Wrapping Up Grandpa's Visit

We sure had a fun time with Grandpa. We wrapped up the trip with a tour of the Armament Museum, the base and a stop at the local fish market. There was very little home time but we did catch a few moments for Legos, climbing and eating a little more seafood. :)

Mr. Legoman as he likes to be called.

Mommy squeezing in a little workout.

All I can say, thank goodness for this treadwall. It's been wonderful to have here in Florida!

This has been an everyday scene in our house since Christmas.

Just yesterday, we upgraded our Lego storage to eliminate the need for pizza boxes. :)

 Our friends, who own a boat, offered to take us on a boat ride over to Destin one afternoon. We couldn't have asked for better water. It was like glass for most of the ride. Everyone enjoyed the scenery and Baytowne Wharf is always a blast! THANK YOU FRIENDS!!

Amanda, Lucas & Axel hanging on for our boat ride to Destin.



Mommy, Axel & Grandpa enjoying the ever so smooth water.

Vivien & Amanda sharing a cup of warm tea...it was chilly again.



Captain!



David the co-captain.

Lucas braving the cool air, was the only one who lasted up front. You can barely see the mid-bay bridge out on the horizon. Check out that water! We needed water skis!



This parrot was there to greet us as we came on shore at Baytowne Wharf.

 

Check out this tree house of all tree houses!

 

An instant hit!



Here is the smaller one in the same area. A perfect place to act out Magic Tree House adventures.

Fun at the park too!



We decided this was Darth Vader's Boat.

Here is our attempt to capture the dolphins we saw on the ^ way home. A little black triangle in the middle of the photo is our only proof. They surfaced a bunch but had a little baby with them so they stayed away from our boat.

The boat marina in our neighborhood.

Typical bay front properties in Bluewater.



We bundled up for a little bike riding at home.

And scooter riding! This was one of my most awesome Christmas presents!

Zoom, zoom!

This one's for you Daddy! We miss you tons!

This ones for you Grandma. We sure missed you!

Even Grandpa tested out his scooter skills.

Not too shabby there Pops! :)

 

Grandpa, we sure had a wonderful time with you and look forward to seeing you again. Thank you for taking the time to come visit us and see our new home in Florida.  We love you bunches and bunches! Love, JMLA

Beautiful Day for the Beach

We had to take Grandpa on a tour of Destin and boy, did we luck out with weather. It was gorgeous!

 

Our first stop, Fat Daddy's Arcade. Mommy had a coupon for 40 tokens that we couldn't ignore. They lasted about 15 minutes with these two boys and after digging around for some more change and a few more dollars we made it to about 30 minutes. :) Then, we spent at least 20 minutes trying to decide on which prize to take home. Axel makes his decision almost immediately. Lucas (like his Mom) will go back and forth pacing in complete indecision. It's adorable at first. Then, annoying. Now I know what Daddy goes through every time Mommy is faced with a menu! :)

 

Axel picked out the king size pixie stix and a little blue fan while I encourage Lucas.

Lucas finally settled on a green fan and some galactic putty!

 

Here's Grandpa and the boys...he's hoping that someone will make a decision REAL soon!

 After the arcade, we were hungry. We had heard good things about Harbor Docks and the place was packed. So packed, our waitress was completely overwhelmed. It was LONG wait but we had some goodies from the arcade and were enjoying the view. The company and sunshine weren't too bad either.

Lucas & Grandpa soaking in the rays.

Axel playing with some of Lucas' putty.

Yep, I was that Mom on the phone! I usually blame my husband for why I'm on the phone these days like this but I think he might have been in bed. However, I'm sure whatever I was doing on my phone was 100% necessary to make the day just perfect!

Harbor view at Harbor Docks.

Looking East.

 Eventually, lunch came and it was tasty. The next stop was the beach! It was absolutely beautiful and after a few chilly days, the nice warm sun was delightful. We hadn't really planned on sticking around but it was so nice. After a week of cold weather, this was too good to pass up. We dove right in to the sand building but left the swimming to the fish. It was a blast and gave Grandpa a great idea of what beach days are like for us.

 

 Axel loved chasing the seagulls until they flew away. He would get so mad when he couldn't catch one and then so happy when they came back. Then, it would start all over again; happy, then mad, then happy, then mad...someone was getting tired. No photos, sorry!

 

 

 

 The next stop was Harborwalk. We frequently attend festivities down here and more often than not, there is live music and something fun to discover. We sent Grandpa down to look at the fancy boats while we looked for something warm to drink. The boys got their pants soaking wet at the beach and got really chilled. Even Grandpa can tell you that Florida cold is a different kind of cold. That humidity will chill you to the bone! I think Grandpa was warmer at 0 degrees in Denver than at 45 degrees in Florida. Luckily, the highs were in the 50's and 60's but by the late afternoon it got cold and wet pants were no help. Mommy should have been more prepared!

Hot chocolate was a must for these two.

The boys were troopers and had fun despite their wet pants. Destin has a lot to offer and we only hit a few of our favorite spots. I think we all got our fill for the day, we were tired out by the time we went home.

Grandpa's BBQ

Lucas had a special request for Grandpa. He had talked about it for weeks leading up to his arrival. He wanted  Grandpa's his famous ribs! (so did the rest of us) We filled Grandpa up with seafood for a good three days so he was more than willing to fulfill this tasty request. If any of you have had these tasty ribs before, you know exactly why Lucas asked for them. They are delicious and always accompanied by his amazing hot wings. We were in for a treat and so were our neighbors. :) It's a good three hour process but worth every minute. Grandpa did not disappoint, THANK YOU!!!

 

Lucas & Axel cleaned up the patio to get ready.

The fire was started early for maximum enjoyment.

Lucas has always been our fire kid so he was super excited.

Mr. Earl was there too.

We all headed inside for a wonderful dinner that ended in Axel and Lucas telling jokes.

It was hilarious and everyone had a great time. One of the favorites: "Why did the toilet paper roll down the hill? To get to the bottom!" hahaha

After dinner, we headed back out to the fire pit.

Hugh & Lucas making sure it was just perfect for s'mores.

It was more than perfect!

Grandpa's job was done so it was his turn to relax a little.

 

Deb & Earl enjoying some decaf coffee.

 

 My Dad and his FAVORITE daughter!

Me and my FAVORITE Dad! :)

Axel, Heather & Hugh getting cozy.

Heather is very loved around here. You too Hugh! :) 

Lucas was in his own little fire world happy as can be.

Heather caught a little bug so she wasn't feeling great. Axel gave her so extra love knowing she wasn't herself. Even Ava smiled for the photo. So sweet.