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".

And he's off!

We were finally able to catch Jackson walking on video.  As much as he loves walk around the house all day long and even toddle up to total strangers, he drops to his knees the second the camera comes out.  But Ben finally caught him!

First day at the beach!

Hanging out inside while Jackson is napping, so I thought I'd post a few pics of our first day at the beach.  So far, lots of fun, great weather & its awesome having Bebe & PopPaw around!

Oh, and Jackson is walking now, at 12 months old.  He is so proud of himself & its so adorable to watch.  He gets camera shy so we have yet to capture it. 

Seeing the ocean for the "first" time

(10 weeks old doesn't count)

This baby LOVES the ocean.  He is fearless! 

First time in the sand, he took off as fast as he could, straight into the waves.

 

Scoping out the scene, looking for some hot tots.

 

First juice box = sticky but successful!

 

Heading down to the beach...sure beats walking!

 

Innovative new use for swimmie diaper

Summer fun means....

...Jackson noticing his shadow for the first time...and waving!

...1st family trip to Dillard Farms for ice cream

...discovering the dog's water bowl for the first time

...being the perfect size to climb right in!

...joyfully destroying Daddy's castle

...curiously inspecting the hose spray nozzle

...climbing on the deck furniture after dinner

...high-fiving his best friend

...wearing Daddy's old Star Wars tee

...crawling through the sprinklers shirtless

...playing in the back of Daddy's truck

...pickle in one hand, corn cob in the other

...swimming with Mommy

..cruising around Rock Barn in Bebe's golf cart

..."helping" Mommy unload the dishes

...shopping at O.P. Taylor's with Slade

The difference 1 year makes...

Don't Blink...

This past Tuesday (June 22) was Jackson's actual birthday.  I tried to make it extra special, so he started off his day by waking to a decorated door, courtesy of Mommy & her last-minute make-shift decorating skills.  He loved me walking him back & forth under the ribbon streamers & letting them tickle his face.

We spent the morning playing inside and then met Ben for lunch at Subway up in Marrietta (dining choices are very limited!)  We stopped by the farmer's market to get some fresh veggies for dinner, then spent the afternoon playing with water toys out on the deck.

Around 5, we came in & I plopped him in the pack-n-play while I started dinner...and after about 5 minutes of his contesting the situation, it got really quiet.  I went to check on Jackson and he was fast asleep...amazing for a baby who NEVER naps in the pack-n-play.  The birthday boy was tuckered out!

After dinner, we let him have a second go at his cake, which he once again rejected.  I guess he's wasn't a fan of the Bloom cake, either.  Next time we'll stick to our Ghirardelli brownies that he always wants a bite of...

This year has been a wonderful, amazing blur.  I finally understand what they mean when they say that the older you get, the faster time seems to pass.  To me, each day seems endless but weeks just slip by and I am unable to slow them down.  It reminds me of that song..."Don't Blink"