Aaaah Destin

I know it seems kind of odd that we took a vacation so soon after Bry lost his job, but it was already planned and paid for and we couldn't get a refund. So, we decided to take that time as a family and try to relax and regroup. We really tried hard not to worry about anything for a few days and just enjoy each other and the beautiful Florida sun.
Instead of eating out, we bought groceries and cooked all of our meals. The only other thing we splurged on was for Bay to go parasailing. We had promised her on her birthday that we would do something special for her in Florida and we decided to keep that promise. It's funny though...it was probably the least we've ever spent on a vacation but it was the best vacation I can remember. It was so laid back and relaxed. The kids didn't get bored or worn out waiting in lines at restaurants. We didn't have to come in early from the beach so we could get ready to go anywhere. It was just so great! I am so glad that we went. It was truly therapeutic.
I have always said that I feel so close to God when I am near the ocean. I don't see how anyone can look out at the ocean and all of the wonders that it holds and not feel God's presence. It was an awesome trip and just what we needed at the time. I had a hard time choosing which pics to include so I'm afraid there are a lot. Unfortunately, I couldn't include the pic of Mom peeing on the side of the building in "butthole", Alabama. Or the pic of Bry's pants coming down as he was climbing onto the parasailing boat. They both threatened me. I think they were serious. So here are the ones I feel safe enough to show off. :) By the way, if anyone hears of any job openings in Destin...we are so there!

We stopped at a rest stop for a picnic lunch. Presley is in love with her Grumpsie. She was so excited to have him with her for so many days in a row!

Mom, Bay and Luke

Bay enjoying the soft, white Destin sand.

Luke was so proud of the little sand castles he made all by himself!

Presley is such a beach babe! She LOVES the sand!

The waves were making her nervous at first but she was fine once she climbed on her Daddy's back!

She laid like this for about 30 minutes. It was so cute! She looked like a little frog!

Daddy taking Luke out in the boat for some fun in the waves!

Luke and Bay were having such a blast sitting at the edge of the waves and letting them knock them backwards. They were laughing so hard! I love this pic of them smooching. So sweet!

Presley loves to dig holes in the sand. We had been helping her with this one all morning.
She was sitting on the edge of the hole and she turned around to look at something and fell in backwards. It was so funny! All you could see were legs and arms at first!

Me and my girl. I had to prove I was there. :)

Presley and Grammy- two beach babes!

My beautiful Bay

Bay and Grumps

He's such a cool dude! This is his surfer boy pose.

Bay kicking around on her wave board. We couldn't get over how clear the water was!

On our beach trips we usually try to find a cool sand castle and take a pic with it. We like to pretend like we actually did it ourselves. hehe.

Little beach bum ready to take a sunset walk on the beach.

Presley running down the beach. She loves the freedom she's allowed when there is so much wide open space.

My beautiful girl.

Daddy walking down the beach with his girls.

Mom and D

Bay and Daddy on the para-sailing boat.

Off they go! They had a blast. They were able to see some dolphins and a whale shark from the air!

My sweet babies.

On the first day, Bay found this hermit crab in a beautiful shell. He was our pet for the week. Luke named him Poopy, yes poopy. They fed the poor guy chips, crackers and raisins. Surprisingly, he lived through it. I had fun putting him on the table and letting him crawl towards Mom. She didn't like it so much. Anyway, on the last night we set Poopy free. The kids all said goodbye and off he went. I wasn't sad to see poopy go but I did kind of want to keep his pretty shell. Oh well.