Finley's First Vacation

Finley's first vacation was to Pepperdine, California.  Daddy was attending the Pepperdine Bible Lectures to teach a class so Mommy and Finley tagged a long.  I was very nervous about Finley's first flight being 4 hours long, especially after a recent ear infection.  I had been reading and studying up on all the blogs out there with helpful hints on flying with babies for at least 6 weeks, which Daddy found quite ridiculous, but one can never have too much information I always say.

Needless to say, flying from Nashville into LAX was a breeze.  I'm not even kidding.  I was so anxious but our baby girl handled everything like a champ.  God answered all of the prayers we anxious parents had been sending up.  He's good like that isn't He.

It helped that Uncle Dingo (Dave) was sitting beside us.

The view from our room on campus!

Playing in the sunshine.

Finley was about 1 week away from turning 7 months old on our trip.  Her schedule was near and dear to her well-being which is a bit difficult to balance with the two hour time difference.  So Finley and Mommy spent a lot of time in the room.

"5am is a great wake-up time, Mommy!"

We couldn't be too upset about the early waking when we realized it was 7 am at home.

Water is just as fun to play with in Cali as it is in Nashville.

Yes, she is always this loud!

Sleepy at dinner each night.  Daddy very much enjoyed the extra cuddles.

Of course we couldn't be within sight of the beach and not visit the majestic Pacific.

She was ready to hit the waves.

 It was absolutely gorgeous on the beach.

Sitting quietly observing didn't last long.  She was covered in sand in no time.

 At one point, she put her forehead directly into the sand.  No reason to use your hands when you can bypass them and just lick the sand directly, Right?!?

 She loved the water which was very cold!

Family pictures are hard to come by these days.

Playing with Zoran in the sand.

The trip was great all in all.  However, be forewarned that CA is not known for its air conditioning.  It was cool outside in the breeze, however I do not plan to stay in the dorms at Pepperdine again.  No air conditioning and plastic mattresses for a week with a 6 month old did me in.  So stay on campus at your own risk.

Another less than ideal thing that happened... We had to wait quite a while with a group of a few others on a shuttle to the airport because the poor driver couldn't find our dorm (It really is hard to navigate a college campus).  The wait was no big deal, however, when he arrived he only had 2 seats left on his van.  We had a confirmation sheet in our hands that had 3 seats reserved.  He said and I quote, "Can't you just hold her?"  WHAT???  Babies have to be in car seats buckled into the car.  I don't mean to be rude, but we are not in a third world country without transportation laws.  No sir, I will not be holding her while we traverse the LA highways!  After waiting for such a long time and the man obviously not understanding, Brandon elected to just hold on and Finley and I took the seat belts.  Poor Daddy nearly got sick.  We made it to the airport, but it was definitely a new experience.