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St. George Island Valentines Weekend Family Getaway

Hello from snowy Kansas! Though I do really enjoy how pretty the snow is outside, all of me wishes we could rewind a few days and be waking up in Florida.

A few days in the sun with a couple of really great friends was exactly what the doctor ordered after a long week of handling Hadley’s stomach bug. Whew.
On Friday, the three of us hopped a plane (for free thanks to our Southwest Companion Pass! Look into it!) and flew to ATL where my college friend Bethy and her awesome husband Bradley scooped us up before making the drive to Bethy’s parent’s beach house in St George Island.
Friday was long day of travel and more stomach issues for Hadley, but we made it in around 10 p.m. and crashed hard.
Waking up Saturday to the view of the sunrise over the bay was exactly what I’d been waiting for and made a crazy travel day 110% worth it. Check out that precious bed head!
Hadley knew we were somewhere new, and she couldn’t wake to get outside on the deck and do some exploring! The weather was better than we expected; It sat somewhere in the mid 60s with bright, bright sunshine. Can’t complain for mid-February!
We spent the majority of the afternoon on the boat fishing and running around the beach. This was her Hadley’s second official time to go to the beach but her first time that she was actually mobile and able to enjoy it. We were in San Diego when she was six months old, and she couldn’t do much but chill. 🙂
Watching Hadley run around the beach checking out seashells for the first time absolutely made my LIFE. Every time she saw Jamie she’d yell “Hi Dada!” while holding out her hand with the biggest smile to show him her shells. She definitely had a favorite one (a tiny white one), so we washed it and have it sitting on a high-up shelf in her bedroom.

We thought she might run after the big group of seagulls, but all she cared about were the shells. 🙂

 Typical beach picture with my babe while she’s still small enough for me to do this 🙂
Jamie absolutely loved hanging on the front of the boat while Bradley drove it 30+ MPH. I don’t think he wiped a smile off his face the entire weekend.
After we all showered off later that night, Bethy made us her infamous Midnight Spaghetti (delish!) for our little Valentines Day dinner. Hadley crashed around 8, and the rest of the night was spent roaring over Ellen Degeneres’s game called Heads Up. We played both the board game edition and the iPhone app edition, and every round left up laughing so hard that our stomachs hurt! We definitely woke Hadley up a couple of times from laughing so loud, but we couldn’t help it! Great night.
Sunday was also unexpectedly gorgeous, so we were some pretty happy beach-goers! We started the day with brunch at a place called The Owl, and then headed back to the house to let Hadley nap.
The boys took off on the boat to fish for a few hours while Bethy and I took Had to the beach to play. Unfortunately, she enjoyed playing for all of about two minutes before becoming completely distracted by the steps that lead up to all the beach houses and having meltdown after meltdown because I wouldn’t let her go visit the houses. Who cares about the beach when their are staircases everywhere? Not Hadley! Her tantrums were kind of a party foul, so we left the beach to go hang at the house for a bit before dinner.
trying to comfort her after ruining her life by not letting her climb the staircase to a stranger’s beach house

Now she’s happy! Give her a staircase and she’s on cloud nine.

Sunday night was relaxed just like Saturday, and Monday morning we were up and out the door by 7:45 so that we could catch our flight out of Atlanta back to Kansas City. Our flights home were semi-disastrous thanks to brilliant me picking a connecting flight that fell during Hadley’s bedtime, but we thankfully all made it in one piece with full heads of hair without anyone giving us the stink eye for being “that family” with the fussy kid. After four separate round trips with Hadley on an airplane, I have exactly zero tips about how to successfully fly with a baby/toddler. Zero. We stink at it.
Today is all about recuperating from an insane 10 days of the stomach bug and a vacation. I am flat exhausted but also so thankful to do life with the people that we do, even if it’s from afar. B & B, thank you for making this weekend happen! We love you guys and are so grateful for your friendship and how fully you love Hadley.
Just for fun, here’s some flashback pictures from the last couple of times I’ve played down in St. George with Bethy and the crew!
April 2012 – Clark & DeSpain Easter weekend trip
Girls Weekend June 2013 – 20 weeks preggo
I hope you all had a great (hopefully long!) weekend with loved ones. Be back tomorrow with another Stitch Fix!

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