Life with the Gilmore's: *Gilmore Beach Trip 2013*

August 30- The day after Caleb’s Birthday, we woke up and started packing! We were so excited to be heading to Pensacola, FL for 10 days!! Daddy went to work for ½ day while we packed up, then he came home to help us finish up and we set out on the road. The kids did fairly good on the drive, Kailyn was a little fussy towards the end but a McDonald’s milk shake stop made her pretty happy for that last little stretch! We did not take any pictures this day- what?! Once we made it to Pensacola, we made our one stop at Publix for groceries then headed to our condo to unload and get settled in. Once all of that was done, we whipped up a quick dinner for the kiddos and it was bedtime. Thankfully they were tired and not too upset about not getting any beach time this day…there would be plenty of time for that!

August 31- The kids woke up so excited to be at the beach. Caleb, of course, knew exactly what was going on and what we got to do that day. I think Kailyn just fed off of his excitement! We ate a quick breakfast then hit the pool and the beach. Josh, Jessica, and Addison arrived before lunch time, just as we were finishing up at the beach. This Saturday was also special because it was the kick off to Alabama’s 2013-14 football season! We had cheese dip and sausage rolls to snack on and watched the game this afternoon. Of course, the kids did not want to watch much of the game so the Mommies took them to the beach to take some pictures during half time, then took them back inside to put on play clothes and we played on the beach and watched the sunset- it was awesome. The guys made it back out just in time for a fun crab hunt!

September 1- Our first "full" day at the beach with no plans, aka- no football interruptions! We played at the beach and the pool all morning long. Caleb and Addison discovered that they loved playing in the ocean with their life jackets on and had lots of fun. Jessica even caught Addison some Hermit crabs to take home! After the kids' naps, we headed out to dinner. It was a Sunday but it was still a holiday weekend and everything was crowded...except for a crowd favorite, Sidelines. It is just a small sports grill but they really do have some of the best food in Pensacola.

September 2- The girls headed over to Destin, FL for a shopping day!! It was a much needed break and we enjoyed shopping without little ones in tow. We ate lunch at Jimmy Buffet's Cheeseburger in Paradise then shopped at the Outlets most of the day. Once we had shopped until we dropped and then some, we ended our night at the Back Porch for a delicious dinner. Meanwhile, the guys had the munchkins swimming all day then they took the trolley into town to the Margaritaville BAR for dinner...yes, they took the kids to a bar. Supposedly it was fun because they got to order special Sprite (Shirley Temples) and there was a guy playing guitar there. Caleb still talks about that trolley ride and how much fun they had when it was just the boys plus Sissy and Addison!!

September 3- The Mommy's were back in business and the kids were excited we were back when they woke up! Grandmama had bought them all a surprise from the Disney store so they all got spoiled first thing. We enjoyed another lazy morning at the beach and pools, of course! Then we (mainly Josh) cooked a big dinner of fried fish, shrimp scampi, and much more. Caleb and Addison made their own pizza too. It was a good afternoon to stay in because a few storms danced around us. Once we saw that it was clear, we headed out to take some family pictures. Unfortunately with the cloud coverage and time, it got a little too dark too fast. Once the flash starts coming on with the camera, you loose a lot of quality. But we got a few good ones!

September 4- Now it was the guy's turn to take some time away. Great for us Mom's, their Tee Time wasn't until after lunch so they got to play at the beach and pool with us all morning- yay!! Once the kids woke up from naps, we took them to Peg Leg Pete's for dinner. It was a little tough without the Daddies to help, but we still managed to have a good time. After dinner the kids enjoyed exploring the playground, the harbor, and dancing to the live music.

September 5- We started off our morning watching the dolphins swim in the waves right in front of our condo. It was so neat! There were at least 4-5 of them out there playing. Then we did our usual morning out on the beach and pool with the kids. During nap time Josh, Jessica, and Addison went out on the town, so the rest of us went out after nap time to eat dinner at Crabs. We even got a few more family photos in after we ate! Then we all met up afterwards for a fun late afternoon swim and a crab hunt before bed time. AND I must mention that this is the day that Caleb officially can swim without a life jacket. He said he wanted to try it and then took off like a little fish...he never stopped the rest of the vacation!

September 6- Can you guess what we did today?! It was a little sad though because it was Josh, Jessica, and Addison's last morning at the beach. They came out to the beach and pools with us for a bit then had to head inside to pack up. They headed home a little before lunch. Since Caleb was a little upset about Addison leaving, we decided to have a special no nap day for him and we stayed at the pool alllll of Kailyn's nap time. We headed back in with just enough time to get ready for dinner. Caleb swam and swam and swam- this kid could not get enough water!! For dinner we enjoyed a delicious meal at Hemingway's, which ended up being another favorite for us. The restaurant has a nice back porch facing the bay/harbor, which was perfect for a few after dinner photos. Unfortunately, Caleb was exhausted beyond imagination and layed in my lap for most of dinner! He seemed to be ok after dinner, but there were a few rough moments while we were eating...he is just a kid that really still needs that afternoon nap because he plays so hard when he is awake!

September 7- This was our last full day at the beach so we headed out to play in the sand extra early and then enjoyed some pool time. We did everything for the "last" time- seashell hunting, swimming in the ocean, building a sandcastle, jumping in the pool, etc. Caleb kept saying how sad he was to have to go home! After we ate dinner at Flounder's, we surprised Caleb with a night time swim in the dark, which he thought was awesome.