Saturday

Well, this is our last full day on vacation. We will be heading back sometime tomorrow.
Today was a fun, relaxed day. We left the hotel at lunchtime and went to Longhorn Steakhouse. That's the first time we ate inside-we've gotten take-out all week! We drove about 30 minutes to Pensecola to the National Naval Aviation Museum. It was really interesting. We saw the same type of plane that President George H.W. Bush was shot down in during WWII and MANY other planes, helicopters, bombs, and memorabilia. Cade got to sit in several cockpits and pretend to fly. I got some great pictures. After we left there, we went to a beach there in Pensecola and got a sweet girl to take our family's picture. We ended up talking to her and her husband for a while. They were really friendly. We ate some leftovers at the hotel and are now wondering what to do on our last night. We have mentioned bowling, swimming, and just walking the town. Where to go?...

Friday

Today was a pretty easy day, all except for the beach. We went early in the morning and discovered that it is just hard to take a 1 yr. old to the beach, especially in the heat! We came back to the hotel, took showers, ate some lunch, and went to the Track. Keith and Cade rode the double go cart while I took pictures. Then, Cade and I rode once also. It was pretty fun. After the Track, I went by a local chiropractor and he adjusted my hip and neck. (I'm feeling much better.) We went to eat at Lulu's. The owner is Lucy Buffet, Jimmy Buffet's sister and it's a fun atmosphere. You are covered overhead, but there are no walls and these huge fans with mist nozzles blowing on us. Keith got their Mahi Mahi tacos. They were excellent! I didn't venture enough and got a grilled chicken wrap and a very cute, very overpriced pink Lulu's t-shirt. ha! They were playing a lot of Michael Jackson songs and other cool music. Cade got up on a stage with some other kids and danced to the music. I got a video and some pictures of it. After Lulu's we relaxed at the hotel a little and then I took Cade swimming. We just got in and are taking baths. Today went much smoother and we are grateful! It was a fun day!

Thursday

This morning Cade and I changed our breakfast routine. We've been going downstairs together and eating breakfast, just the two of us. Instead, I brought breakfast up and Keith ate with us. Then we all went swimming in the hotel's pool. It was nice, since there was no sun on us. We came up, got ready, let Dalton take a nap, and then went to eat at Doc's, a seafood place. Keith got the shrimp and I got the fish platter. It was good! We left there and went to the movie theater. Keith and Cade watched the new Transformers movie while Dalton and I messed around in Target. Dalton got a quick nap in the car while we waited on Keith and Cade. We drove around looking for this deep sea fishing place to get brochures for my stepdad and couldn't find the place. But, the scenery was pretty along the way. We headed back towards town and everyone was really hungry, so we just came back to the hotel and ordered from...you guessed it: Longhorn's Steakhouse, again. This time, I ordered this desert called "Chocolate Stampede". WOW! That's all I'm ordering next time. It's like this chocolate mousse with chocolate cake and chocolate frosting with chocolate shavings on top, and add real vanilla bean ice cream. If you're ever at a Longhorn's, you have got to try it! Keith and Cade went swimming for a while after supper while I got Dalton a bath and bottle and asleep. We plan to get up really early and hit the beach until 10:30 or so and us all come back to the hotel for a nap. Laters!

Wednesday

Today was "Tanger Outlet Mall Day". It was so hot outside, and Keith was a little sunburned on his shoulders and didn't want to be in the sun for a day. I guess we picked the right day to shop because it rained off and on all afternoon and then we had a pretty heavy shower through the night. We found several good stores including: Tommy Hilfigure (Keith got 4 new polos and Cade got 2), Shoe Carnival (Keith and Cade got new tennis shoes), Gap (I got a pair of jeans and 1 shirt), and Osh Kosh B'Gosh and Carter (Cade and Dalton got 3 new pair of pj's each and some pants and shorts). We got some great deals and Cade got some new things for kindergarten. Dalton did pretty well. He even took a little nap in the stroller.

