Monday, July 18, 2011

Trip to Alabama Part 3: Ft. Walton Beach

Norris-2011
The weekend of the June 11th - 13th was a special treat for we western folk. We drove even further south--to the Florida coast--to play at the beach! Taylor has read countless books and seen many movies about the beach or ocean and has been begging for us to take him there ever since he had a basic awareness of the place.

When we arrived at Ft. Walton Beach, Taylor's first words were: "The BEACH! I CAN'T believe it!!" That moment alone made the four hour drive from Birmingham worth it.

Beach-collage2

What made the trip even better was that Andrew's parents came, and his brothers and sisters came with their families--all of them. It was the first genuinely just Kim & Pam Norris posterity reunion the family has ever had. It was such a special time; my favorite part of our stay in the south for sure. I hope there will be many more times like these to come.


Taylor-watching-Dad

We enjoyed playing with a variety of fun toys--Robbie and Michelle's stand-up paddle board (what Andrew is holding above), kites, boogie boards, and plenty of sand toys: buckets, shovels, sand molds, etc.

We all stayed in the same beach-side hotel together. Talk about fun! That made it so easy to play, day and night. We fully enjoyed and utilized our time there.

Mom-and-Baby

Beach-collage

Taylor dug hole after hole after hole in the sand. He and his cousins buried each other in the sand countless times. Beach play made my little 3 year-old such an easy child to handle! Even Russell entertained himself. He crawled around the sand near his cousins and didn't mind that it got all over the place. I know how I would be spending my summers if I lived on the coast.

Sandy-Face



Dad-and-Baby

Doesn't just looking at these pictures make you feel calm and serene? Our time in that place was soothing to my soul.

Beach-Family

It's moments like those that make all my troubles seem to vanish and life a journey worth the making.

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