The Beach {Resumed}

Alright.  I left off with Ellie's birthday.  She was really mad/angry/irritated that we were not going to be home on her birthday.  Thankfully I found out one of her sweet friends from ballet, Sawyer, was staying at the same place the same week, so she and her family came over for cake.  To make things seem 'birthdayish' and special,  I decorated the condo with (leftover) lanterns, tablecloths, and balloons.  Whew.  Crisis averted. 

Sawyer and her family were not the only familiar faces we got to see on our trip.  Two of my former students and their precious family were at the beach!  I didn't think we would get to see them, but their family went through a traumatic near-drowning experience at the beginning of their beach trip and their dad ended up in the hospital because his kidneys were failing.  Crazy, I know.  Praise the Lord the dad is home now and doing better.  While he was in the hospital, though, we were lucky to get Taylor (she's 15) one night and take her to the Balloon Festival in Foley, then two days later we took both Taylor and Will (he's 14) swimming at our condo!!  I left my camera the day we had them both, but I so wish I had pictures of MC following Will around the pool and constantly calling his name!

The Balloon Festival turned out to be quite the event.  Not the low-key affair we were expecting!  (think big crowd, carnival food, craft booths, then mix in hot air balloons)

The next few days I gave the camera a rest while we swam at the pool, cruised the lazy river, and had fun in the sand.  A few days before the end of the trip, Robbie took the girls on a lunch date and asked them what they wanted to do that we had not done yet.  Ellie wanted to go ride go-karts, and Mary Claire wanted one last time at the beach.  Because I feel the need to pack as many activities in one day as possible, I had the brilliant idea to go to the Pirates and Princesses breakfast at The Hangout (a restaurant), then go to the track.  It really wasn't bad, just incredibly hot!!

At the breakfast, Ellie went on a treasure hunt with the pirates (and daddy!).  Mary Claire stuck with the princesses.  And Robert did what he does best...took it all in from the high chair!

Robbie had the most fun at the breakfast, because while MC and El got princess wands, he picked up a pack of mustaches.  As a throw-back to his college years, Robbie sported one of the mustaches while he drove Ellie around in a go-kart.  Thankful I had the camera to document the 'stache.  Oh, and Ellie's first time in a go-kart.

We got to the track before noon, so we took advantage of the early bird specials.  Certainly fifty tickets would be enough to keep the kids entertained for a little bit, and they were half-off.  Perfect!  Mistake.  Fifty tickets were thirty tickets too many!  The girls rode all of the Kiddie Land rides multiple times, and there were still tickets left.  

Robbie finally figured out that he could take Robert and the girls on the carousel, and that would get us close to maxing out.  (I was already maxed out...it was hot, and Robert can only take so much of the stroller.)

Such a good baby!

The girls also told Robbie they wanted to go to LuLu's.  I knew it would be crazy-crowded whenever we went, but thought we could handle it around 4:30 pm.  It was still a 45 minute wait, but the girls played in the sand and water, and I had a mini photo session with Robert (and a yummy pina colada!).

How appropriate that they're standing under the 'Crazy Sista' sign!!

 Grandmama Love!

My handsome boy!

And just when our trip couldn't get any more fun...the mustaches came back!

The best 'stache picture.

And two seconds later.

Next up: Mini Golf.  I wasn't going to post the pictures, but they really are cute.  MC had some mad golf skills...

After some lessons from Daddy and Granddaddy, Ellie was pretty impressive herself!

Bob after a hole-in-one!

Almost there, folks!  But first, a confession.  I love matching outfits.  That's not the confession.  This is: I made the girls matching swimsuits for our trip, and didn't finish them until the night before we left.  Of course MC wanted nothing to do with hers the entire trip, but I told her that she had to at least put it on for some pictures.  This was my summer sewing project, so I was happy that the girls looked cute and the suits didn't fall apart in the water! (FYI - poor Robert's suit never got made.  Good thing he'll never know..or care!)

Everyone was skeptical when I said we'd be spending fourteen days at the beach.  Even me.  Now I've been home for a few days, and I'm ready to go back!!  Fourteen days away from routine, planning meals, cleaning house, doctors' appointments, vision therapy, Robbie going to work, and everyday life turned out to be just perfect!