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Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Panama City Beach, FL - Day 3

Happy Wednesday, all!  I’m back this morning with another beach trip recap. 

Day 3 started out much the same as day 2.  We had the rest of the donuts from the dozen that B had picked up the day before, and then we headed to the beach.  The day started out a bit cloudy, and it was nice to have a break from the sun.  Jacob hung around the beach chairs for the majority of the morning, digging and playing in the sand, and Olivia wanted to be in the water.  She would chase the receding waves into the ocean and then she would back up a bit as they came back and crashed around her knees.  She loved every second of it! 

B had surprised the kids with water guns before the trip, so we busted those out and let the kids squirt each other.  And us.  And the chairs.  And the sand.  And the ocean.  You get the point.  Olivia was all about refilling her own, but as per the usual, Jacob wouldn’t get anywhere remotely close to the water, so B and I spent the next little bit trotting out to the water for refills every 5 minutes.  












Jacob tired of the beach pretty quickly, so we packed up and headed up to the condo for some pool time before lunch.  Jacob has always hated the pool as well, but it must have paled in comparison to the beach, because he had a blast in it for the first time in his life!  He was giggling and splashing a bit (but for the love, don’t let it get in his face), and he even allowed me to lay him on his stomach and practice kicking.  That has never happened… he usually wraps his legs around me like a monkey and then locks his feet so he’s stuck to me.  And if I remotely loosen my grip on him he goes into total freak-out mode.  I was so glad to see him loosened up a bit and I was really pleased that he didn’t want to leave when it was finally time to go.  Baby steps…

Olivia had a blast in the pool, too.  It’s looking like she’s going to be our water baby.  She was splashing and laughing and kicking non-stop.  She also let me lay her on her stomach and her back to practice floating.  Neither kid would put their face in the water yet, but both definitely did better than they ever have in the past.  That’s a good thing for Jacob because he’s going to be taking swimming lessons in a couple of weeks.  I can confidently say that it’s going to be a disaster.





After the kids were all tired out from the sun, sand, and chlorine, we went back up to our condo, made some sandwiches, gave the kids baths, and then Olivia went down for her nap.

I spent naptime at the beach with my book again, and then headed up late in the afternoon to get ready for dinner.




Our friends Stephanie and Bobbie moved down to PC Beach a few years back, so we always get together with them when we visit.  We met them at Sharky’s, another one of our favorite open-air restaurants right smack on the beach.  We chatted over Cherry Lime-Aids (cherry and citrus vodkas with sour mix, sprite, grenadine, and fresh squeezed lime – SO good), Hurricanes, and beer while the kiddos stayed busy coloring in their children’s menus and watching the ocean.  For dinner, I ordered the Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich (a grilled chicken breast marinated in teriyaki sauce, Monterey jack cheese, and grilled pineapple – yes, please) and it was fantastic!  Nice and light for the warm spring evening.  Toward the end of dinner, the kiddos started getting restless so Bobbie walked them out to the sand where they found… a playground right there on the beach!  They always manage to sniff out a playground wherever we go!





Once the check was paid, the rest of us joined them, and then we walked over to the dunes to try to get some family pictures.  The kids cooperated for all of 5 minutes and then they were off to play in the sand and see the ocean.  I was able to convince Olivia to come back and snap a few more pictures, but Jacob had had enough by then so I just left him alone.  I did, however, finally have a chance to get B to snap a few pics of just me as a new head shot for the blog and all of my social media profile pictures.  You may have noticed that I finally changed my picture on the blog today!  It's about time!
















We stayed out there until dark.  The kids played on a couple of jet skis that were parked in the sand and they looked for shells with Stephanie while Brian and Bobbie and I chatted some more.  The sunset was stunning.  It looked like a giant hot pink beach ball hanging in the sky.  When it finally dropped into the ocean, the sky turned deep purple and then navy until it finally faded to black.  The pictures don’t remotely do it justice.  











It was the perfect night with some dear friends and it was the perfect way to end day 3 of our trip.

I’ll be back tomorrow to recap day 4.  In the meantime, you can see my recaps for days 1 and 2 below in case you missed them last week!  


*Linking up with Jessi's Design and Going the Distance for What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday.



19 comments:

  1. Love the pictures! XOXO Your kids are so cute!

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  2. The beach family pictures are gorgeous!! So beautiful!

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  3. You got some really great family pictures!!! Sounds like another fabulous day.

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  4. So great that you guys were able to meet up with friends and got some great family photos too! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  5. Oh you have just given me hope that maybe just maybe I'll be able to get some good family photos when we go on vacation. Yours turned out great. Love the new profile photo too.

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    1. I swear Jacob and Brayden are sooooo identical! I can so relate to you with the water issues! It took Brayden until he was 4 to enjoy swimming (with his puddle jumper) but like Jacob, don't even think about splashing his face!! LOL. Meanwhile, Ella is running and jumping off the edge of my in laws pool like a crazy person and Avery splashes so much she can't even see. Boys, I tell ya!

      I loved all your pictures and this day sounds so perfect!

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  6. You look ah-mazing! Love that suit!

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  7. I love that y'all had a great time in PCB! We haven't been there in a few years but my sister goes every year.
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  8. What fun! Beautiful family photos. It's so hard to get nice family photos while on vacation. It's hard getting the little ones to smile together. My friend had a little photo shoot with her family on the beach and well the 2 yr old was not having it. The pictures are so funny. In every picture, she is pouting or give us the side eye. haha

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  9. LOVE all of the beach family photos! You have the cutest kiddos and they seem so well behaved! :) Glad you guys were able to meet up with friends and have a good time!
    xo, Lily
    Beauty With Lily

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  10. I LOVE the family photos you got! And it was so nice that you were able to meet up with friends while you were there!

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  11. Ah that did look like a perfect night. The photos you got are AMAZING. I love the new blog pic too. Pretty color on you. You guys always seem to have such a good time together. I wish we lived closer because Ben and Olivia could totally be little buddies! Glad the kids liked the pool too!

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  12. I am loving your family photos. They are so great! Everyone looks so nice and happy! :) Is it bad that I was thinking about sand getting all over your pretty dress? Ha ha! Looks like such a great day.

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  13. The margarita, the chips, the salsa - yum! Amazing family photos on the beach!

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  14. yup, ya pretty much have the cutest family of life.

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  15. Oh my goodness! How fun! First of all, your body is aaaamazing! I know I've said it before, but guuuurl, you've got it going on!

    Olivia in her swimsuit is so stinkin' cute and her ponytail - adorable! As for Jacob and his upcoming swimming lessons, I feel your pain. Henry does well with me in the water, but someone else telling him what to do at swimming lessons...nope. Yeah, I didn't even sign him up this year, due to the fear that he'd get too upset, let go of the side and sink... Oh my Lordy!

    Your family pictures are so beautiful. How awesome to have that done while on vacay. Oh and how cool about finding the playground on the beach!

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    1. Thank you, Marie. As always, you're too kind! And that's why I LOVE you. :o)

      Yeah, I'm SO worried about Jacob. I just hope that we don't regret signing him up... I feel like maybe we should be waiting another year, but who knows!!

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  16. Looks like so much fun. I love the sandy beaches and the beautiful sunsets you experience. So glad Jacob loved the pool that day!

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