Beach vacation (Part 2)

Picking up from Part 1....

The next day I forced myself up before 6am to enjoy my favorite time of day.

Oh, how on vacation you just want to sleep in (and I did, for the three days prior), but one taste of morning views like this make me regret those minutes of sleep I took on those days! I love a sunrise and the quiet start to the day before the day is filled with noise. I feel God's presence so easily in the morning before the day begins.

While walking, this guy let me get super close!

And the shells were amazing. I found some really unique ones!

My hot tea, turned into my bucket and it overflowed. 

When I got back to the room, we decided doughnuts were on the menu. Sister wanted to go with me to pick them out. We went to Sassy Bass Doughnut Shop! It did not disappoint.

^^^hahaha

We headed out to the ocean shortly after!

I really tried to get a cute pic of them, but this is how my attempts left me. ;)

We played, we snacked, we built a cool sand castle. :) 

And daddy wiped out. :)

I didn't get the tumble on video, but the giggles tell it all!

 Our castle, complete with a moat, and shell lined streets. 

Love the next picture of Burke! 

He is my wild and crazy, no filter, never stops talking, goofy and trickster little boy. So to catch him with a REAL smile in a photo is a rarity!

And sister saying "she-shell" is one of my favorite things of all time. 

We also stopped by the pool (which was freezing to any person over the age of 12) and the kids had so much fun!

 After naps and some rest time, we got ready and headed back to Fisher's to try the upstairs menu!

Our main course was delicious, but we both agreed our hearts were downstairs (with those burgers).

We got back to the condo in time to play on the beach at sunset.

And if you look really hard you can see a small part of a rainbow!

Sister came up with the great idea to play hide-and-seek while we were on our way from Fisher's to the beach. The conversation between Burke and HM in the backseat was hilarious as Burke tried to convince her that the beach was not a good place for this game. lol

But in true girl form, she had to find out for herself. ;)

(she wasn't touching her face because she had sand on her hands at this point. haha)

So hide and seek turned into tag, which turned into Burke trying to get away from "it" by going into the water....

Then things just got crazy. haha

and he was a wet, sandy, mess.

Meanwhile, sister was making sand food for everyone. :)

The boys went up and sister and I hung out and enjoyed the evening just a tad longer. 

 The next day we had to say our goodbyes to the beach. *tear

We had a few stops we had to make first. :)

 Burke won't let you forget the stop by "The sharks mouth" and an airbrushed shirt. haha

I'm sure we will grow out of this, but until then... 

Burke wanted Poke'mon... but the child has nothing Poke'mon so we vetoed it. Instead, he chose Sonic the Hedgehog (which he also knows nothing about except he's on a video game that he doesn't have. lol) Sister picked an "una-corn." :)

While we waited on our shirts, we passed the time by grabbing a treat at The Yard.

I had seen pictures of this place and it was on my MUST list this go around. 

IT WAS DELISH.

You get to keep the souvenir mason jars too!

The actual milkshake of the Unicorn didn't get devoured like the chocolate peanut butter one did, but all the yummy decorations (think cotton candy, white chocolate covered cone, rainbow gummy strips, and cool whip with sprinkles took a hammering. :)

^THIS though.^

Once we finished, I found sister looking in windows of the shops near by... well... it happened to be Lilly and totally matched her attire. haha

We didn't have time to shop, or I totally would have bought us something matchy matchy!

(Ryan, you got out good here. :)

And then we proceeded home and this one slept for THREE hours and still went to bed at 9!

#parentingwin

We couldn't have asked for better weather, a more beautiful setting, and the best time together with our little family. So many blessings!

Weekend Recap- Beach Edition (Part 1)

Boy, was it a great one!

We spent the later part of the week (hence no blogging) and the weekend at Orange Beach. It was wonderful! The beach is NOT Ryan's favorite, but he took one for the team because he knows how much the other three of us love it. :)

Wednesday, Ryan worked at the farm, Burke went to school, and sister and I did those last minute errands... nails, getting the oil changed for Libby, last minute cleaning and packing. We got to the beach pretty late and went straight to bed. 

The next morning, we woke up ready!

Sister LOVED that we matched, and was actually asking if I had a suit that matched hers the following day. hahaha 

I think this will be a must as long as she will have it. :)

Of course Daddy and B had to coordinate too!

We had a fun filled day making mermaid tails, 

making sea turtles (That's ALL Ryan. It's what happens when you bring an artist to the beach.)

digging holes and "burying" Burke, 

and playing in the ocean. 

Sister had a fascination with the sea gulls and would try to either get so close she could almost pet them, or run at them as hard as she could so they would fly off.  hahaha

And she was so content just shoveling sand into a bucket!

 Late afternoon we showered and headed to Fisher's. 

IT WAS DELISH. We ate downstairs and both had burgers that were to die for. We decided we wanted to come back and try the upstairs menu another day later in our stay.

And yes... sister slept through the whole meal. This is when we had to reevaluate our day plans of staying on the beach till 2pm. :)

We pulled it back home, to a good old' game of RISK (where Ryan would want to note that he won) and I multi tasked with HM in a matching game. :)

The next day was more beach in the AM and party in the afternoon. :)

I love that she still wants to sit in my lap. *Please stay little*

I also adore her crazy funny side. hahaha

We played in the ocean with water squirters and frisby, and Daddy of course made sure his artwork didn't disappoint. :)

Sting Ray today! 

(We saw a real one being caught a few yards from us while on the beach!)

We went in around 1 for lunch and Ryan quickly laid down with HM for a good nap, while I cleaned up ALL THE SAND and managed to fit in this workout while Burke had some downtime too. Whoohoo!

I'm pretty sure this next week is going to kick my butt in the workout department.

 (I ATE EVERYTHING.)

However, this is what Burke exclaimed as he slipped through the bedroom door. LOL

We headed out for dinner at a easy kid favorite, LuLu's and then went to The Track for the requested Arcade. 

#justmakingkidsdreamscometrue hahaha

Sister was just tall enough to be a passenger! She had so much fun!

And yes... the boys bragged that they got an extra lap in just because they were that far ahead of everyone. They are just a wee competitive. 

Then we played a little put-put... where I ALMOST beat Ryan. I literally blew it on hole 18. ugh,

(Sister using her club like a baton. hahaha^^^)

The waterfall hole was Burke's favorite. 

This was hole 18 for the kids. At the end you can hear Ryan and I talking about the pressure of our turn. hahaha

We had such a fun night! Love making memories with my peeps! 

Part 2 tomorrow and I'll be posting our favorite swimwear and beach essentials for Friday Favorites! Yay for swim season!