The Moore Family: Orange Beach 2014

We were so excited to be able to take Jackson on his first trip to the beach this summer! My mom and dad, Hayley and Dunn, and Eric, Jackson, and I spent the second week of June in Orange Beach, AL. We left in the late afternoon on Friday, drove to Clinton, MS to spend the night, and then drove the rest of the way Saturday morning. We were a little worried about how Jackson would do traveling, but he did great! Breaking the trip up over two days helped tremendously! It was so good to be able to spend the week with my family! We had great weather and were able to enjoy plenty of beach and pool time. We ate several yummy dinners out and my mom and dad were willing to keep an eye on Jackson after he went to bed so Hayley, Dunn, Eric, and I could go out a few nights. Like everything else, the week went by way to fast!

We weren't sure how Jackson would react to the ocean and sand. I spent some time prior to vacation looking at different blogs and recommendations for taking a baby to the beach. One of the suggestions I came across several times was to make sure and take a small swimming pool to set up on the beach in case your baby/toddler is afraid of the ocean. I've seriously never been on vacation and felt like I needed to rent a U-Haul, but this trip... We loaded up our car and the back of my dad's truck with all of the baby "necessities." We ended up laying out an outdoor rug and Jackson's pool under a canopy. This set up was PERFECT! Jackson was easily frustrated with trying to walk on the sand as he was pretty unstable and fell easily. The rug gave him some stability and he was able to walk around. He crawled in and out of his pool and played with his toys without difficulty. Again, it worked out perfect! Jackson wasn't sure what to think about the ocean. Eric and I went out with him several times and he did fine. However, he didn't care for being put down in the sand by the ocean. I think he was a little intimidated. One of Jackson's favorite activities at the beach was swimming in the big pool. He was almost a little too daring for our comfort! As much as this boy loves the water, we have a feeling swimming lessons will be in the not-to-distant future.

We were really concerned with how Jackson would do on the trip back as we decided to make the full drive in one day. With plenty of breaks and a longer stop for lunch, Jackson did awesome! He started to get a little cranky around Pine Bluff, but by then, we were almost home. It was such a good week and we can't wait to take him again! Like his mom and dad, I think this little man will develop a love for the beach!