Last weekend we found ourselves at the beach again, only this time we were with Josh's parents - Nana & Grandpa Cookie. We left late Thursday afternoon and headed to Pensacola for the weekend to enjoy some sun and the Blue Angels airshow. Friday on the beach was GORGEOUS. Josh had to work inside most of the day, but he did get to venture out for lunch and came out again later in the afternoon to watch the planes fly. I didn't get any pictures of the stunt planes, since we were enjoying lunch on our balcony while watching them, but I did get some great ones once the Angels started flying. the view from my very cushy beach chair rental, courtesy of SD three pretty beach bums / ella, isabella & sophie some sand play while we were waiting for the planes sophie hung out in the ...
beach
Vacation, Part 2
On Thursday of our vacation we spent most of the day at the pool. I wish we had a water park or splash pad closer to home, because these two girls loved it! There is a fence to keep them in and it is pretty impossible to drown. I laid my towel on the very edge and watched them run and play all morning. All of a sudden, Ella wants to pose everywhere. It is all I can do to keep a straight face while I'm snapping away. I swear she looks like a junior Victoria's Secret model?! Of course, we had to stop for snack more than once throughout the day! Friday was our last full day to spend in the sand. Everyone in my family came to the beach that day and it made for quite the sight. I wish I had taken a picture at sunset -- there were no less than five weddings taking place behind us ...
Vacation, Part 1
I took in the neighborhood of 250 photographs while we were on vacation and I uploaded about 75 of those. Since it would be a bit gratuitous to try and include all of those in a single post, I'll share them over the next several days. Each day pretty much looks exactly the same, but they are all too cute not to share! We left for the beach on Saturday evening after Ella's dance recital. We drove to Prattville, ate a quick bite at Chick-fil-A for dinner and put on our pajamas in the bathroom. Ella finally went to sleep between Montgomery and Greenville and slept the rest of the way down. We stopped in Bay Minette for gas and a potty break and were in Gulf Shores before midnight. Since we couldn't pick up our RV until Monday morning, we crashed with my parents in their pop-up on Saturday ...
Monday
Wanna know how to gain 4.5 lbs in 8 days? Eat at the Shrimp Basket at least three times. Have a MASSIVE meal at the Original Oyster House that breaks the bank. Have a single and a double mint chocolate-chip ice cream on a waffle cone. Plow through a case of cold, canned DP. Choose Krispy Kreme chocolate glazed donuts instead of a sensible breakfast. Don't consume a single bottle of water or even open the boxes of protein bars you brought. Only run once and only then because it's breezy and raining. Read five Sookie Stackhouse books on a lawn chair in front of the box fan. Lay on a blanket in the sand and watch your girls serve make-believe meals made of sand. Enjoy seven, sun-filled days with 20 of your favorite people. It was fun, but the laundry is ridiculous and my girls ...
So, about the beach…
Before we left for the beach, Ella had her second dance recital. As I'm sure you know, most every ballerina gets an arm full of flowers to celebrate her performance. Last year, Ella got pink roses and as beautiful as they were, we left for the beach the next morning and never got to enjoy them. I talked with her about waiting to get flowers when we got home from vacation, but she opted to pick out a prize at the beach instead. She was such a big girl about not having flowers that night, knowing she would be rewarded in a few days. I imagined her picking out a necklace or a new bathing suit or even a silly, unnecessary souvenir. I was not prepared for Courtney. Josh's eyes lit up one night in the camper and I knew what was about to happen. He whispered in her ear that there were crabs you ...
Around Camp
Around camp we... played with our toys, learned some new games on the iPhone, doodled and crafted, read and drank Dr. Pepper, practiced our bike riding skills, went on wagon rides... over, and over, and over, we played in the dirt, and even hung out with our sweet daddy! ...
Splish Splash
I used to laugh at those of you who insisted a pool was a necessity for vacation. My response was always that we had one of those at home and when I was on vacation I wanted my toes in the sand. My experience was once of being young and dumb with no one to care for but myself. Vacations consisted of an endless stack of summer reading and plenty of time to catch some z's. That... was before I had children. Gulf State Park has always been on the primitive side of beach vacations, but I have never complained. Bike rides, ice cream cones and card games has been the norm for our family trips as long as I could remember. When I heard they were building a pool at the Lake Pavilion, I even chuckled to myself that we would NEVER waste our time at the pool when we could be beach-side. Fast forward ...
Sun and Sand
What's a vacation without the beach, right? I used to be one of those girls that could wake up and head to the beach at 7 o'clock and stay until sunset. Being a mom changes your schedule. Not only do we have to break for lunch and nap time, but I am considerably more hot natured post-pregnancy and need some air conditioning in my life! Since we have to drive to the beach, there is no "running up to the room" to fix a quick snack, we take it all with us. The Gulf State Beach Pavilion is our favorite beach in the state. It is beautiful and the facilities are so nice. I can remember for several years after Hurricane Ivan that we toughed it out with no real shade or restrooms and it is so nice to have a beautiful pavilion back. There are showers and restrooms, plenty of picnic tables and a ...