May was a busy month - the end of school, Barbecue Fest, Italian Fest. In between all the festivities, we got to do Andrew's favorite thing...we went to the beach. For the second year in a row, we rented a condo at Gulf Shores Plantation, which is actually in Fort Morgan. About 20 minutes west of Gulf Shores. It's a great place to spend a week, and the boys were very excited. The plan was to leave Memphis very early in the morning and for them to sleep in the car until breakfast. Yeah right. They were wide awake and excited.
We stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast and Noah posed in a rocking chair. He may look innocent here, but the reason we were outside had a lot to do with his attitude inside. Thankfully he fell asleep in the car after breakfast and the attitude improved dramatically.
The afternoon was beautiful. The temperature was just right - warm, but not too hot. The water, while a little cool at first, was great after you got in.
Noah is not what I would call the "outdoorsy type." I'm not a quitter though. He got his own little pool of water, in case he didn't want to get in the ocean. He actually did like the waves, until he got splashed in the face, then it was all over and hysterics ensued. He's still not eager to explore the sand. He likes to watch me play with it, but does not like to actually touch it. Overall, I'd say he handled it better than last year, so I'm calling it a success.
Andrew, on the other hand, loves everything about the beach - the sand, the water, the waves, the condo. Especially the condo. Even now, he says he misses the condo at the beach. It's really nothing super special. Great view from the balcony, but pretty small overall. But it's something different, and when your Andrew (and Noah), a new place to stay for a week is the coolest thing ever.
Of course, we had to take a break from the beach one afternoon and visit the gocarts. Andrew rode the Kiddie Carts by himself, since he's tall enough. Noah was not so lucky. Maybe next year. Andrew and I took a turn in the bumper boats, and all four of us rode the big gocarts. Andrew and Taylor won. Noah was riding with me, and we took it a little slower around the curves.
Most important rule for traveling with Noah: don't leave home without Baby Signing Time
One particularly nice evening, we made hamburgers on the grill and headed to the beach for a few photos. Noah is easy because he always looks at the camera and stays relatively still. Andrew is the complete opposite. He never wants his picture taken, will not look at the camera, and is in constant motion. I have to bribe him with ice cream to get a few pictures. And even then, he ends up acting goofy most of the time. I've learned to accept it - it perfectly reflects his personality.
Andrew likes to hunt for shells. We filled up our bucket with some good treasures.
The moon was beautiful that night, big and full. We tried to get a picture of Andrew holding up the moon. Of course, he wouldn't stay still! This was the best attempt:
Someone built a beautiful sand castle. It wasn't us. Still, it deserved a picture.
At this point, I was loosing them, and fast. Time to call it a night. Taylor and I spent most evenings watching the Grizzlies lose in the Western Conference finals while Andrew fell asleep on the couch. No bedtime routines, just ice cream and TV. A nice break from reality.
Andrew is already asking to go back. I completely agree. In the meantime, I have to work on convincing Noah. Maybe a few more Baby Signing Time DVDs will do the trick.
