Pensacola

We pulled into Pensacola Beach around 11:30 pm on Friday night. The moment we knew we were close to the beach, we rolled down all the windows and just breathed it in.

Joey lives in Portofino. It’s a resort and spa area with six towers of condos. Absolutely beautiful. Joey lives on the 11th floor of one of the towers with a breath-taking view of the beach. WHen we arrived, he gave us the tour of his beautiful condo. My favorite part was the balcony. We walked out and instantly I felt like I could breathe again. I didn't realize I was deprived of such fresh air until it was blowing in my face. THe view, even at night, was beautiful. You could even hear the ocean across the street. It was amazing.

Joey had already fallen asleep in the car on the way over, and was now up. We quickly put his bed together and put him down for the rest of the night. Thankfully, he didn't go down with much fight.

The next morning, we woke around 8:30. Cam and Bella had already left for Bella's soccer game, and (Cousin) Joey was working on a big case (he's an attorney) and he had to make his way to Mobile to make sure he was ready for trial on Monday. So Joe and I got up with Joey and fed him some breakfast. By the time Joey was done, Cam and Bella had returned from the game, and we played with JOey for a while before he had to go down for a nap. We decided that we'd wait until after Joey had lunch before we'd go to the pool and beach.

While Joey slept, I had a little time to spend with Cam while Joe went to get some lunch for us.

**Sorry so many Joe's and Joey's. You don't belong in this family unless you're a Joe or a Freddy. haha! I haven't even touched the Freddy's in this family. Uncles, brothers, cousins, sons, grampas - you name it. I'll try to stay specific.

Cam and Bella went down to the pool to meet a few friends while Joey stirred awake, and was fed. We decided we'd meet them downstairs whenever he was done. I didn't want to hold them back because of Joey's schedule so I was hoping that they'd go on with their day without waiting on us.

As soon as he was done, we loaded him up with sunblock, pulled on his little swimmer diapers and his trunks (which were too big....thank God the drawstring worked. I just eye-balled them before we left and figured they'd fit.), and headed toward the direction of the pool to meet Cam and Bella.

They hadn't gotten their lunch from the pool grill yet so we waiting for a while and swam in the pool. Joey always does fine in the pool. We were a little nervous about how he'd do next to the ocean though.

After the girls had a chance to eat, we all headed down to the ocean. I wanted to make it there soon, as Joey was going to have to go back up for another nap, and I didn't want him to be too tired and crabby when we made it to the water, so he could have a chance to MAYBE enjoy it.

Here's a shot of Joey's first experience in the ocean. His first "toe dip."



Not 3 seconds after this photo was shot, he was bawling. The ocean was much to overwhelming, and the waves just wouldn't stop crashing. :) Poor kiddo. He was scared. From what I've heard, this is the reaction of most little kiddos so I'm not worried. I'm sure the next time we make it to the beach, he'll be all about it.

Here he is as we are walking away.... not happy.


We did manage to get a little family shot, albeit blurry.



That night, we went to Peg Leg Pete's. It's right next to where Joey used to live before Hurricane Ivan. THe house is still standing, but the roof is still messed up. Believe it or not, just the night before Ivan hit in 2004, I slept in the very room of which the roof above was torn off.

The trip - so much fun. Much too short. I wish we had more time. Next year, I think we are going to try to take a week down at the beach. Maybe. If I'm not carrying #2!!! Whew.....