In celebration of Mother’s Day, we took Little Buddy on his first vacation, down to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. It required more work than our pre-baby trips, but we really enjoyed watching him experience the ocean for the first time. And I know I would have missed him terribly if we hadn’t taken him along. The Florida Panhandle is a great place for a family vacation.
The drive was just over seven hours. I had kept Little Buddy awake most of the day so he would take a long nap in the car, which he did. He had a two-hour fussy period, but I suppose that is to be expected. Mr. Handsome and I were listening to an audio book, but multiple times we had to pause it to play nursery rhymes to keep the little man happy. 
We arrived at our tiny condo late at night. We had only booked it about a month earlier, after our first one fell through. It was a huge blessing from the Lord because it was within walking distance of the beach and was well stocked, and it was significantly cheaper than the other condos we had seen listed online. It even had a beach cart to haul our supplies down to the ocean.
We ventured out to the beach late the next morning. Getting ready for the beach is always a production, so adding a baby on top of it didn’t feel that different. He giggled when I rubbed him down with all-natural baby sunscreen. Then we put him in the stroller and let him watch us gather our beach supplies. Unfortunately, by the time we were actually ready to go, he had reached the end of his happy period.
By the time we arrived at the beach five minutes later, Little Buddy had fallen asleep, so we put a towel over the stroller and set up our beach umbrella. Mr. Handsome and I took turns swimming in the ocean, which was a blast. The water was surprisingly warm, and although someone told us that they had been stung by a jellyfish, we never saw any.
When Little Buddy woke up from his nap, we took the opportunity to take him to the edge of the water. He enjoyed it for a few moments…until a tiny wave came by and splashed a sprinkle of water on his face. But he loved just sitting in the sand under our umbrella, although we had to be vigilant to make sure he didn’t put any in his mouth, which he attempted to do quite a few times.
Just before leaving that afternoon, we tried dipping his feet in the water again, and he wailed. Later that evening, as the sun was setting, we returned to the beach for a walk, and lo and behold, he was the happiest we had ever seen him! Mr. Handsome wore him in the baby carrier, and he cooed the entire time. His favorite tracks on the sound machine that we use to put him to sleep every night are the water sounds, so listening to the waves must have been extremely relaxing for him. He kicked his legs as we walked along.
Our vacation was only three days long, but it was a lovely time. We drove over to Destin and spent a few hours fishing from Okaloosa Island Pier, where we saw dolphins and massive sea turtles. One guy caught a two-foot shark! While it would have made for an interesting story, I was relieved that Mr. Handsome didn’t catch one.
Cute story, it’s nice you had a H. M. D.! You are a super mom! (Compliments for Mr H. reserved for next month, when you tell us all about that.)
Interesting you say the Lord helped you with your plans for this vacation.
Where was the Lord when I was stuck in a plane on the tarmac for 2 hours when I was supposed to be starting my vacation? I guess busy handling vacation rentals, not air traffic control.
He was right there beside you! He loves you! We can’t see what God’s plan is all of the time…what He is up to….but one day we will say “Oh! That is why this or that happened!” It is His perfect plan for our lives. We may not always like it but He wants His best for us! Just think…I bet you were a blessing to someone on that plane!
He could have been saving you from a wreck that happened where you would have been if you had been on time. You don’t know what you have been saved from. I certainly wouldn’t besmirch God’s character when He is the one who has all knowledge. Sometimes He saves us from problems and sometimes He brings us through them.
Ok, all of you, stop it. No invisible hand is renting houses or holding up planes or anything mundane like that, not even stopping that hypothetical 1:07 wreck that happened with certain people but not with others. A plane full of people hours behind schedule and they’re being “blessings” to each other? Have you ever been on a plane stuck like that? Even the crew is ready to jump overboard! This comment thread has become completely illogical!
