The Dobson Family: Gulf Shores Alabama 2013

Our family went on vacation to Gulf Shores Alabama with the Merrick family. The kids had a wonderful time and played great with each other. We thought the kids would sleep if we drove through the night, so we left home around 9:00 pm. Both boys were great the whole trip, but Ben decided he wanted to stay up until 4 am! They watched TV, played with dinosaurs, played "I Spy" and ate goodies the whole way! Matt and I enjoyed listening them carry on conversations with each other!

Kylie and Sam were big buddies. They definitely enjoyed each others company! This is when we first arrived and I had the chance to listen to them talk about what they were going to do during the week! Swimming, finding seashells, playing pirate golf, and fishing were at the top of their lists!

During our first visit to the beach, Ben was a little hesitant. He was not necessarily afraid of the ocean, but he was very cautious. With his daddy's hand, he was ready for the water to hit his toes!

Sam on the other hand remembered the ocean from last year and let us know up front that he liked dry sand and did not want to get wet!

I love this picture of Ben standing like his daddy!

The next few pictures show the many facial expressions of Ben as he looked at the ocean. This first one is him trying to get Sam to come join him as he played in the water. Sam wouldn't come, so he went by himself!

He would stand close enough for his toes to get wet, but would have to wait for the waves to come in.

Eventually he got tired of standing waiting for his toes to get wet, so he laid down on his belly and waited for the waves to hit him in the face.

He crept up so close that Matt decided to go sit with him! Ben thought it was funny every time the waves splashed him in the face!

As Ben played in the water, Sam stayed in the sand and played. He dug for dinosaur fossils, built sandcastles, and made sand angels.

Sam talked his Daddy into burying him in the sand.

It was hard for Sam to lay still!

Ben also enjoyed throwing sand

This was our first night on our way to dinner. We usually hate waiting at restaurants, but we were glad we had to wait! As soon as we got in the car, Ben would be asleep and by the time our wait for the restaurant was up, Ben would wake up! ..

Ben also loved the pool. We were amazed by how calm he was when he was in the water. He usually runs around full speed, but when in the water, he was extremely calm.

Sam and Kaden enjoying a little down time.

Kylie showing Ben how to play games on the IPAD

Yes, Sam is holding a squid! The kids enjoyed fishing and playing with the squid and shrimp!

I love this boy!

We ate lunch at McGuires and had an amazing meal. This was on Matt's list of things we had to do!

The kids searching for crabs!

We visited a ball park while we were in Pensacola. It was a really hot afternoon, but the kids had fun. After the game, they had fireworks, which was the hit of the night!

Last year, we played Pirate Put-Put and it was one of the kids favorite days. We came back this year and they had a blast again. Sam was a much better putter, but Ben didn't care...he just ran around looking at the pirates.

Sam listened to his daddy and followed his direction. He really wanted to hit it in on the first put!

Ben on the other hand would place his ball 3 inches from the hole and would hit it in and clap his hands!!

Afterwards, the kids cooled off with a popsicle!

The kids loved having snacks by the pool.

I am sure this is one of the million times Matt was trying to tell Ben to "not" do something....but Ben is not always the best listener!

Kylie and her daddy!

Such a sweet boy!

Sam did great in the water. He enjoyed jumping in, but always wanted me to catch him!

On the last night, Liz took pictures of our family. It was hot outside and the sun was in our eyes, but I think they turned out great!

I like this one of us walking towards the beach.

This doesn't seem a lot of some, but it was a huge milestone for Sam. At the beginning of the week, he did not want to be splashed in the face. By the end of the week he would go up to the top of the ramp and jump into the water! We were really proud of him!