Alabama Vacay: Last Day

So this is it, our last post of our vacation as it is our last day here in Gulf Shores.  The week seemed to fly by, we had so much fun.  Our last day was spent on the beach, we knew that the kids were getting a little burned out on beach time, but we also knew that we were going to miss this place after we left.  We decided to have breakfast on the beach.  It was a little chilly first thing, so we bundled up and decided to stick to the sand until the sun warmed us up.

Breakfast at our Beach Camp

AJ would only get in the water if we held him

Me and my babies playing in the sand

Whoa! Daddy and AJ got a little creative and made a town of sandcastles around our campsite.  KK decorated each tower with seashells (hard to see but they are there)

Why is this picture so amazing?  The kids are touching the water and smiling at me!  As mentioned, the kids were still a little leery of the ocean and all its inhabitants, so getting them out into the water wasn't easy.  They loved the ocean and loved having the waves come up on shore, just as long as they weren't touching said water. 

What AJ usually looked like if we dropped him down onto the sandbars to play

The water was so clear for miles - hard to tell in our picture, but we were several yards into the ocean together here.

KK and Daddy searching for crabs and sea shells

We loved the sandbars that weren't covered with water on top

Finally warming up to the waters on our last day (figures hehe)

We decided it was time to dig a hole to China... only thing is, it is hard to dig a hold when everyone wants to sit in it...

Hmmm... still a kid at heart

Making our mark on the sand before the tide washes away our footprints and names

We found more little crabs walking around in the ocean.  The water was so clear on our last day and the jellies were all gone - we couldn't have asked for a better way to end the trip.

Baby sting ray

KK playing in the water as the sun set on our last full day here

One last sunset walk

Whoa Daddy and KK found the BIGGEST SHELL EVER!  We are keeping it - amazing!

So here we are - our first ever family vacation together.  We.loved.every.minute.  It was fun, adventurous, relaxing... we can't wait to come back and do it all again together.  We had so much fun just spending time together as a family, showing the kids the ocean for the first time.  I can't seem to put it into words except to say the entire trip exceeded our expectations.  When I think back to our time there I remember only joy and laughs, and isn't that the whole point?  Goodbye Gulf Shores!  Until next time...

Alabama Vacay: Beach Walk (the best day)

This is the hardest part of our trip to put into words - the pictures barely do it justice.  We decided to take a long, long walk up the beach before sunset today.  We wanted to walk as far as we could with the kids, heading east along the beach where the nature preserve was.  No hotels, no houses, just nature everywhere you turn.  It was the best walk, the highlight of our entire trip if I was forced to pick just one thing to recommend.  We set out from our hotel and had an adventure together:

The sand dunes as we hit the beach - Greg took an amazing picture but its easy when its just so perfectly beautiful here.

Our little beach walkers were off to a running start

Before we started our walk, we did stop to play by our umbrella and splash in the water.  Rather, daddy splashed.  He started a little game called Daddy vs. the Jellyfish.  He found a net at the beach house and would take it out to catch jellies and dump them on the shore.  He thought he was clearing the water for the kids, I hated to point out there were still hundreds floating around.  He was entertained and the kids were too.

Our mighty Jellyfish hunter

Our beach walk started with crabs - the water is so clear that you can see everything and tonight we found little crabs walking around.  This little guy got close before scampering off.  Daddy caught some in his net but released them after the kids got a close look.

This is a BABY SHARK!  One of our vacation friends who's umbrella sat next to us on the beach loved to fish in the ocean.  Before we left for our long walk, he called over to us to show us what ate his bait: a BABY SHARK!  It was a fierce little guy, he didn't stand for being caught and fought the whole time but I managed a quick picture before he was released back into his ocean.  How neat is that?  AJ thought it was the coolest.

After sharks and crabs, not to mention jellies, we decided to walk up and down the sand bars at the start of our big adventure to see what else we might find in nature.  Of course, AJ decided he has already had enough walking and nature, so Mommy carried him and held KK close.

Love my babies

KK searching for sea shells and playing in the water

The difference between boys and girls: AJ throwing sticks and shells back into the ocean... hehe. 

As we were walking and exploring, I decided to take some pictures of the kids as they played.  The lighting was just right and I wanted to capture the carefree play as I knew as I watched, these moments are the kind you want to replay in your heart long after the day is over.  I didn't want to forget the joy on their faces, the sound of their laughter and the feeling of my heart just full full full.  Thank you Lord for moments like this!

This crane was with us the entire trip - so it was fitting that it came up the beach to us and was fishing as we frolicked on the sand.

Two sets of sweet little toes covered in sand - who doesn't want to remember those little feet...

The boys coming back from exploring up a little further!

Our sweet KK was just sitting in the sand playing with shells when I captured these pictures - a natural beauty (I am not biased at all).

She posed by herself with this one - I just snapped the shot with the sunset behind her.  This is my favorite shot of her during our trip. I love my KK!

Our beach walk wasn't just pictures - nature followed us (or else we ended up on top of it). On our way home we saw sting rays swimming right along the beach between the sand bars!

Here was our view as we returned home.  The kids chattered away about all the sea life we witnessed as our pockets were filled with shells and sand.  They were not keen on walking in the water as the jellies still scared them, and they both got tired and had to be carried several times, but it was the best adventure regardless.  Memories that we won't forget.  After this, we are definitely coming back for another vacation here again.  This.place.is.awesome.

Alabama Vacay: Day 4

After the crazy nature incidents, we found we loved our new house the Limelight.  It was nicer than what we had before, so we took that as all was as it was meant to be and not let anything get in the way of our vacation fun.  Of course, the fun is always enhanced when you get a LIMO for a golf cart. 

The limelight limo (loved the custom plates)

The kids loved this cart - I mean do we sit in the front seat, the middle, the back back?  The options were endless and every seat was to be tried out within the first day.

Picture of our new beach house

Two cuties ready to hit the the beach

Ahh - right where I wanted to be, in the shade with the sand in my toes, a snack in my hand and this cute face for company next to me....

While the beach was fun as always, we decided to cut it short and spend some time in the pool (in some jellyfish and nature-free water). 

We returned later that night (after our beach walk - see post here Alabama Vacay: Beach Walk) to relax our sore legs from all our walking in the hot tub.  It was pretty cool at night after the sun went down, so the hot tub was a nice way to stay outside a little longer while we watched the stars come out over the water.

After our long walk (long day really), the kids were in bed in no time sleeping sweetly.  Mommy and daddy decided to indulge a little with some amazing homemade cheesecake we found a this place called "Hope's Cheesecakes".  They made literally fifty kinds of cheesecake, all fresh.  The hardest part was picked just a few to sample.  We went with classic cherry, turtle cheesecake, and tuxedo cheesecake (chocolate mousse).  YUM!  Great end to a great day!  Sweet dreams!