The Photographer's Wife Parenting, Disney, Travel, Reviews & Other Randomness
Recently, if I look outside of a window, 9 times out of 10, I would see rain. Lots and lots of rain. It seems like we’ve had so much of it lately and we’re always inside. Boo-hoo.
As a working mom, I try to take every opportunity to spend time with my family and when we get a nice, sunny day, you can bet we’re outside. We especially love trying to find things that Trent enjoys or that he hasn’t done before. So far, he’s a big fan of swimming, splashing on his splash pad, swinging and playing at the park and Disney World.
When we found out a dear friend of ours was making a trip back to his hometown only 2.5 hours from us, and that the weather was going to be nice, we decided to make a day trip to see him and have fun outside!
We left the house at 10:00 am (about an hour after we wanted to - we fail at leaving on time) and arrived in Destin around noon (we crossed time zones). Our first stop was Big Kahuna’s Water Park! It was Trent’s first time at a water park, and even though there weren’t any rides for his age, I think he still had fun….can you tell?
We went for a few laps around the lazy river, sat in the baby splash pool and then had lunch. After lunch, we went into the larger pool and we brought along our waterproof camera and the GoPro to capture our water park fun, but just a few minutes after, it was everyone out of the water! Lightning had been spotted nearby, so the water was completely void of people. It was a sad sight 
Luckily, it didn’t end up raining, but we cut our water park visit a little shorter than we wanted to and took that as a sign to move on to our next item on the agenda…shopping at the outlet malls and then dinner! We ate at Pompano Joe’s.
We had a nice balcony table overlooking the Gulf. Beautiful.
While waiting for our dinner, we took the opportunity to walk on the beach.
Check out our sexy beach hair.
With our tummies full, we took a short drive to the town of Seaside. It’s a small town with some unique shops, restaurants and food trucks!
First, we walked to the beach to catch the sunset…which was hidden by clouds, but still beautiful if you ask me.
Obligatory “jumping-in-the-air-on-the-beach” shot.
What goes up, must come down…
Love this kid…
We then walked in some of the shops. This toy store was really neat with lots of unique, specialty toys…and a giant duck outside.
We grabbed some delicious ice cream before calling it a night. It was so nice to spend the day outside together and to see a good friend. Trent had so much fun that he fell asleep in the car almost immediately and slept the entire trip home. THAT is a success in my book!
Sometimes it can be difficult to not think about the to-do list or to put down the laptop when I get home after work or on the weekends, so if you have the same problem and need ideas…then take the pledge to schedule a family play date and check out the Merck Active Family project for ideas!
About the Active Family Project
Moms are increasingly juggling work, school, sports, errands, household chores, mundane daily tasks, appointments, and more. The Active Family Project is designed to help empower moms to enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle with their families so they can live life the way they love. It aims to spotlight tips and advice for fun family activities and build a national community of moms dedicated to adopting and promoting a healthy and active family lifestyle. Click here to read the press release from Merck Consumer Care about this initiative.
Use the Active Family Project Activity Finder
Get tips and ideas for your family’s playtime together with the Active Family Project Activity Finder. This go-to guide offers some instant solutions to your playtime needs, and aims to promote quality time and help your family live life more fully. Visit the Activity Finder at www.activefamilyproject.com.
They also have a Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/activefamilyproject
xoxo LynnSubscribe by email | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Pinterest | Subscribe on YouTube
I received $100 from Merck Consumer Care, and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience. This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Merck Consumer Care
It was fantastic (as always) seeing you all. It was also especially wonderful meeting the newest member of your family! I can’t tell you how happy I was to be able to spend time with you, Brett and Trent, even if only for a short while. Thank you again for making the trip, I can’t tell you how great it was to be able to hang out. I miss living closer
Ok then, move back! It was great to see you too. The entire day was fun and I’m glad Trent got to meet his Facetime buddy in person!