Our Beach Trip 2008

So we just got back from a warm, relaxing and lazy trip at the beach (okay, so it's been a week but I've been trying to enjoy my last week at home with my babies before school starts, so this post is a tad bit late)! We went to Gulf Shores Alabama with our dear friends the Mittig's and we had such a great time we are already planning to return next summer. Now, it would have been a lot more fun if we had made the drive together but Jeffrey and I decided to do most of our driving at night (it's a 10 hour drive) to make it easier on Tyler and Maddie and we met up them when we got there. The trip drive back home was uneventful (or it went really well however you want to look at it) but about 5 hours into the drive there we hit the worst storm Jeffrey and I have ever had to drive through. We were both pretty certain a tornado was about to suck us up! But God was with us and pulled us out of the abyss. Once we arrived we unpacked went grocery shopping and did nothing else but laugh, eat, take naps and play for a week.....it was great! The condo we were staying in was big and perfectly set up for children and the beach was beautiful and spacious. What else could one ask for? (Except for maybe Maddies crib, she hated the portable crib). We had heard a few stories prior to the trip of jellyfish being really bad but it wasn't really. Jeffrey and Tyler were stung a couple of time and I was stung once but they were only minor. So anyway here's a few of my favorite pics (I took over 500 so it could be worse)!

This was on one of the two nights we ate out. How handsome are these boys? I love Tyler's pose, does anyone think he would be a good model or it that just me?

Maddie's sweet little feet wiggling' in the sand.

This was our first day at the beach and the flag was raised to red.....check out those waves. That didn't slow these boys down!

Tyler really liked playing in the sand.......

......except for when Jeffrey and Eric buried him in it!

We all just loved having Jeffrey all to ourselves for a whole week.... especially Maddie! She's always been fond of her daddy but by the end of the week she was picking daddy over mommy and that's never happened before!

Look really closely at the pirate face. Does it look familiar? It's Daddy just being silly.

Monkey see, monkey do!

This picture captured so much happiness. I know that not only would Jeffrey and I not have had as much fun if our friends weren't there ....but certainly Tyler wouldn't have. This was one of my favorite days. It all happened b/c we were playing in this cove and Tyler decided that he just really needed to go on a boat. Well, Summer and I had been thinking about going on a dolphin tour but we weren't sure yet. But when we're on vacation anything goes. So if Tyler wants to go on a boat; he's going on a boat. Tyler and Will were dressed identical (I can hear Jeffrey and Eric sarcastically asking which day were they not dressed identical) and we got a dozen inquiries wondering if they were twins?

This is a fish Jeffrey and Tyler caught on the dolphin tour (Maddie helped a little).

So here are the kids all wearing the same swimsuits! Very adorable (I'm sure Jeffrey and Eric are rolling their eyes). But out of 25 shots this is the best one. Since having children I have such a new appreciation for that family picture you always see in the studio of a family all wearing denim and white and they are all looking at the camera smiling. We are a long way from getting to that point.

Here's Maddie and Will just relaxing on the beach while the wild ones (Tyler and Maggie) were chin deep in the ocean.

'Ring Around the Rosie...'