First Family Vacation ~ Day 1

September 4, 2012: The long awaited first Hagedorn family beach trip arrived! The only place our kids have ever traveled is Arkansas by car. We had been waiting until they were both a bit older to take a vacation. We decided on Orange Beach, Alabama (right next to Gulf Shores). The beach seemed like the best first vacation...laid back, could do our own schedule/thing, & introduce them to the sand & ocean. :)
It's no surprise that we take lots of pictures to try to capture our growing babies, so this trip was no exception. Got there Tuesday & left Saturday...roughly 300 pictures. I've decided to break each day into individual posts. It's my blog & I can be annoying haha!!

Travel day went good. Luckily, Aunt Katie joined us on our trip. She was so valuable, without even knowing she was. She loves Emma Kate & Jackson as her own & enjoys spending time with them. Also, having her extra set of hands was quite helpful. This was Emma Kate & Jackson's first plane ride as well. We somehow ended up one gate away from the "Junior Flyer" kids area where they played happily until it was time to fly. Both did great on the flight. A quick bite at Crackle Barrel & a 2 hour car ride in between 2 car seats later (mama in between holding the portable DVD player) we were in Orange Beach, AL.
Our condo was PERFECTO!! suited us perfectly!! We were able to get a quick first beach visit as soon as we got there Tuesday late afternoon. Both kids immediately loved it! Emma Kate more than Jack, she was in the water & rolling in the sand within 5 minutes of being there! It was such a special & unforgettable experience seeing my kids experience the ocean & sand for the very first time. :)

 @ DFW airport about to fly out

 First flight. Had to have her babies, Alice & Lucy

Mama in the middle

 Master bath

 Master bedroom

 Living room

 EK & Katie's room

 Jackson's room

 First time ever in the sand

First time seeing the ocean!

 Happy people!

 Dinner out first night - The Hangout

Great dinner. Ended with a big rainstorm.