Nathan's First Day of School

Nathan started school on Tuesday, August 31st. He is in the same class that he was in last year and has the same teacher, Ms. Melissa. Nathan was very excited to start school this year. He was dressed and ready to head out the door 15 minutes early.

Nathan is eagerly ready to go back to school.

Nathan got a new backpack this year. I think it's so cute! Nathan likes it, too.

He was a bit nervous when we arrived in his classroom.

We put his backpack and lunch box in his cubby. He found some toys on the table to play with. I kissed him good-bye and reassured him that I would come back to pick him up after lunch and he was just fine.

Nathan had a great first day at school and he made some new friends. We started a tradition to end the school year with ice cream. So, we decided to start a new tradition to also start the school year off with ice cream. We stopped at Yogurtville after school. Nathan selected vanilla with chocolate sprinkles.

Day at the Beach

We spent the whole day at the beach today. The algae was almost all gone, it was windy and there was some great waves.

A couple of days ago we found a great kite shop. Nathan picked out this tie-dyed fringe kite. It's easy to fly and looks cool. When he got tired of holding the kite, we would clip it to the umbrella and it would fly itself.

Fetching a pail of water to make sand castles.

We enjoyed making sand castles and just playing in the sand. Nathan likes to write letters and numbers in the sand and then erase them. He also makes roads for his car, aka shoe, to drive on.

Taking a break in his beach chair.

This was my view for most of the day. But, I had finished my book early in the day and sitting in the beach chair is a bit boring. So, I spent the rest of the day playing in the sand and surf with Nathan, while Daddy took a much needed break.

Nathan loves to go out in the water and get smacked by the waves. He just giggles and laughs when the water splashes in his face. The rougher the better for him.

For our last night in Destin, we ate dinner at Fudpucker's. Nathan was so exhausted from our day at the beach that he fell asleep and almost missed dinner. This place has an alligator farm and playground. You can write on any surface in the restaurant, so that's why the horse is covered in graffiti.

We had a great vacation in Destin. As we were pulling out of the parking lot to head home, Nathan asked when were we coming back. That just proves how much fun he had. We all can't wait to get back to beach!!

Sunset Walk on the Beach

We ended our evening with another sunset walk on the beach.

Naval Aviation Museum

After the Blue Angels practice, we spent the rest of the day in the Naval Aviation Museum.

Nathan's favorite part was climbing in all the cockpit trainers. They were full of gauges, dials, buttons and switches. Those are just a few of his favorite things.

Nathan taking me for a ride.

Nathan as the co-pilot.

Gotta touch every button and switch.

The Blue Angel Atrium.

After we ate lunch in the cafe, Nathan fell fast asleep on Daddy's shoulder.

He quickly woke up for a chance to sit in a Blue Angel trainer.

Nathan now wants to be a pilot and fly the planes up into the sky.

Blue Angels Practice

The Blue Angels periodically practice at the Naval Air Station in
Pensacola, right behind the Naval Aviation Museum. The practice show is open to the public and free! We arrived right as the planes were taking off and we were still able to walk right up to the front row. Score another point for traveling in the off season! The show was pretty amazing and loud!

Mommy had to cover Nathan's ears on a few of the high speed fly-bys.

At the end of the show, the volunteers gave the kids flags and allowed them to go past the rope onto the taxiway to wave to the pilots as they taxied by.

Parks, Beach and Kites

We started our day with a trip to the playground. We found this great playground in a sports complex.

Nathan loved playing on the train. Choo, Choo!

This sand digger was awesome!

We spent the rest of the day at the beach. The algae started to clear up, so Nathan was able to enjoy the water. We also flew kites. Randy likes to have kite wars and get them all tangled up.

Sunset Stroll

We went on a sunset stroll down the beach.

Nathan loved running down the vacant beach.

Sandy Hands!!

Beautiful sunset!

First Day in Destin

We arrived in Destin last night at 9PM. So, we didn't get to see the beach until this morning. And, it never disappoints.

This is the view from our balcony. This morning, I was standing in the kitchen preparing breakfast, when I saw dolphins swimming in the gulf. It was the coolest thing ever!

We spent most of the day on the beach. I sat under the umbrella and read. Nathan and Randy played in the sand and flew kites.

There was no swimming today because this is what the water looks like. There is an algae that has washed up on the beach last weekend. We weren't interested in touching it.

Here's Nathan on the beach in front of our condos looking cool in his shades.