Pensacola

We had the most WONDERFUL vacation in Pensacola, Florida last weekend.  Shortly after we decided we were coming to Alabama, Jeremy's parents thought it would be fun to meet at the beach for Memorial Day weekend.  We are only 2.5 hours away from some of the most gorgeous beaches!  Jeremy got Friday AND Monday off so we had a nice long time to get outta town. :)

We left Thursday night and came back Monday afternoon.  It was seriously so wonderful.  It was relaxing and beautiful and just what we all needed - especially after a certain horrifying giant-cockroach-running-around-the-kitchen episode I had the day before, but whatever.  It was fun to have so much one on one time with Jeremy's parents.  They are such wonderful people and I'm so grateful to have such awesome in-laws!  The kids just had a blast and it was really great for them to have some time with their grandparents.  Most of the time Jeremy's dad goes on vacation he ends up working to repair someone's house, or put up a fence (who made him do that? oops), or what not, so it was nice to see both of them enjoying some relaxation.  We got to soak up lots of sun and it felt so good!  It was super hot and humid, but it was perfect for the beach.

Here's a little map of Pensacola.  It's on the west end of the Florida panhandle.  We stayed near the A, then drove across the 2 long bridges (one was over 3 miles long!) down to that beautiful strip of beach down at the bottom.  We went to 3 different spots - one each day - and found great beaches that were free from the crowds.  It was amazing!

Here are a ton of pictures from our fun.  On Saturday night, Jeremy's parents stayed with the kids and we went to a movie!  It was so fun to have a little date (no pictures though).  Oh, and after church on Sunday we went to the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola.  It was so cool!  Not only was it free (yea!), but it had a ton of airplanes and helicopters from the last 100 years.  Very neat.  We were especially excited to see the Sea Hawk: the helicopter that they make at the Sikorsky factory here in Troy where Jeremy is working!  That was a treat.  Enjoy the pictures...

FYI, The first day of pictures is from our dying camera - pretty terrible - then next 3 days are from Grammy and Papa's. (if you're on facebook, these are repeats, sorry)

 Relaxation at its best!  These rafts were perfect.

 The boys had a great time playing in the sand.

 At the hotel pool.

 Ahhh!  I want to go back.  The sand was like sugar.

 Cutie!

 Papa found lots of beautiful shells.

 Best seat in the house.

 Eli's favorite thing was to "float in the boat".

 Breakfast in the hotel.

 In front of the Sea Hawk!

 They had several you could sit in.  Lots of buttons to push and knobs to turn!

 Sea Hawk again.

 Eli thought this was very cool. :)

 This was Connor's favorite thing.  He was so adorable.  He loved the water!

 Love these pictures:

 View from the ocean (or Gulf, I should say) looking out at our set-up.  On the other side of the road we were on is the bay.  And Jeremy's changing Connor's wet, poopy, sandy diaper. He deserved an award for that one!

 Ahhh, I told my mom-in-law, this will be my "happy place" I think of when I'm dealing with a tantrum or the next time I'm in labor or something.  Just think of the rolling waves, white sand, and beautiful water...

It was so beautiful. I'm so glad Jeremy's parents made all that effort to come out!  There isn't a very close airport, so they had to drive quite awhile to get there, and we're very glad they did.  As for us, we are definitely planning on going back to the beach.  I know there are lots of great beaches down along the panhandle, so we are excited to try some more out!  Especially since they're only 2.5 hours away.  It also so happens that my sister Wendy is moving to Sarasota, FL in a few weeks (8 hours from us) so we're planning a trip for the 4th of July.  My parents finally decided they're going to come too!  Yea!  More grandparent time!  Jeremy gets 3 days off of work (rough life, I know), so we get a great 5-day vacation out of it.  Woohoo!