God is absolutely in the small details of our lives! Psalms 3:5-6 says “trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your understanding, but acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Luke 12:6-7 says “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” The Bible is full of stories about His love and care for us. Look at Jonah. God provided a leafy vine for him for shade because of his discomfort from the heat. Look at Jesus and the feeding of the 5000. He knew they were hungry and provided food for them and even had leftovers! Look at the resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus wept because Mary and Martha were so distraught. Look at all of the miracles that Jesus performed. He turned water into wine at a wedding for the people to drink. Look at Elijah. God provided a brook for him to drink from and ravens to bring him bread and meat each morning and evening. Look at the Israelites who wandered in the desert for 40 years. God provided manna to eat. Their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet swell. These are little things. Look at the blind man that was healed. Look at the woman who was healed from bleeding. She was an outcast. Look at the people with leprosy that He touched and made well. He touched them…. a simple touch that they craved so badly. These are small and simple things that God does for us on a daily basis. He loves us so much that He died for you and me and all of us! Even hanging there on the cross He was concerned about His mother and asked John to care for her. When he was resurrected, who was He concerned about? Peter…..because he was so distraught about denying Him. He cares! He cares very much! He created us! He knew us before we were ever conceived. He knows the very number of our days! He loves you and that lady stuck on that plane and yes little things, a smile, a touch, a kind word is a blessing to others. Not big things but small things. God may choose to whisper like He did with Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-12. “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. God is always in the small things!
Wow inspirational reading Sallie! Could you write a devotional book? 🙂
I meant Proverbs 3:5-6. Sorry about that….my bad!
Which sunscreen did you choose for little buddy? Did you like it? We’re always on the look out for a good mineral one. We’ve been by far the happiest with “think baby or think sport” of the ones we’ve tried
We used Babyganics this time, but in the future, I’ll probably just buy whatever is a good price. Thanks for the suggestions!
I’m glad you all got go together. I love it when the Lord provides for even the tiniest details of our lives. Makes it easier to trust Him for larger things☺
I miss the ocean now that we are in Arizona. Maybe we should plan a trip to Baja California some time. Thank you Ellie for sharing your vacation photos. Little Buddy is getting to be such a big boy now. Before you know it, he will be walking!
Glad you enjoyed the pictures, Regina! Do you still have family/friends back in California? I’m sure you do miss the ocean!
Yes, my siblings still live in CA.
Nice vacation. The beach is beautiful. We seem to always vacation at the beach but it is so hot and we don’t stay long. The ocean water scares me because here it seems alot of people drown because of the rip currents and my kids aren’t strong swimmers and they aren’t allowed in the water besides their feet.
We have six kids and it does take awhile getting ready for vacation. We went to the Great Wolf Lodge last month and it was quite a task. The youngest was two months old then. He had to nurse alot at the pools. Which is fine, I held him the whole time. I don’t like to swim.
We are going to the zoo this weekend with the grandparents and my sister and her 11 kids. It’ll be the first day trip with 17 kids and 7 adults (12 kids are 9 and under. ) It should be fun and really tiring. We live a couple of hours from the zoo.
On a side note, whoever won the walking DVDs. Just wondering.
I’m sure a vacation with 6 kids would be quite the undertaking! You are brave for going to Great Wolf lodge with that many kiddos, but I’m sure they absolutely loved it, so it was worth the work. Sounds like you’re going to have a fun and eventful weekend. Does your sister live close to you?
Oh and what sunscreen did you use for the baby? I didn’t think you could use sunscreen until 6 months. But maybe you can the natural kind. My baby is bald and it’s really hot here and I don’t want him to have a sunburn. So, I put a sun hat on him, but we practically have no shade. So, if there’s a sunscreen you can use younger than 6 months I’d like to know. Thanks.
We used Babyganics. Yes, I have heard that as long as it’s natural, you can use sunscreen on your baby earlier. 🙂
Little Buddy’s bathing trunks are just so adorable. I love how they fit him!
LOL, I know, they look huge on him.
Your son is the cutest!
Good for you for not letting the difficulties of traveling with a baby stop you!
Thanks, Laura. 🙂
Why He is so precious!!! I love the picture of him standing up looking at the wave rolling in!!! Did you guys let him feel with his feet the wave as it rolled in?, and if so how did he respond? That would be such a different and exciting sensation for him 😇
Thank you, Anita! We did, and I think it was just too much stimulation for him and too cold, since he’s used to warm bath water. But he enjoyed intently watching the waves from our arms.
Glad you had a nice vacation. Mr. Handsome Jr. looks adorable in these pictures. Thank You for sharing your vacation.
Joan,Marion and Marilyn
Thank you, Joan, Marion, and Marilyn. Glad to share them!
Little Buddy looks adorable standing in the water. It’s fun experiencing life with your child and seeing it through their eyes. Jane
I loved reading about your trip! Thank you for sharing all the details and for allowing us to have a glimpse into your lives. Your little baby boy is adorable!
Aww, thank you, CM 🙂
Dear Ellie!!!
Little h, is such a huggable kid, I want to pick him up, and hug him like crazy, (with permission), he is very cute!!!!!! I love U 3!!!!