Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Our First Family Vacation - June 2012 (Post 5)

This post is to show what the cabin was like.  We LOVED this cabin.  It is for sale and I so wish that we could buy it, but that's just not in the cards for us right now.  One day though!
 The deck goes all the way around the cabin.  There is a tiki bar downstairs and a shower.  I must say that taking a shower outside is one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.  I didn't want to get out.
 Coming through the front door is the kitchen/dining area/living room.
 I'm in love with the kitchen.  This is my dream kitchen.  White cabinets, granite counter tops with a bar, stainless steel appliances, lots of storage, and a huge pantry.

 I loved the sink.  Very deep and the faucet detached and turned into a sprayer.

 I loved the lights.
 Dining table area.  The girls got to watch TV while they ate.
 Eben now thinks that we need Dish Network so that he can watch the NFL channel and we also need a TV that big.  He's got another thing coming.
 The hallway leading to the back of the cabin.  I loved the flooring.  It was so easy to keep clean.
 The spare bedroom.  I used the closet to store all of my getting dressed supplies and to store towels.
 Our bedroom.  The blinds were AWESOME.  They blocked out the light so well. 
I could have stayed in bed all day.
 The girls bedroom.  I want this bed for their bedroom.  I have to find it.  It was so stinkin' cute.


 The girls' bathroom.  Loved the bright decor.  Very beachy.
 I loved the paintings in our bathroom.  I would love to redo our bathroom at home in a beach theme.

That's it.  I'm being selfish when I say this, but I hope they don't sell this place. 
I would love to come back to this beach cabin next year.

Our First Family Vacation - June 2012 (Post 4)

Saturday, June 30, 2012
We had great plans for Saturday.  My mom, stepdad, sisters, and neices and nephews were all coming out to spend the day with us on the beach.  Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate with our plans.

 The wind was blowing like a hurricane was upon us.  Things were flying everywhere.
 That didn't stop us from going out on the covered patio to enjoy the breeze.
 Daddy gave both of the girls tattoos.
 Kinsley playing in the rain.
They love their daddy.
 Once Brenna, Tim, and the kids got there, it was time for lunch. 
Chloe and Kinsley got to sit at the big bar.
 Breanna, Katie, and Brendon enjoying hotdogs and chips.
 Journey was very observant of her surroundings, until she fell asleep.
 Cousins.  We're missing Lindsey, but she was off with her boyfriend.
 Brendon, Journey, Kinsley, Chloe, Lilly, Katie, Breanna, and Sailor (she'll be here in August).
As we were looking down at the kids, I was thinking to myself how crazy it is that all of these kids are ours.
My mom and Journey.

 It started raining right when we were about to leave for the beach. 
It wasn't just raining, it was POURING down.
 They all decided to make the most of it and since they were all in their swim suits...they played in the rain.
 Frogs started coming out of everywhere during the rain.  They were catching them left and right.
 Katie releasing her frog.
 Lilly was enjoying the rain too.
 Amy and Patrick.
 Chloe was scared to death of the water.  She was hanging on Brenna like a little monkey.
 They had so much fun playing in the water.  The waves were a little high so we didn't let them go to far out.
 This is usually what happens when Kinsley and Lilly are together...LOL.
Look at that dark sky.

This was our last full day at the cabin.  We got to watch some pretty incredible firework shows Saturday night.  They were spectacular.
We were dreading Sunday, but all good things must come to an end.

Sunday, July 1, 2012
I didn't take any pictures our last day because I spent the entire time cleaning and packing up.  Check-out time was 2:00.  We were finished and ready to go at 1:00.  I would have liked to have stayed until 2:00, but even though I wasn't ready to leave, I was ready to get home and unpack.

This was a vacation that I will never forget.  We enjoyed it so much.  We plan on going back every year.

Our First Family Vacation - June 2012 (Post 3)

Friday, June 29, 2012
We decided to spend the day in Galveston on Friday.  I don't know what I was thinking.  I was so excited to bring the girls on the ferry and to The Strand.  The Strand is definitely not a fun place for little ones.  Too many shops with breakable things.  Eben and Katie had no fun, and Kinsley slept the entire time.  Next time, I will go by myself.
On our way to Galveston.  We sat in line at the ferry for atleast 30 minutes.  Katie kept saying, "Are we there yet?"  She is so impatient.

Photobombed by Katie...LOL.





We saw dolphins right before we made it to Galveston.

 It took forever to drive down the Seawall to get to The Rainforest Cafe.  As soon as we walked in, a huge snake (fake) was hanging from the trees in the giftstore and they both freaked out.  The lighting wasn't too good for pictures, but we did the best we could.
Kinsley was very somber during our time at the Cafe.  She was not sure about all of the noises and movements that the animals made.  Her face was cracking me up the entire time. 
 Katie wasn't sure about all of it at first either, but she quickly got over it and enjoyed it all.




 This is my favorite picture of Kinsley at The Rainforest Cafe.  She was so ready to leave.


 Eben and I both ordered the shrimp platter. Oh so expensive, but oh so good.


 I took the girls on a ride in the underground lazy river at The Rainforest Cafe.
Neither one of them enjoyed it at all.

By the time the ride was over, Kinsley was in my lap wrapped around me and Katie's head was inbetween my legs.  They took a picture of us before we got on the ride and we could pick it up at the end of the ride, but the girls were so freaked out that they wanted to leave quickly.
 After The Rainforest Cafe, we went to The Strand for a little shopping.
 Kinsley slept the entire time.
 Right before we left, we stopped by the old time ice cream shop for a cool down from the heat.
Kinsley still wasn't over the horrifying experience of The Rainforest Cafe.

Kinsley's attitude completely changed after the ice cream.

Some of my favorite pictures that I took during our vacation happened on the walk back to our car.





They were being so incredibly sweet to each other on our way back to the car.




 We saw more dolphins on our way back to Bolivar Pennisula.  There were at least 6 playing around.  They were too fast to catch out of the water, but I did happen to catch one of their fins.  It's on the left.
 Seagulls and ferries just go hand-in-hand.
 Pelicans are huge.