Beach Trip 2010

Kenny and I have been planning to take the kids to the beach for a while now. We just never picked a time. Last week, Kenny had his last day of school, and a week off before his summer schedule started. We figured it was the perfect time for a mini vacation. We normally stay in hotels when we go places, but we started looking into renting a condo this time around. It wasn't much more expensive, and the convenience of it was worth the little bit of extra we paid.

We left early Tuesday morning. The kids did fantastic on the trip, and the weather was great for 2 hours and 45 minutes. When we pulled into Gulf Shores, a gigantic black cloud rolled in, and for the last 15 minutes of our trip, it poured. Kenny and I just looked at each other.

Once we got settled into the condo, it was still raining, so we were glad for the indoor pool at the condo. Avery is a fish, so she jumped right in. Braden has become a little more cautious this summer, so he stayed around the edges.

Finally the rain stopped, so we headed out to the beach. Braden's words once we hit the sand were, "oh! It's yucky on my feet!" He must get that from his dad. I was glad he quickly changed his mind. He never did get used to the sand on his hands though. Avery ran up to the water and started jumping over waves. Braden screamed everytime we tried to get close. I finally talked him into sitting in my lap and letting the water run over our legs. Later on that day, he let me carry him into the water deeper. The waves were fun to jump over and through. Avery and Kenny had a ball in the bigger ones.

By then it was close to suppertime, and since it was Daddy and Avery's night to pick, they chose Pizza Hut. What a thrill..at the beach, and pizza, but it was good, and the company was great. After dinner, we went to the grocery store to get lunch for the next day. By the time we were finished there, the kids were falling asleep while walking so they went to bed when we got home. They spent the night in the same room, and they thought that was pretty neat. Until the next morning...

Avery is my sleep in girl, and Braden is my awake early boy. For some reason, he decided he needed to wake up even earlier than normal, and that in turn woke Avery up super early. We started the day at 5:50. Avery said, "Momma; I didn't sleep well because Braden talked all night long..."

We spent the morning at the beach, then came back to the condo for lunch. The kids were super ready for naps by then, and they slept for a good three hours. When they got up, we went to the outside pool, but the water was too cold, so we ended up at the beach again. We played there for a while then got cleaned up for supper. It was Braden's and my turn to choose that night. We went to the Gulf Island Grill. Much more coastal feel...very good food. We took the kids to the souvenier shops and then for ice cream before heading back to the condo for the night.

After another early wake up, we spent the next morning at the beach again. We met some really nice couples, whose kids and our kids had a ball playing with. They had little nets, and spent the day catching fish and hermit crabs.

Around lunchtime, we headed up to the condo, cleaned up, then packed up the car to leave. We stopped for lunch, then stopped again at the outlet mall for some shopping at Old Navy. I was excited to find a Stride Rite outlet and some extra extra wide shoes for Braden, at a very affordable price! We loaded up again, and the kids were asleep before we knew it. They slept for about two hours of the three that it took to get home.

We topped the trip off by meeting Nonna and Big Daddy for dinner, then headed back to their place for some swimming. The kids fell into bed and slept very soundly until this morning.

Then I laughed because Avery woke up before Braden this morning. What a great trip! Can't wait until we can go again!

Whirlwind

Boston: The historical tour was nice, but very similar to the trip we took a few years back. Lots of walking ensued, so it was nice to get in some exercise and build up my calf muscles while looking at beautiful buildings and historical markers.

Kenny and Dallas (one of the kids) decided it was necessary to take a picture with every single statue in Boston. If anyone else reading this has been to Boston, you know how often we had to stop, then run to catch back up with the group. I had a shin splint by the end of it all.

The first night in Boston included The Blue Man Group show. I must say that was by far the BEST show I have ever witnessed. It combined elements of art, music, humor, audience participation, videography, improptu, and so much more. Our seats were in the poncho section front and center, and was a show that entertained old and young alike. For those who may not be familiar with The Blue Man Group, they are the three blue men who appear on commercials and other shows who are in a constant state of discovery. My cheeks hurt from laughing the entire time, and at every turn, I was amazed at the talent and genious of those who put it all together. From the amazing druming performances filled with flying paint to the art of figuring out how to eat, it was fantastic. I could go on for an entire post solely about Blue Man Group, but others may not be as amazed as I was.


