Lydia Grace Barron and Molly Joy Barron

We’re back!  Lydia went to Cocoa Beach, Florida with her Mommy and Daddy for a family vacation!  We thought it would be a great time to get away and catch a few extra naps with the sound of the waves before baby #2 arrives!  And more importantly, it was a special time for Lydia to have her parents all to herself, 24 hours a day, while she’s still an only child.  We are so blessed, because my loving Uncle Jim and Aunt Martha offered their beach condo to us for the week.  It is so nice there, and we were really comfortable and felt at home right away.  Lydia loved it because it was a new environment to explore.  She was really happy there.  The best part for Lydia was the balcony!  It’s a beachfront condo, so she had the ocean waves to look at, and the balcony itself is very large and wraps around to the master bedroom, so she played out there a lot, any time she wanted to.  

We left last Monday.  Here’s Lydia waiting at DFW Airport.

 

On the plane… She was a great passenger! 

 

She missed her nap, so by the time we had our rental car and were on our way from Orlando to the condo, she was super sleepy.  She fell asleep about 10 minutes from our destination (it’s only about 50 miles).

We arrived around 4:30 pm or so, and we were very happy to see the beautiful ocean and condo!  Here are a few of the views from the main balcony and off the master bedroom.

   

The first morning following our arrival, Lydia was so excited to go out on the balcony and look at the ocean.  Little did she know that a little while later she would get to go IN the ocean!

For her first beach excursion, we weren’t sure whether she’d be excited or scared, so we didn’t take the time to get her dressed in all her gear, nor did we bring beach chairs and towels, etc.  We thought it would be her “introduction” to the beach.  BUT, she walked straight toward the water as if she knew exactly what it was, and of course, wanted to splash and get in the waves.  So, needless to say, she came back soaked.  Plus, you might notice a dark cloud over us in these pictures… Sure enough it started pouring rain while we were down there.  It cleared up quickly though and the rest of the day was beautiful.

The second day Lydia went to the beach, she was super happy and ready for more fun!

      

Little beach babe… taking a break for a snack.

  

Fun at the condo…

 

Lydia’s second cousins left some of their toys for Lydia to play with.  She liked this dump truck!  We might have to get her a tractor or something now… Honestly it never occurred to me she might like that sort of thing.

Lydia feeding popcorn to Daddy…   

Lydia is “cleaning”.

She loved the closets in this house, because they were all lined with mirrors!  Those of you who know Lydia well know that she LOVES mirrors.  She dances and babbles and has the best time watching herself be silly.  Oh, and light switches… On, off, on, off, on, off…as in the picture below.

  

First thing in the morning…ready to go outside on the balcony again!

But Lydia it’s cold this morning so this time you need socks and shoes.

 

And back to the mirror because she’s so cute she just can’t stand it.

  

Zurberts on her tummy from Daddy… 

 

And other silly sounds… 

Daddy and Lydia went surfing together!

At Cocoa Beach Pier, there are multiple restaurants and bars overlooking the water.  We ate there twice so we could see the water and watch the surfers.

  

 

We did a little touristy shopping, too.

In one store there was a big aquarium with fish and a small white shark!  We visited this store twice because she really likes fish.

And a sunset…

We had a very restful time.  I know this for certain because I took a nap EVERY single day, and that’s unheard of!  Normally my mind is racing with to-do lists and a million other things, so I’m not a good napper.  On vacation, we really had no choice but to relax.  There were no errands to run, no demanding schedules…  It was great!