South Padre Island

Driving down we broke the trip up into two days, half Thursday night and the other half Friday. The kids did pretty good. Carson doesn't love being in the car but he's better than he was. I was surprised that Brooks fell asleep at one point. We didn't even have to use the ipad to watch movies or shows on the way down. Friday Carson was fighting a nap the whole drive then of course falls asleep right as we get there. So Dan and Brooks ran into an HEB to get some groceries while I stayed with Carson to let him sleep a bit more.

We got to out AirBnb and was surprised at how spacious it felt. The pictures looked fine but it definitely felt bigger in person with 12 ft ceilings and a a spread out layout, it was a nice surprise! It was clean, well maintained and had just what we needed. It was a 5 minute walk to the beach and a pool out back.

So of course we hit the beach and the pool and played as much as we could the first afternoon we were there. We got home late and needed to clean the kids up so we just opted for a fast meal (Whataburger) in order to get the kids fed and in bed. The boys have shared a room before but it's different to see how it's different as Carson grows a bit. This time it was amazing. Carson would goof around in his pack n play and the boy would be in there making each other laugh for 30 minutes until they went to sleep. So fun to hear as a parent.

The next couple days we did that same thing, beach, eat, repeat! We would go to the beach from 9-noon, walk home for lunch (sandwiches, chips, fruit), Carson takes a nap and we relax, then we'd either go do something fun or go back to the beach, hit the pool then grab some dinner.

Sweet Carson was WILD as the beach for the first couple of days. You set him down and he just wants to run into the ocean or down the shoreline forever. We had to firmly establish our boundaries which usually meant going on a walk up and down the shoreline when we first got there to fulfill that need to explore, then enforcing that he had to stay with us at our spot for the rest of the time. By the end of the week I think he finally got it haha. Let's just say we all got our steps in! 

Brooks in a bit more cautious of the water and he prefers to dig and play in the sand. Carson liked to play in the sand too but he also LOVED the ocean.

We went to the Turtle Rescue which was really fun. I had no idea how big some turtles get!

Then we went next door to the Birding and Nature Trail which was equally as cool. The keeper there let Brooks help feed their tortoise and the rabbit. Carson enjoyed the rabbit, I think it's cause they both have the cutest cheeks!

wanted a picture but wouldn't get any closer haha

This is a portugese man o war. It's not technically a jelly fish even though it looks like one but it's sting it much more painful. We saw 2 of these over the week and would just scoop them up and throw them way back out. We saw about 10 jellyfish over the week too washed up on the shore. Water shoes for the kids are a must because they don't pay attention. Carson ever stepped on one but was fine because of the shoes!

We went to the light house in Port Isabella. Carson couldn't go up it so Brooks and I did and it was really cool!

New favorite picture of the boys!

The next day we went on a Dolphin Watch and it was amazing! Saw lots of dolphins and the coolest was when they swam and raced with the boat. They also put a net down a caught some marine life to bring around and show the kids. It was very fun and Carson zonked out and missed the whole thing haha! It's rare for him to fall asleep on someone like this but I get the noise of the boat and the rocking waves were just too much for him.

We went to a fun park one night where Dan and B rode go karts and we played mini golf. Carson was not great with mini golf. He loved trying to golf but he also loved running off. So Dan played the whole game of mini golf with Carson on his shoulders, impressive!

We spent lots of time a the beach and pool our last days in South Padre. We ate a lot of fried shrimp and it was delicious! It was so much fun and a lot of work to beach with littles. We definitely wore them out and we all had a blast! Friday we did the while 8 hour drive in one day. I was so nervous about doing this but surpringly the kids did amazing and we only stopped ONCE- we ate lunch, when to the bathroom, got gas and ran the kids around at a park from 10 minutes then hit the road again. It felt good to be home and everyone enjoyed sleeping in their own beds. It was a lot of fun and lots of memories were made.