Before we went to the mall, we ate at Mikatos. It's a Japanese steak house and sushi bar. Our chef put on a show for us...He was very funny and good with Cade. Dalton didn't know what to think about the fire he started on the table! He just stared with a blank face-it was pretty funny! I got some great pictures from the restaurant. Sorry, I haven't had time to work with getting pictures online, but I will eventually. I also got to go to a store called Gigi's Scrapbooks. It's about 5 times as big as the one in Tupelo and I got some neat ideas in there and some great papers for scrapbooking our vacation and Cade's t-ball pictures.

We ordered Longhorn steakhouse for supper, again. Keith is just loving it. Honestly, everything we've eaten has been amazing. And that's coming from a girl who prefers chicken over steak, usually. I actually like Longhorns fillet. It was tender. Well, I will update tomorrow. Take care!

Tuesday

Today we left the hotel at around 10:00 and went to Waterworks. It's a big water park with many slides, a wave pool, the lazy river, and baby section with little slides and water to play in, and a section for Cade's age with climbing ropes and slides and stuff. Both the kid and baby section have a constant mist and water spraying in the air, so it keeps you cool. It's pretty neat! Cade was so brave...he went on almost all of the water slides, even the adult ones. He was tall enough to ride them all this year! Dalton had a pretty good time too and, thank goodness, got a nap from 10:30 until after 11:30. He was much easier to be around after his nap.

Later in the evening, Keith and Cade went to the Track and rode go carts and played there while me and Dalton did laundry and straightened the hotel room. After supper, a bath, and a bottle, Dalton was worn out and went to sleep. I read on my new book "Wild at Heart" (it's about understanding boys), and Keith and Cade brought back McDonalds and Longhorn Steakhouse for supper. So, most of the day was the water park and it was lots of fun! Will update tomorrow!

Gulf Shores Vacation 2009

Monday

We're finally here! It is so nice to be on vacation, finally! We arrived at around 6:00 p.m. last night. After we unpacked, we explored the hotel for a few minutes and then went straight to the beach. It was the perfect time to go, right before sunset. Not only was it cooler, but it was beautiful. There were seagulls everywhere-Dalton thought that was pretty neat! Cade ran straight for the ocean-he wasn't scared one bit! He proceeded to jump waves the whole time we were there. Dalton just couldn't quit smiling-my little explorer is in a new place and he is so curious. Cade laughed and had a blast in the ocean. It's a great feeling to see your kids so happy and having so much fun!

We don't have any schedule for the week, but there are so many options! They even have some sort of zoo here. Keith found a ton of websites including: go carts, bumper boats, put-put golf, real golf, shopping, waterparks, and tons of fun restaurants. I am so excited and so grateful to be here!

I will write a small piece daily to let you know what we did for the day. I will also try and get some pictures on here, I just have to figure it out or get Keith to help me. Hope everyone is well!

What we've been up to...

It has been quite a busy week with VBS going on. But we made it through. Cade was in Mrs. Diane's class (also his Sunday School teacher) and loved it! She is such a sweet, godly woman. I really admire her. Dalton got attatched to the teenage girl helping in the 1 and 2 yr. old room Her name is Micah and Dalton actually went to her smiling the last 2 days! Cade played T-ball Tues. and Thurs. night. He is doing well at 1st and 2nd base and his batting is getting better. Dalton is just a mess! He is all over the place: busy, busy, busy. He likes to grunt and be loud and he has this new trick where he clicks his tongue really loud. You never know what he's gonna do. Keith just got through playing a 2-day disc golf tournament last weekend: "The Fling with the King". A lot of his good friends were also playing and he had a great time. The four of us went to the little carnival at the Elvis Presley Festival to let Cade ride some rides. His favorite was this one called the "fun slide". Basically, he sat on an old piece of carpet and slid down a super tall metal slide. It was over in like 5 seconds, but he loved it! I haven't been up to anything new. Just hanging out with my boys and doing the home-mom stuff. We have went to the Spray Park a few times (it's a little kid's waterpark at Veteran's Park in east Tupelo), played outside, made an ice cream run or two, and the usual errands. I have played Ultimate frisbee several times in the last couple of weeks. It's the best exercise you'll ever get without knowing you're working out! Well, I guess that's all for now! We are just counting down the days until our 1 week beach vacation! We love everyone! Laters.