Beach- Day 2

Day 2 on the beach did not disappoint! Cole LOVES the sand! It's like one giant sandbox to him! He spent an hour or so on the beach making "roads" for his boat, and then got in the ocean and floated around for a bit with me. Fun, fun times:)!!!

Listen to this crazy story.....my mom and dad woke up extra early to go secure our spot on the beach. Mom had already scoped out the "perfect" spot from our balcony. Once they got down to the beach, she realized that her "perfect" spot had already been reserved:(! Guess who it was reserved by?.....MILLER!!! So, mom went to the lifeguard stand and asked how long the Miller's were going to be here, because when they left, we wanted their spot. That is when the lifeguard told her that "The Miller's" had come down the day before just to reserve those 2 umbrellas, and had NEVER come back. He said that if they didn't show up by noon that he would give us their spot and move them down. Well, noon rolled around and they still hadn't shown up, so the lifeguard came by and was going to switch out their tags for ours, but we asked him if we could keep the "Miller" tags:)! They STILL haven't shown up!!! We really believe that Miller McNeil reserved those umbrellas just for us! Thanks, Miller:)!!!

Afternoon snack.....

Being silly.....

Cole LOVES his cousins.....

Evening swim.....

He loves to float with his face in the water;).....

Happy Hour by the pool:).....

Getting ready for a crab hunt;).....

Cole decided he wasn't so sure about the crab hunt and jumped in Peg's arms;).....

Brady and Ryan digging for crabs;).....

1st Plane Ride/Day 1

We made it to Destin! This is a trip we planned when I was pregnant with Miller, so it is sort of bittersweet being here. Before we left Children's Hospital, we told Miller's doctors about our beach trip and they told us that we should take him. They said to continue to do everything we had planned and treat him like a normal baby (except spoil him more than normal:), so even after his diagnosis, we still had plans to bring him. Once he got so dependent on oxygen, we knew the trip wouldn't be much of a "vacation" for Patrick and me, but were still planning on taking him, because we wanted him to see the ocean, and we knew Cole would enjoy it. However, once he wasn't able to tolerate his car bed (special car seat) anymore, we knew he wouldn't be able to go. Travel to the doctor was enough of a challenge, so a plane trip to Florida was now out of the question. We cancelled the trip 1 week before he passed away. About a week after he passed, I told Patrick that I thought a beach trip would do us some good. The original trip we had planned was still a month away, and I thought that by then we would be ready to get away. Well, in between the time we cancelled and the time I decided we should book again, Patrick had signed up to play in a golf tournament that he was really looking forward to, so I told him that was fine, and planned to fly out of Shreveport with my family (mom, dad, sister and nephews). This way everyone was happy! Golf makes Patrick happy and the beach makes me happy:)! A couple of weeks later, I got a surprise email! A confirmation from Vision Airlines for Patrick Woodruff:)! He couldn't stand it! He booked a flight out of Little Rock on Tuesday and will fly back to Shreveport on Saturday with us. I am so excited he decided to come and can't wait until Tuesday to see him!

This was Cole, Brady, and Ryan's 1st plane trip!

Excited momma and Cole:).....

Killing time while waiting to board the plane..... Here we go:).....

All buckled up! He said he didn't want to sit by the window, because "that seat scared him";).

I think this is a nervous smile;).....

Chewing starburst to keep his ears from popping.....

He decided he wanted to sit by the window after all:).....

Complimentary Oreos, yummy;).....

Once we were up in the air, he passed out;).....

We made it!!! All loaded up in the rental mini van:).....

Going to the beach.....

He LOVES the sand!!! Peg and her boys:).....

Not so sure about the sand on his hands;)..... Looking at the seagulls, and I think Miller was peeking through at us;).....

Running from the waves:).....

Ooops....smashing someones sand castle. He hasn't quite learned beach etiquette;)....

Brady and Ryan.....

Beautiful sky:).....

We saw this couple enjoying their evening on the beach. I thought it was so sweet:).....