Rosemary Beach

We just got back from our first family vacation- just the three of us.  I've grown up going to Seaside since I was a kid, and really have never ventured out of the perfectly-planned community that Seaside is.  I'd really never heard of Rosemary Beach until the last time we went to Seaside, and had never seen it until we arrived last Wednesday.  It was the sweetest time to be together as a family.  The mornings were early, and the days were full of activity, but I think Clay would agree that we will treasure our first little trip forever.

 After a 4 hour drive, we made it to our condo at Rosemary Beach.

We were so excited to be there, and absolutely loved where we stayed!

 Dinner at Cowgirl Kitchen the first night.

 Please excuse the body outline on the sidewalk behind us.

It was part of their Halloween Festival.

 We even had time to watch the sunset on the beach.

Our condo was right above a coffee shop where I would have coffee in the mornings.

 We made it on the beach every morning by 8:30ish.

The weather was incredible- hot enough that all of us went swimming in the ocean!

Clay swimming in the ocean.

 Last time at the beach, George had a love-hate relationship with the sand/beach in general.

This time it was all love, all the time.

I'm really thankful for this since we're heading to Charleston next week!

 We walked to this little restaurant called George's for lunch the first day.

We really went because it was named George's, and then found it to be this little culinary heaven at the beach.  George really hammed it up for everyone there, and he was the hit of the lunch hour.

 After a stroller + crib nap, we headed to the indoor pool.

 We came here everyday!  It was a heated pool, and heated pool deck, and attached to a little park.

Plus, we had the pool to ourselves every time we went, and George loved hearing his voice echo.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but George LOVED Rosemary Beach.

We went to a nice dinner on Thursday night, since they had an early bird special...and we always eat early enough to be considered 'early birds'.

George was pretty worn out, so he wasn't in the mood to sit quietly, but we had a delicious dinner and then hit the hay early that night.

 I did not exaggerate when I say that our mornings started early.

This picture was taken after George's early-morning wake-up call.

I can't bring myself to admit what time we woke up each morning on our vacation.

 But George's heart was on the beach, and he needed to spend as much time as he could taking it all in.

 He even went exploring- and loved every inch of the beach.

 He settled for the pool, but we all knew it just put a band-aid over the hole in his heart for the sand and ocean air.

The swing was the only thing that would cure his longing for the beach.

He is truly obsessed with swinging, and pitches a huge fit when it's time to stop.

I worry that one day someone is going to call the police thinking I'm a kidnapper, because that's the look of betrayal George gives us when it's time to stop swinging.

 This could be my second favorite picture of the trip (#1 to follow...)

 Our best dinner was at La Cocina near Rosemary Beach- it was awesome!

We even had time to have some dessert- George's favorite, and catch another sunset on the beach.

It was such a great day.

 Sunset over Rosemary Beach.

 The condo we rented came with two bikes, and the little shop next to our building rented these nifty little kid carriers.  We decided to bike to Seaside for the morning, and I am so glad we did.  This was my most favorite memory from the trip.  Clay and I laughed and talked, it was just so peaceful.

George loved his little chariot, too!

THIS is my most favorite picture from the trip.

We found a playground as soon as we got to Seaside so George could play and swing (of course), and Clay had to get in on the fun, too.  I love how captivated they are by the other.

 George was just a little nugget last time we were at this playground (in March) and now he's walking across the suspension bridge.  I think this day could have been the best day of George's life so far.

But we'll have to ask him about that on a later day.

Please tell me he'll always want me to hold him and giggle with me, right?

 On Sunday morning before we started packing, we went to get some donuts from Charlie's Donut Truck down the street in Alys Beach.  We walked up to the truck and George took one look at the freshly made pastries and started doing his sign for 'please'.  These donuts were worth every single calorie that was crammed into those things.

George agreed.

Because Clay is the best husband of all time, and a car-packer-extraordinnaire, he sent George and me to the playground while he packed up everything in the car.  George was pretty excited to get one more swing in before a long car ride home.

Here's a picture of Clay's best work, in my opinion:

Trips with babies are a lot of work.  We all came home and slept for 12+ hours Sunday night, and are still catching up on our sleep.  But I would not trade any amount of sleep for the memories we made together as a family in the four days we were away.  Clay and I laughed until we cried at one point.  George got to have fun with both of us on his time, and on his own schedule.  Uninterrupted time is such a rare commodity in life, and I am thankful to be married to someone who finds it important to carve that out for our family.  I will never stop being thankful for a husband and a son who are my two best friends in the world, and I am thankful for the uninterrupted time we were able to have together at Rosemary Beach.