July 22-July 29 my parents and the 5 of us went on summer vacation to Gulf Shores, AL. The morning of the 22nd we met up first thing for breakfast at The Waffle House - the twins favorite place!
Someone was a little grumpy getting up early!
After breakfast I snapped a quick picture and we were off to the beach!
We had to make a pit stop for a quick potty break. The bathrooms were full so where better to take a leak then beside the building in the grass. It was a family affair! HAHA!!!!!
This must have been another pit stop. Liam and I were goofing off waiting on everyone else to get back in the car.
We finally made it! We stayed at Beachside. We were on the 2nd floor. This picture was taken off of our balcony.
After getting groceries and getting settled in the boys hopped in "their" bed to watch their iPad. If I remember correctly that is not where they ended up!
Day 1 - Beach day! We got up, ate breakfast and made our way to the beach. The boys weren't big fans of the sand at first but they quickly got over it.
With moms recent injury the sand was not her friend and the first couple days were rough getting her to the water. By the end of the week we had it down!
The boys loved the little tide pool that had formed. It was pretty green and nasty but the waves weren't knocking them down, there wasn't any jellyfish and they could practice their boogie boarding.
Ryan was a good sport (or maybe intoxicated) and let the boys "bury" him in the sand. It was more like just dumping sand on top of him. It kept the boys busy.
My little beach bums!
We met this awesome family from Texas that we ended up spending all week hanging out with. Poor Shayne got fried like a lobster on the first day!
Liam met a new friend/foe on Day 1 too. A jelly fish! Liam and I were floating out in the ocean when he starting screaming. As I turned him around to see what was wrong and felt the jelly fish and his tentacles were for sure wrapped around Liam's arms as I pushed him away. There was a fellow mom, Jodi, and we later got to know her and her children well, came over and applied some "jelly sting" medication she had found at a drug store. She had done her research because she also had a bottle full of vinegar which is said to decrease the sting. Liam refused the vinegar but allowed her to put the sting med on it. All the while SCREAMING "IM NEVER GETTING IN THE OCEAN AGAIN"
That night we ate at Wolf's Bay Lodge. While we were waiting on our table and boat had come in from fishing and they had caught a pregnant shark.
Day 2 started out at the beach again. Dad found his spot first while .....
.... mom and the boys took selfies.
Love this picture! Dad taking the boys out to swim. Griffin and Corbin (Jodi's boys who had helped us with the jelly sting) found Liam and showed him their jelly fish stings too. I think this changed Liams mind about the ocean because seeing them back in the ocean after being stung showed him that he too could get back in and not be afraid.
That night for dinner we went to Lulu's. Initially the wait was 2.5 hours but we found another area that served their "favorites" and not the full menu and that wait was only 1 hour.
There was tons of stuff for the kids to do while you wait to be seated. The boys took full advantage of all the sand they had!
Liam's arms 1 day post sting. His spots had started to blister and fill with fluid. By the end of the week they had scabbed over and were starting to heal.
Day 3 - I spent the first part of the morning with the boys at the pool first while Ryan and my parents were at the beach. It was obvious that they loved the pool more than the beach so it took some bribery to get them from the pool to the beach but I succeeded. Liam let us bury him in the sand once we made it.
The day ended with this ... Ryan's brand new chair that he ordered for this trip had had enough of him and kicked him out of it. Needless to say he went across the street and found him another one.
After three days of going non stop and being out in the sun we were all tired. We decided to go to Lartigues and have them fix us up some fresh seafood for dinner and bring it back to the condo.
Dinner consisted of - Crab legs, shrimp, crab claws, corn and potatoes. Every bit of it was amazing!
I bet I know what you are thinking when you first look at this picture. "Oh, you brought Bella with you" Bella would be our dog and no you are wrong. That would be little human poop. I guess when you are used to pooping in a little training potty and you go on vacation and your parents don't bring it with them you just poop in the floor instead. Sigh .....
Day 4 - Waterpark day at Waterville. Boy was that an expensive couple of hours. It cost $240 for all 7 of us to go. Dad got to use his Senior Citizen discount for being 60 years old, it cost mom $40 to sit under an umbrella by herself while we all swam, finding chairs for everyone was impossible, I stood in line for 30 minutes for a water and ended up just getting lunch so I didn't have to wait in line again and spent like $12 on a jug of coke Icee (it was refillable). That was one of those - been there, done that, probably won't be back, had to do it because you promised the kids - kind of thing but they had fun and thats all that matters. They probably won't even remember it until they read this blog and then they still won't remember because they were too little but I have pictures to prove it happened and they will be thankful that I kept up with these memories for them!
After the waterpark we stopped at Tacky Jacks for dinner and their famous Bushwacker.
Kane deep in concentration trying to stay in between the lines. He actually does a really good job!
After showers we gathered up our supplies for the crab hunt.
Off they go ...
During the hunt and finding a handful of baby sand crabs we come across this once in a life time opportunity (or so I think it is). This sea turtle had come to shore to lay her eggs. The people before us had called Marine life resources to let them know so that they could come and harvest her eggs before someone destroyed them. You can see her trail in the sand from the water. Such a neat experience to get to witness!
My redneck children, stopping for a quick leak in the sand.
Day 5 - These boys were exhausted! They slept in. I left them with Ryan while I went to the beach. Once they woke up he took them to the pool for a little bit to swim.
After the pool they met up with us at the beach. Their was a mid day shower so they were under the umbrella scrounging around for some food.
They rain usually lasts a couple minutes and the sun is back out shining. There is no telling what story is being told here.
The boys playing with Griffin, Corbin and Lorelai (this was their sandcastle). It was the sweetest thing - When I got to the beach that morning they found me and was asking where the boys were. They had bought new boogie boards the night before and wanted to give Liam their old one to play with. Lorelai became the best little babysitter for Reid and Kane. They were really sweet kids!
Stephanie braiding Ryans hair (insert eye roll) HAHA!!!
That night for dinner we ate at Flora-Bama Yacht Club with the whole Thompson crew. Liam couldn't hang and fell asleep on Mrs. Stephanie. They were such a fun family to hang out with and I hope that we can meet up again soon!
Day 6 - I have absolutely no pictures taken on my phone this day. I do know that we spent the last day on the beach and for dinner we ate at Mikee's and Shayne and Cherish tagged along with us. We came home and started packing up and getting ready for the ride home the next day
Day 7 - Our plan was to hit Lamberts on day one on our way to Gulf Shores but that didn't time out like we planned so we decided to hit it on the way our for lunch. Little did we know the line would be a mile long to get it. Luckily they had not opened the doors and by the time we made it up to the hostess the wait was only 15 minutes or so.
Throwing rolls
Eating our rolls with apple butter - YUM!!!!!
Passed out and almost home!
Nothing like a Tennessee sunset! This was a much needed trip. There is just something about the beach that is like a reset button for me. I felt like a different person coming home from vacation. I felt more relaxed, less stressed and just felt free. I don't know why I only go once a year. Dear friends and family, if you are reading this and you notice me turning into Dr. Jekyll - just take me to the beach! Until next time Gulf Shores - I have a feeling you will be seeing more of me soon!
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