We topped the second night in Boston off with a Celtics game. I was excited to go to the game, but it soon wore off when we were bombarded with 'drunk, loud, obnoxious, nasty mouthed, 40ish year old men who thought they were all that' behind us. Three of our girls had beer spilled on them, with no apologies, only flirtatious remarks (to 17 year old girls, mind you). Needless to say, I have a bad connoation now about the Celtics and will forever cheer against them even though it's not their fault.

Canada was nice. We had more free time there, so Kenny and I got to spend more time with just us without teenagers around. That helped make the trip feel like a mini vacation. It's weird looking at the pictures and not seeing two little chillins in them with us. I guess that's how we looked three years and 10 pounds ago. We did the usual shopping, dining (at the Rainforest Cafe), and then we had an old timey picture taken. On our honeymoon we had one taken, and we said we were going to do that each anniversary. Seven years later, we finally got around to having another one taken.

Niagra Falls: The ultimate summation of God's beauty, power, might, and awesomeness. When we drove into Canada, the Falls were off to our left, and were semi far away. We all must have been expecting the same thing because although no one said it, we all had a sense of disappointment. Our hotel overlooked the Falls, and that evening we walked down to see them lit by lights. It was amazing, but still not as impressive as I imagined. It was not until the following day that my disappointment vanished. We were able to tour behind the Falls, and we literally traveled in the tunnels beneath the Falls to portholes that led behind the Falls. It was fantastic. While standing on the river banks overlooking God's creation, I was awestruck. We always say we are imperfect beings and not worthy of much, but I felt priviledged to say that the same hands who created the glory falling before us, also formed me.

On the flight out, we were able to witness the beauty all over again.

While we were in Boston, Kenny got news that his uncle had passed away, so when we got home Sunday night at 11:30 p.m., we re-packed for a trip to Nashville the next day. Early Monday morning, we left for the trip, spent some time with Kenny's family, then turned around and left Tuesday morning so we would be back in time for the Jr. High Championship track meet. That was a whirlwind trip in itself, and even though the circumstances were not good, we were blessed to spend time with Kenny's mom, dad, and brother, Kirk and sister, April. Avery was excited to get to ride back to Montgomery in daddy's truck with Uncle Tom, so that gave me a little time to catch up on sleep while Braden slept. It was sad to drive through Columbia, where one of my good friends from college lives, as well as have to pass Huntsville by without saying hellos to all of our friends there.

Now we're home safely with a our Sectional track meet this weekend, followed by State next weekend. Maybe things will calm down a bit...then again, football and volleyball start, so who knows if life will ever calm down again. My bet is probably not.

Whew!

As Kenny mentioned, we've had a very busy few weeks. Right when we got in the house and were able to start getting settled, it was time to hit the road again. My mind raced the entire time we were gone, trying to figure out what to start on first when we got back.

Well, we're home now, but there is only so much unpacking you can do in a day without getting 'sloppy.' I want things to be put away in a neat order, but by the end of the day, I find myself starting to cram things in closets instead of finding a better home for it. This is when I decide to take a break.

I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who helped so much getting the house ready and of course during the final move as well. My mom was here, and she's a picture-taker, so we have a picture of the group that helped us move. I'm not sure it's the entire group, but it was most of us. (I say us, but really feel like I didn't help much in the heavy lifting department...I'll make up for it after this baby comes.)

People have asked when I'm going to post pictures of the house...we'll not until the rooms are presentable of course. Some are finished, so I may update along the way.





I also feel like I haven't done justice talking about my family's visit. Maybe one of these days when I catch my breath I'll elaborate on how wonderful it was. To sum it up, Avery thoroughly enjoyed her Grammy and Pop, and of course they loved getting to be around her too. My dad worked his head off the entire time trying to get the house ready so we could move in. (Kenny learned quite a bit, and at times could be found under the house or on the roof!) Grammy worked her head off keeping Avery occupied so I could come to the house to work as well. It was a long awaited and much needed visit. Of course when they left, I started to miss them, but a few hours after they were on the road, we left for our trip as well. It was not until last night when I walked into the house and knew they weren't going to be there with us when the sadness hit hard. There are always future trips to look forward to, but I'm afraid they are always too few and far between.