Sunday ~ Florida

I talked with a woman on the beach Saturday and she shared with me that the seaweed in the water was not normal.  She also said that further up the beach, east, the clearer the water.  We decided to give it a try and find clearer water.  We drove about 20 minutes and found a public beach and pulled over. 

The water was a lot clearer.  It was so nice.  The kids didn't think the ways were as big, and they were right.  The beach and water was crowded.  I'm sure because it was the weekend.

Bailee has her Senior pictures this week and I've was very concerned about her getting her face sunburned.  All of us got too much sun Sunday, but her face did not get burned.  Whew!

I'm glad these boys decided to wear their shirts on Sunday.  Their chests were getting sore from using the boogie boards so much.  The shirts also protected them from sunburns.

Mason wanted to use the umbrella and chairs.  I told him that he would get kicked off, they are for rent.  He wasn't bothered.  He just did want to sit there alone, so he invited Karlee.  They were able to get out of the sun for awhile then they were asked if they wanted to rent them.  Karlee said no and they walked away. 

We stayed at the beach for 4 hours.  As we headed back to the condo we decided to take a detour for lunch.  We found a Five Guys and Krispy Kreme.  YUM!!  The boys didn't want a burger so we found a KFC for them.  After showers and relaxing in the condo for a bit, Carson wanted to go back out to the beach. 

The waves were great so I quickly called Brian and told him to get Mason out here. 

My little surfers!

We had such a great time.  It was very relaxing.  Our focus was...the beach.  I'm so glad we were able to get away from cell phones, work, emails, responsibilities.  We truly enjoyed the moment.  :)

Our drive home was long as we drove through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.  It made me smile when I saw the Texas flag flying high and I knew I was home.  We stopped at Chili's for dinner and I saw many people wearing Rangers shirts and I LOVED it!  As much as I enjoy taking a break and going on vacation I love coming home.  The boys even told me they were glad to be home. 

Saturday ~ Beach

We spent another day at the beach.  This is all we did ALL weekend.  It was great!

 The picture above was taken with my phone.  Most pictures turned out all washed out because of the white sand. 

Once Carson saw the girls with their built in chairs he asked for one.  He often gets what ever he asks for. ;)

 There was a chance of rain every day.  Saturday it rained.  We were going to grill hot dogs on the beach but with the rain we moved over to the parking garage.  Luckily our condo had some grass we hung out on and ate our lunch until it blew over.

btw ~ Brian cooks the best marshmallows!
Mason has never really tried smores.  He would always eat them separately.  He tried them on this trip and ate 4!  He loved them!

 Karlee is about to lose her marshmallow. Such a great face. 

 After lunch the waves were better from the storm.  The kids, especially the boys, loved it.

 Bailee was itching to run through all the birds.  So I told her to do it.  Then she decided to try and feed them.  She got too antsy when they got close. 

Friday night we ate at Jake's.  It was super yummy and everyone was happy.  (That is rare when we eat out.)  Saturday we ate at Franco's.  Again success!  Two new places and the whole family loved it!

Friday ~ Orange Beach, Alabama

We headed out Thursday night at about 10:30.  We were hoping to leave my 8 but Brian had a school board meeting to attend.  It actually worked out better this way.  We stopped and had breakfast in Mobile around 8.  Check in wasn't until 3.  We decided to stop by the rental company before we hit the beach.  They let us check in early! As long as we didn't mind that one bed didn't have a comforter yet.  Did NOT mind at all!!  As soon as we checked in we changed into our swimsuits and hit the beach. 

This was our view from our balcony.  We really didn't care much if we had a view of the beach, we just wanted our condo on the beach. 

 This is the back of the condos.

Brian stayed out at the beach a short time.  He drove all night and was exhausted.  He went back to our condo and slept for many hours. 

Around 1 or 2 the girls and I went to get lunch,  and groceries. Then back to the beach we all went.

 Our condo had an outdoor pool that connected with the indoor pool.  It was fun.  After the beach the kids would swim for a bit.  Mostly to clean off.  The sand was super soft.  The water had seaweed floating everywhere.  Super gross but worth it.  :)

Our showers ended up being at the end of the day before we went to dinner.  Here the kids are waiting at a restaurant.  They are tired from a long drive and all day playing at the beach.