Back to the Beach!!

The girls and I were able to take another trip to the Beach this Summer! It was suppossed to be a repeat of the Girls Trip to Gulf Shores that the family took last Summer. Gabby and Ginger were unfortunately unable to go with us this time but wanted the rest of us to still go. We stayed in Fort Walton, FL at Waterscape Condo where the 4 of us usually go each year. We went there to escape the possibility of oil and there were no signs of anything and we had great weather. It was a great trip!! Below are several more posts from the trip.

This is one of my favorite shots! (I'll have to enlarge it and frame it for Gabby and Ginger as a keepsake.)

Playing on the Beach after Dinner.

Sophie being her silly self and refusing to take any group pictures.

Got her!

Me smiling from ALL the good Seafood we ate each night while there. (I was even able to keep it all down and not get sick all week-a first in a long time!! The baby bump is showing signs of this too-ha.))

The water was beautiful from our dinner table! My cousin said, "who could see all of this and not believe in God!" Amen

Drip Castles

The girls and I spent one afternoon making drip sand castles. I remember making these when I was younger with my Mom on the Beach:) I'm sure she didn't originate these sand castles but for me it is one of many memories that I treasure with her. The girls had a blast making them and took a lot of time working diligently on the castles. Ella told everyone that looked at them that she was making the sand castles that her MeMe used to make! She even had to call her Daddy on the phone to tell him all about them. It was very bittersweet but next to having her there making the castles with us it was a fun afternoon to pass along a tradition and memory of my Mom with my girls. We miss her too much but still feel her love!



Sophie had to sit in the water from all the hard work and take a break!

One of the finished products!

Girls Group

Here are some shots of ALL the girls that attended this Beach trip! Not as many as last year and the group was missing some from last year (Gabby, Ginger, Abbey, and Brilee) but added two of Meredith's friends, Sydney and Hunter. We were able to get some group shots in the pool!



Missy (my 1st cousin) and her youngest daughter, Meredith-they look a lot alike!

Sophie's single shot in the sand-she rarely cooperated for a group shot this week!

Pool Poses

Crazy Cousins posing at the pools!




Condo shots-we had great weather while we were there and saw NO signs of any Oil!!




A shot of the Lazy River!

One of the four great pools at the Condo

Family Fun at the Beach

Here are some fun pictures of one of our nights out at the Beach. The fun included-a train ride, Parakeet posing, Dance party on Stage, and of course good Seafood and Dessert. We had another great Beach trip!!

Train Ride pics


The girls took turns briefly posing while covered with large birds on their arms and even heads.

It was funny!

Ella was not loving it when the bird was put on her head. You can tell in this picture because she looks terrified, but she talked about how fun it was for days!

Taylor and Christian didn't mind the birds on their heads, for a short time! Sophie's time with the birds was even shorter and I was never able to get a good picture!

The funniest part of the night was the kids Dance Party on stage!! I wasn't able to capture much of it from laughing so hard at Christian. She full-out danced for several songs in front of the camera completely unaware of anyone else around her:)

A shot of Sophie looking a lot like her Daddy to me!

Tuesday Tumbling

The girls are in Gymnastics classes on Tuesday mornings for the Summer. They love it! Ella's class is first with 3-5 year olds. Sophie's class is right after hers and is the Mommy and Me class that Ella took at her age. They both do pretty good and have fun! They may not be Olympic competitors but they are learning a little and having a good time. Here are lots of pictures I took from the last few weeks. One week had a 4th of July theme and they wore hats and waved flags around briefly. Ella and Sophie both love the trampoline as you can tell by their faces! Sophie loves the bars and Ella loves to hang on the rings too.