You may have noticed a lapse in my blogging last week - we were on vacation! Saturday evening we returned from a week long trip in Rosemary Beach with our friends the Aston's. I have a ton of pictures so I will probably split our trip up into two posts. First of all, this was out first visit to Rosemary and I can say it definitely won't be our last! Growing up my parents took us to Destin every summer and I have such great memories from our time spent there. Although I haven't been back to Destin in quite a while, Kevin and I have talked about starting a yearly beach vacation and with so many quaint little communities (Seaside, Water Color & Rosemary) popping up we knew it would be the perfect area for to try.
We flew Southwest into Panama City Airport (ECP), which is about a 15 minute drive from Rosemary. Since it was Southwest we had to fly to Houston then on to ECP - the stop in Houston (
without getting off the plane) was a bit of a pain but in the end it was worth it - so much better than driving. Hopefully Dallas will get a direct fight soon.
Anyhow, we arrived Saturday evening and were more than pleased with our accommodations. It's always hard looking for a place online (
especially when you have never stayed in the area) but it was a beautiful house and in the perfect location. The house was huge and we really could have had probably two more families stay with us - maybe next year! There was even a carriage house which would have been perfect for some of our friends that don't have kids yet - that way they could get away from the craziness! The house is located on the north side of 30A, but still very close to everything. After bike riding around Rosemary I still think it is one of the better locations available.
MK and I worked out meals and groceries beforehand and had the
Beach Butlers deliver (
and put away) all of our groceries!! This was so NICE and I highly recommend it! It was so refreshing to arrive and have everything we needed already stocked - who wants to spend time in the grocery store while on vacation?
Although we were fully stocked I didn't want to cook (
and since the Aston's weren't arriving until Sunday) we decided to get out and grab something - we headed to
Cowgirl Kitchen and picked up a pizza which was delicious.
Since the Aston's had come the previous year they had recommended renting bikes - which was the best idea ever! I don't know how long it has been since I have been on a bike but it is true - you really don't forget how to do it. We rode our bikes everywhere and the kids loved riding along in the back. On Sunday morning we rode our bikes down to Aly's beach to find Charlie's Donut Truck.
Who doesn't love sprinkles?
After the donuts we walked down to the beach. Ryan loves riding in the red wagon!
Just hanging on the beach with daddy!
We kinda started a routine - mornings at the beach. Head back to the house around 11:30 for a dip in the pool and some lunch. By 12:30 the little kiddos were ready for a nap and the adults got to lounge poolside - pretty fantastic. Not many of the houses in Rosemary have pools but I think its definitely worth it, especially with kids!
Dinner time for the kiddos!
Ready for the beach day #2
Ryan absolutely LOVED this boat. We bought it thinking, well it could go one of two ways. He will hate it the second he gets in and want nothing to do with it....or he will love it. And he loved it. Score one for dad. He was so serious in it and loved going over the waves. When Kevin would ask him if he wanted out he would say "No".
Ryan also really loved the sand - thankfully he didn't eat it as much as I thought he would. Although when he did he would grind it between him teeth which might be one of the worst sounds I have ever heard.
I can't think of a better place to enjoy some watermelon! I am not sure if you can see it but it's dripping all over his face and down his sweet little belly.
Mommy and her sweet little bug!
The front porch had a swing that the kids loved.
After naps and dinner we headed to mommy's favorite place - The Sugar Shack! I am pretty sure this will be one of Ryan's favorite places one day as well. While I was most interested in the ice cream they also have every candy imaginable...so much fun for a little kiddo!
So I'll leave you on a sugar high...
