brooks goes to the beach.

Last year John and I decided to start a tradition of going to the beach every year to celebrate both my birthday and our anniversary since they fall only three days apart. Little did we know that we would be continuing the tradition this year...with a baby in tow! And while I wasn't too excited about turning 28, I was beyond thrilled to spend the weekend at Mama Jean and Grandaddy's condo in Seagrove with my two boys and introduce Brooks to the beach for the first time. I can only hope he grows to love it as much as his mommy and daddy do!

Thursday afternoon we loaded up (and I mean loaded) and embarked on the four hour drive down South. The drive was a success despite having to stop for a feed and a diaper change or two. We pulled straight into Grayton Beach for a quick dinner at the Hurricane Oyster Bar and it was mmmm, good.

Although the weather was brisk on Friday morning, the sun came out and it warmed up a bit so we took advantage and ventured to Seaside for a lovely afternoon of shopping, lunch, and a nice long walk. Mommy scored some cute earrings and a couple of tops from Perspicacity and Brooks got a precious "Seaside" onesie to hallmark his first beach trip.

Later that evening we went to the Red Bar for dinner—a must for this family of three. Unfortunately Brooks didn't get to experience the eclectic chaos because he slept the entire time. But, it was sure nice to have an uninterrupted dinner with the hubs.

On to Saturday...my birthday!

The weather forecast did not look too promising, but we were bound and determined to get out of the condo for the afternoon. We started with a quick trip to the beach to let Brooks see the ocean for the first time. Unfortunately, the wind was so intense we didn't even make it down to the sand. He still got to "see" the ocean and the sand and I would say that he was quite taken. He just stared through the fog and took it all in.

Next, we decided to drive in to Rosemary to walk and shop around and visit some old neighbors. However, the minute we pulled in it started sprinkling. We decided against getting out of the car with the babe so we took it back to the condo, grilled some fresh shrimp and sipped on a mimosa or two. It turned into a rainy, yet relaxing afternoon with my man on the couch and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Lucky for me, the rain let up in the evening so we boldly set out for dinner at George's to celebrate the big 2-8. As we were making our way to Alys Beach the sun decided to make an appearance and it ended up being a beautiful evening. Dinner was excellent too! Afterwards we got dessert in Rosemary and finally made it to see the McClains. A great way to end the night!

And wouldn't you know the weather was absolutely perfect on Sunday? Sunshine and warm?! Yep! Why is the day you have to head home always the loveliest? We soaked in what we could with another trip to the beach for one more peek and brunch at The Great Southern in Seaside. Perfect ending to a pretty perfect weekend.

We cannot wait to go back at the end April with the Bryant clan—this time to the house! It's going to be fun fun fun. And hopefully we will get those little piggies in the sand...

A few iPhone snippets of the weekend: