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 2)

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Eben had to work Thursday, so I took the girls to the beach by myself.  We loaded the golf cart down with all of our stuff (thanks to my Uncle Chuck for letting us use his golf cart...it was a life saver).

Putting up the tarp when you're only 5'1" is impossible.  I couldn't get the legs to go any higher.  This is how it stayed until Eben came back.

I was already burnt on the front side, so I spent most of the day getting burnt on my backside.

I took the girls into the water a few times.  I was so scared of what I couldn't see swimming around my feet, but I did it.  I've been a lot further before, but I had watched a guy pull out 6 baby sharks the day before.  I wasn't about to go any further with my babies.

Katie covered herself in sand.  She ended up getting a rash later that evening.

Enjoying a snack after a long day at the beach.

We were expecting company again on Thursday evening.  I felt that I must make myself pesentable even though I really wanted to not put on any makeup and have my hair in a ponytail.  I was crispy too, so I had to put something on that didn't require much clothing to touch my burns.

Momma's treat after a long day at the beach.

 Enjoying the Gulf breeze.

Me and Allana.

Our First Family Vacation - June 2012 (Post 1)

We had our very first family vacation last week.  One that did not require us to evacuate because of a hurricane.  It was AMAZING.  I honestly did not want to come back. 

This will be a 4 part post. There's just so much to say and so many pictures to post.  I'll start with the beginning of the week. 

We arrived at our beach cabin a little later than we had planned because Eben had to go into work Monday morning.  I had to get EVERYTHING ready for our trip, and I wanted my house to be clean when we returned so I was a busy little beaver that day.  Once we arrived, I wanted to unpack and get everything done as soon as we got there because I'm not one to live out of bags.  After I got everything unpacked, it was time for some RELAXATION.

We hung out on the deck a lot.  The Gulf breeze was perfect because the temperature reached 106 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  It was HOT.  We didn't mind though.

Monday, June 25, 2012

This was our view everyday.  We were quite a few rows away from the beach, but we could still see the waves hitting the shore.  It was PERFECTION.

Kinsley with her "hurry up and take the picture" smile so that I would open her yogurt. 

Katie and Daddy relaxing.

Daddy and Katie.  Precious.

With July 4th being right around the corner, fireworks were already being popped.  We happened to be backed up to a firework stand so we got front row seats to their display.  The girls were both scared of the loud noise.

I think that Kinsley would have liked it if Katie did.  She reacts however Katie reacts, and Katie has never liked fireworks.  They didn't last long...maybe 10 minutes.

She was unimpressed.

Our first night at the cabin I went to bed around 9:30ish.  I was EXHAUSTED.  I had the box fan on high, and I wrinkled down in one of the most comfortable beds that I'd ever slept in.  It was perfect.  5 minutes after I laid down, here they came.  Both girls jumped in bed with me.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

 The girls put on their bathing suits as soon as they got finished eating breakfast. 

They were both ready to hit the beach.

Daddy and Kinsley...so sweet.

Daddy wanted to make a naked girl in the sand.  His version of entertaining the girls.

I didn't take a lot of pictures our first day at the beach because my camera was broke.  I had to get some tape to keep the battery door closed.

Katie got a hold of my phone and took some self-portraits.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Wednesday we were to have visitors, so the girls had to play with their toys in their room while we waited for them to show up.

Brant and Cam arrived and the girls were so excited to have a playmate.  They didn't stay long though.  Cam wasn't feeling well, and she really didn't want to be there.

This is where the girls spent most of their time when we were in the cabin...in the pantry.  It was HUGE and they are always hungry.  If I couldn't find them, they were most likely in the pantry hiding.

 The ice cream truck was a hit during our stay at the beach.  I swear they got an ice cream everytime it came around.  Messy, messy, messy.



This is as far as Eben ever made it into the water.

 My sweet girl enjoying her time in the sun.

 They ran and ran so much at the beach.  They really enjoyed chasing the seagulls.

 Look Mom! My hands are sooooooo dirty.

 She really enjoyed playing in the sand.

 Katie was dancing as she was running.  It was hilarious.

 Collecting seashells.

 She really got good at hula hooping.

Please see next post for the rest of the week.