Clark Family Blog: Siesta Key 2011

Vacation, boy we needed it! And boy did we enjoy it! We debated greatly going at all, but decided in the end that we needed a break as a family...and a warm up. So, we gambled (which we don't often do) and risked being away from home and our care providers to venture on our annual Siesta Key voyage. It felt like a normal thing to do, and normalcy is something I've blogged that I'm trying to keep in our lives.

This year's trip is seven in a row to this beautiful beach. We just can't get enough of this place. It was a little shorter than previous years - a compromise between not going at all and risking being away for an entire week.I didn't want to miss out on Gavin's reaction to the beach - ocean, waves, sand, etc. Glad that we didn't miss out because he had a fabulous time. This is his third year joining us on our venture - once when he was just 6 weeks old and then last year when he was just over one year.

Each year marks major advances in abilities. Last year, he was barely walking - stumbling in the sand. And the sand ended up in his face and mouth more than in the sand pail. This year, he was totally intrigued with running all over the beach, through the waves (he's pretty fearless) and digging in the sand with his sand toys. He wasn't much for allowing the castles to stand, rather had a blast demolishing them. I think by next year, when he's three, he will take more pride in the creations and want to keep them around.

So, here are just a few of the hundreds of photos I snapped this week. I decided to leave our bulky Cannon Rebel camera at home and opted for the more convenient pocket camera. Wish I would have just lugged the larger one along. It takes nicer photos that really capture the moment quickly vs. the few second delay with the smaller camera. None-the-less, they turned out cute!

$60 well spent on the portable DVD player for the long days of travel/airports.