To the beach and back

Grandma Beulah spent a few weeks at the beach so she invited us to come stay with her for a few days.  Because of ice and snow tutorial was canceled for the boys so we were able to head out Monday morning.  We loaded up with Renee and headed south.  After traveling all day we arrived in Navarre Beach, Florida around supper time.  Grandma Beulah was going to cook spaghetti, but we insisted that we wanted seafood so we went out to eat.
Here's Andrew upon our arrival...

The next morning Jack needed to see the sand so we bundled up and headed for a walk.

The first day we were there it was overcast in the morning (while we did school work) and then beautiful in the afternoon.  The first day we were there the highs were in the mid 60's and absolutely beautiful.  The second day we were there it was a bit cooler and remained overcast all day.  From the 12th floor we saw dolphins swimming.  If you look closely at the picture below you can see them.  There were four.  

The boys played in the ocean and then swam in the hot tub and heated pool.  The pool was so warm there was steam rising from it.  The ocean was so cold that when a wave hit Clayton he yelled, "Whoa!! My crotch has ice in it!"  Normally I would ask him not to yell so loudly.  It did not matter we were the only people on the beach, much less in the water.  Thankfully.  

Andrew is a bit timid with some things.  He kept his socks and shoes on for the first day that we were on the beach for fear that a crab might bite him.  I told him I was 35 and had never been bitten by a crab so I thought he was safe.  Not skipping a beat Jack said, "Well, I'm seven and I've barfed twice in the ocean."  Again, so thankful for solitude.  

We enjoyed sticky buns and cinnamon rolls from a local bakery and completed school (Our bakery treats were $42, but that's a story in and of itself!) and then headed outside to the beach.  I was bundled up.  My boys were in the water.  Knuckleheads.  

I'm not sure what Andrew is doing here, but he was so excited.  And he finally took off his shoes...yeah!  Can you see the boys in the background?  The air temperature was around 50 and the water was around 65.  Again...Knuckleheads.  

At one point Jack was running from a wave and he tripped.  He fell in about 2 inches of water and his body looked like a fish flailing out of the water.  He was screaming and laughing because he was so cold.  I thought for sure he was done, but nope.  He got right in.  The image of him flailing on the beach brings me great joy.  I play it over and over in my mind.  

 I told the boys to jump for joy and this is the photo I got.  Classic.  Once again, Jack has provided me with a lot of laughs.  That kid is SO funny.

Jack gets a little restless and needs to go outside at times. When this occurred on our trip I took him on a 3-4 mile walk.  I'm not quite sure he was bargaining for this, but we had a good time.  The majority of our walk was over the two bridges that lead in to the island.  The first bridge was concrete with a walking path.  The second bridge was much higher and turned from concrete to metal grating.  It was unsettling to say the least.  About halfway up the bridge Jack said, "I don't know what everyone is doing back at the condo, but someone is going to have to come get us.  I'm not walking back over that again."  I agreed with him, but we did it anyway.  It was really a lot of fun actually.  I would also like to note that the jacket I'm wearing is not mine.  I can now officially wear my boys clothes.  Thank goodness.  That walk would have been cold without it! 

Here's Grandma Beulah with her pre-dinner snack of Doritos.  Each night we went to dinner and before we left you could always find her munching on some Doritos.  This too brings me great joy.

We loaded up Thursday and headed out.  We snapped a couple of pictures before leaving.  I love this crew.  

 While I was packing the car the boys grabbed my phone and snapped a couple of selfies.  Nice.

It was a quick trip, but a really good trip.  We had a blast!  The beach in the winter is one of my favorite places to be.  Honestly, I enjoy the beach in the winter better than I do in the summer.  It is just so peaceful.  

Saturday my mom and I went to the Southern Women's Show in Memphis.  As we were walking to the door I saw this...

What mom of three boys would not snap a picture?  How funny is this picture?!?

The boys played at Shelby Farms and then we all met for yogurt at Menchie's.  It was a great Saturday!