going personality and laughed and smiled the entire trip. All 3 of the big girls were swimming on their own by the end of the trip, which was very exciting! We had a yummy dinner at The Back Porch, and at my new favorite restaurant Dewey Destin. The seafood there is amazing, and the outdoor setting is perfect for Florida. We did get a few strange looks when we propped Vivie up on the pier by herself for a picture!

Most nights we stayed in and cooked and relaxed in our pajamas. It was so much fun to just hang out with the family and laugh and talk. It is so nice to slow down for a little bit and experience joy through the little things. I love it when we are in Destin and happiness equals someone going underwater for the first time, jumping off the side of the pool all by yourself, sitting on a swing talking, a hermit crab, rice krispy treats, a perfect hot and sunny day, sleeping in, outlet mall shopping, the perfect seafood dinner, I could go on and on.
We are looking forward to next year, when hopefully we can go to the beach again with the family. The memories that are being made with these 5 incredible little girls are priceless, and each summer brings new blessings and new experiences. How fortunate we are to all have each other, and the guarantee that no matter what happens in life there are always people who are going to offer love, laughter, and support. It's even better when that occurs near a beach! :)