"I don't want to go to the Big Chicken", blurted Toddler O.
"What?", I said.
"The Big Chicken. I not want to go"
Confused but well within the bounds of a two-year-old's conversation, I said, "okay".
Well as it turns out the Big Chicken or Phoenix as it is formally know as, is the logo for the condo we stayed at for our beach trip, and at the bottom of the pool was a tile inlay of the logo. A logo which can be very scary to a youngster.
I digress.
The trip was great. We enjoyed the beach with the normal cast of characters; Poppy, Dede, Aunt 'Tacy, Burt Burt, Hot Wife, Toddler O, and yours truly. The first day we mostly enjoyed the on-site facilities. The lazy river was a hit with all and the beach was nice too. Toddler O wouldn't put her feet in the sand and was very concerned with the cleanliness of the beach. She eventually got over her fear of the sand somewhat and built a sand castle, but her fear of the ocean never waned.
The first night, just like every one to follow, we ate dinners out. We searched for the perfect fried shrimp and crab claws, but left disappointed except for Louisiana Lagniappe. Really most of the popular places down on the coast sell the same fare. Fried this, fried that, and a side salad for the healthy folks.
In addition to the relaxing use of the condo facilities, we did go fishing at "the bridge". The first trip peaked our taste for the big catch which was never to be satisfied. We saw thousands of Skipjacks or Slapjacks as I call them, hitting the water feeding on minnows. It was a truly amazing sight. An easy catch, right? Nope, they wouldn't touch our lures. However, if you are a skilled reeler, you can snag one. Poppy caught one in the butt!
Saturday afternoon, Tim and Devon came to visit. They are friends who moved from Birmingham to Mobile. Argh! We miss them. They drove three hours to visit us for about that same amount and had to cut the visit short because of a sick baby. Wow! What great friends to make such a commitment of travel for such a short visit. We are truly humbled by their kind gesture.
Beach, pool, golf, fishing, naps, food... That pretty much sums up our vacation.
So back to the Big Chicken. The last day we were there, Toddler O turned on the lazy river and opted for the baby pool. The only problem is that the baby pool is near the normal pool with the Big Chicken in it. In order to calm her fears of the Big Chicken, I suggested we name it. You know, lets put a name with a face, right. After much thought about many potential names, we settled on Phoenix. Which is coincidentally the name of the condo complex.
We're home now. It's nice to be home. Good to go, good to be back!
BEACH PICTURES LINKED BELOW
It's been a while since I updated some pics. These aren't masterpieces but let you all know what we've been up to the last few weeks.
She's also learned to use the potty. She'll hate me for this picture one day, but it seems like a parents right of passage to show a pic like this. She doesn't know how to "feel" potty time yet, but if we stay on her, she doesn't have any accidents. Today she didn't mess up any panties! Woo Hoo!
of two-day school at God's House. She loves it! While the other kidos were pining for their mommies, Toddler O just cruised on in to the room and started playing. The little rat has the confidence of a kid many times her age. She loved school so much that she cried when she had to leave. Argh! I guess it could be worse - she could have not liked it.
