Destin, FL 2009

Ok, I know...I should have warned you about all of the pictures. But, in my defense...this is my scrapbook and I had to include a little of everything. Where to begin??? We had a great time in Destin this year! We spent a week with my parents and my brother's family enjoying a lot of rest and relaxation. Cole was so much fun and so different than he was last year. Last year Cole hated the ocean and everything about being away from home but this year he LOVED it! He actually got in the water with Rhonald and had fun. He loved feeling the water on his toes. By the end of the week he was taking his sand bucket to the water and filling it up - only to dump the water out on the way back to our spot because it was so heavy. He would repeat that sequence over and over as long as we would let him. Cole loved the water but he REALLY loved the sand! Oh my goodness - he would run and run and fall down on purpose. I don't think he ever stopped laughing when he was playing in the sand. Watching him have such a good time was so much fun for us-it made us laugh just as much! Getting to spend time with our niece, Kylie, and nephews, Luke and Tyler, was one of the highlights for me. We usually only see them once or twice a year so being with them for a week was great! Another bonus to this trip was how much time Cole was able to spend with everyone. I love that he is getting to know his cousins better and really looks up to them. They were so sweet to play with him and help us watch him. Rhonald and I were able to sneak away for dinner twice which was awesome! I celebrated my 31st birthday on our vacation (holy cow - I know). Rhonald took me to the very best restaurant I have ever been to for my birthday...The Beach Walk Cafe. The picture of the beach above is the view from our table. It was amazing and I felt so blessed to be there and enjoy that with him. Cole actually slept well every night and traveled well in the car (thank goodness). We were so proud of him and how well he adjusted and how he seemed to just go with the flow. Cole loved playing in the pool and splashing around with the boys and my dad. He was able to spend a lot of time getting hugs and reading with my mom. Rhonald, my dad, my brother and Luke went deep sea fishing one morning and caught a ton of yummy fish! They caught their limit of King Mackerel, Red Snapper and Grouper. They had a wonderful time and actually commented that they were tired of catching fish by the end of the morning! We are so thankful that we were able to spend this time with our family and make so many wonderful memories. We were exhausted once we got home but after one good night of sleep we were already talking about going back next year! Now that is how you know you had a great vacation!