Well, it's about time!!! Watersound Vacation 2008

WOW! It has been a very long time since the last blog entry and there has been a lot going on in the Nelson Household! I will do my best to get caught up before the onset of school season....Did I just say that?!? Is Kindergarten really beginning in a couple of weeks?!? Well, you know how that post will go!!

What would summer be without summer vacation? And for the Nelson family, it is most definitely always the beach...and for the last three years, it has been Watersound Beach. That might sound a little boring, and it actually probably is a little boring, but we believe in the "if it's not broken....." theory of doing things. This little patch of unspoiled Heaven on earth is tucked away on Hwy 30-A about 40 miles East of Destin, FL and is absolutely amazing. It feels like you are the only people on the beach (even in the middle of July) since most of the tourists still like to hang out near the outlet malls in Destin. We had an incredible time.....and the best part was watching the boys take it all in. Tanner LOVED the beach and all the creepy, crawly wonders that it contained...jellyfish, stingrays, seaweed, fish, dolphins, and yes, even a couple of small nurse sharks. He would boldly enter the water with net in hand to get a closer look at whatever creature might be lurking in knee deep water that day. It was so fun to watch him take everything in like it was a new adventure. He enjoyed the pool, too...mostly to make new friends with other children vacationing there and to jump in countless times. Evan greatly disliked the beach and continually asked why it was so stinky and could we just please go to the pool. Evan loved the graduated entry pool that gave him hours of "floatie-free" fun in the largest pool imaginable! He was so cute splashing and jumping with abandon.

Aunt Sushi, Oliver, Aunt LaLa, Uncle Kam, and Braeden and Lily were with us for the first week of the trip and that proved to be so much fun for us all. We loved gathering nightly to eat out in Destin and learn to play poker with M&Ms as money chips once the kids went to bed. The highlight had to be going to Big Kahuna's water park in Destin one day. Who knew you could spend 8 solid hours at a water park with four kids ages 2.5 - 7 and really not want to leave when it was over???? The kids has almost as much fun as the adults did!


We had such a good time and it only lacked one thing....mom and dad. Just a couple of days prior to departure found Dad in the hospital with a wound infection and what was to be routine antibiotics for 7-10 days at home via an IV ended up being 12 days of hospitalization and multiple issues. We praise God for his recovery and thank mom and dad for being the wonderful, loving, selfless people that they are to insist that we all go and have a memorable vacation with our kids.....and that is just what we did!!