So this is vacation?

Vacations have certainly changed for us over the past year.  No longer does vacation mean sleeping late, eating primarily junk food and reading/dozing off on the beach for hours at a time.  Now, vacation means sleeping 3 deep in a double bed, changing lots of swimmie diapers, hiding the Sweet 16s (1-year-olds LOVE powdered donuts), trying to keep sandy hands out of tiny eyes & mouth, hitting up the kiddie rides rather than the piano bar and relishing in 5 uninterrupted minutes of sunbathing on the beach any chance we can get.

We spent July 5-10 in Cherry Grove with Bebe & PopPaw.  They rented a house for two weeks & were gracious enough to invite us down for nearly a week.  We had so much fun watching Jackson explore the beach, sand, waves, golf cart, and each & everything else he could get his little hands on. 

Wow, this sand stuff is neat!

Hanging on to Daddy because he hated it when the water

washed away the sand underneath his toes!

Jackson loved to get wet, then crawl around in the sand (above),

then come over to me & want to be picked up!

Ben got a real workout!

Bebe bought Jackson a ton of sand toys and also picked up this "Daddy Shovel" so Ben could help him dig.  Guess what was the only toy that Jackson played with?

Jackson adores his Uncle Mikey!

Showing off his walking skills on the beach. 

He loved to try & catch his shadow!

Snacktime & cuddling with Daddy

Baby's 1st boat ride! 

Loved the boat, hated the life jacket.

Helping Daddy drive.

PopPaw making Jackson giggle.

Jackson was so content sitting on Aunt Nancy's lap

98% humidity + scorching heat + bulky life jacket = grumpy baby

Mom & her 2 babies & her 1st grandbaby

I mean, really?? Are you sure we got it all??

Jackson loves his Bebe

We love Bebe & Poppaw!

You would think the wagon would be great on the beach.  No so much. 

It was more like a plow until you got on the packed sand. 

Hangin' with Uncle Mikey & Aunt Jenn

Huh?

This was the extent of our baby bathing for the week. 

Add soap & VOILA!

And this is Ben's modification of our outdoor bathing routine. 

Indoor baths are so over-rated!

On Friday, we finally got a chance to ride the bikes.

We rode a few miles & rewarded ourselves with ice cream.

When we got home, little did we know that Jackson was fast asleep.

This little rascal is absolutely OBSESSED with Bebe's golf cart.

O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D!

We went to Broadway at the Beach to hit up the kiddie rides. 

Jackson was a bit wide-eyed; he wasn't sure what to make of it!

Same thing for the carousel...not too sure about it &

wanted to do a little horse hopping mid-ride.

The quarter rides were more up his alley. 

He loved "steering" this tow truck....

and can even do the one-handed "bus-driver".