Pensacola 2015: Days One Through Four

We spent last week in Pensacola Beach with my family for our annual beach vacation. Many popsicles and frozen adult drinks were consumed, no one got sunburned, the kids loved bathing in the ‘'crazy hose,” and it only took Rory two days to get used to the sand. Winning on all accounts.

 

We arrived in Pensacola around lunchtime on Saturday, June 13. Like last year, we went to Shaggy’s to eat lunch and to kill some time before our vacation house was ready. Once again, Rory loved playing in the big cups of ice water.

We got to the house around 2pm, unpacked the cars, and let the kids loose in the sand. Nola gave Riley a new Star Wars bathing suit, and he was ecstatic to try it out.

  

We bathed them downstairs in the outside shower (SO efficient!) and soon they were clean, PJ’d, fed, and ready for their first night in the kids’ room. All three of them slept in the same room every night this year, and, despite lots of giggling and talking the first night, they did really great with the sleeping arrangement the whole week. Rory was actually the most vocal one of the bunch.

Kenny and I had a big debate before we left about whether or not to let Riley bring Legos on the trip, but we decided to let him choose a few to bring in a lidded tub that he could only play with at the table. He accepted that quite easily, and even let Kate check Hulk out the morning of our second day, while Rory ate breakfast with Tiger wrapped around his neck.

 

Kate, in turn, gave Riley a check-up another morning. She would often go up to one of us and ask, “So what’s wrong with you today?” So cute, even though I wondered why she thought something was wrong with me the first time she asked.

We headed out after breakfast and inside playtime on our second day and had a great morning. Sand was played in, trucks were pushed around, and fishing poles were introduced.

Oh, and swimming and dock jumping. Of course.

After lunch while the kids napped, the adults took a break as well…..

…..but then we were right back at it once the three cousins were awake. And before we knew it, it was bedtime again.

  

Day three was more of the same: sun, surf, and sand, only in different bathing suits. Princess Kate actually had a new suit for every day. And all three of them loved having their morning snack outside in their beach chairs every day.

 

 

But perhaps the kids’ favorite time of day was after nap when it was popsicle time. They each had a popsicle treat every afternoon. Kate almost always chose blue, but my two switched their colors up from day to day. However, Rory was funniest when he ate a red; it looked like he had a really bloody mouth and arms after he was finished!

  

  

Nopsi of course brought his boat and went out fishing the first three mornings. He also took everyone on a boat ride on Monday afternoon. Kate got to drive for a bit, and Riley and I even went tubing. I sat up with him in my lap last year, but this time we laid down on our bellies. MUCH preferable. In fact, we giggled almost the entire time we tubed, especially when we bounced over the boat’s wake. Such a great memory with my boy.

However, the boat’s engine quit on Nopsi when he was out on Tuesday morning. He used the trolling motor to get back most of the way, but then that died on him as well when he was just in sight of the house. I ended up flagging down two guys on jetskis, who were gracious enough to tow Nopsi back into our dock. He wasn’t able to go out again, much to his dismay.

 

On night three we started reading books together before bed. We took turns letting the kids pick which books to read, and it worked out quite well. Except when Riley whined to read his superhero book one night instead. I crawled into his bed with him to do so, only it was no easy task. Kenny had pulled down the two top bunk mattresses to act as barriers to the lower bunks so Kate and Riley wouldn’t fall out at night, which made getting into them a bit awkward. At least for a 35-year-old.

But they loved the set-up that Kenny created for them this year in the kids’ room. He realized on the drive over that he had forgotten his bungee cords and straps that he used to make the tent last year, but this different way of doing things seemed to be just fine with the three kids.

Day four was when Riley and Kate gave paddleball a try. They looked so darn cute and were trying so darn hard but they just couldn’t get the hang of it and eventually decided to rest in the hammocks instead. Big “A” for effort, though!

 

 

Then everyone got in the water to cool off, splash around, and play before lunch.

Naptime on day four was when Kenny snagged three crabs out of the water using one of Nopsi’s fishing poles and small pieces of hot dog. The kids loved seeing the crabs after their nap; in fact, Riley was even brave enough to hold one. So proud of him.

 

Crabs weren’t the only wildlife we saw, though. There were TONS of fish, many crabs and snails, stingrays, and lots of birds. And we saw dolphins on a few occasions. Needless to say, Erin did not go into the water very much at all.

Day four was also when Uncle Jeff set up his awesome bubble machine. The kids loved it, and Rory would have preferred it stay on the whole time. Alas, it went through bubbles way too fast for that.

One more dip in the water (and some dock jumping) and then it was time to head inside for the night.

After these three played in the crazy hose, they relaxed with Cars on the little tv in the kids’ room before bed. Another fun day at the beach would be here before they knew it.

The recap of the second half of our trip is coming up next!