Gulf Shores 2012

We have returned from our week at Gulf Shores, Alabama.  I can tell you it sure didn't feel like a week.  I really thought it would feel long and it didn't!

We rented a beach house with Matt's sister and her family and his parents.  It was quite a find as far as beach houses go.  It was five bedrooms, with 5.5 baths, and it was gorgeous.  No amenities were spared.  We had two refrigerators, two dishwashers, washer and dryer, etc.  All of which got used regularly.  When you are housing 11 people, five of which are kids, you need all that stuff!  But, it would be fair to say we enjoyed the luxuries, too.

We were right on the beach in a more private-y area.  So, we had tons of beach space all to ourselves.  It was wonderful.  We rented a cabana/tent/shelter thing so that we could get out of the sun when we wanted to, and as you can tell the little girls liked to hang out there some.  We couldn't get the three "bigs" out of the water most of the time.  (the ages all together were 2, 3, 6, 7, and 9)

Here are all the girls playing one evening early in the week.  Bella has only brothers, so I think she loved the girl time.

The "bigs" playing Quirkle.

Most evenings we went Creature Hunting, which involved nets and flashlights.  The goal?  Catch crabs.  I think Abby caught 4 total all week.  It was mostly a way to get out each evening, but the boys ate it up.

    

We had an afternoon of kite flying.  Abby somehow had an unusual gift at this, though she has never done it before.  It was fun.

As much fun as it was (and many are already talking about next year), home we went.  Though I think I need a break from sand being everywhere.  :)

Summer Reading

This summer, we participated in the local library's summer reading program.  Because our local schools are now on a balanced schedule, the last day to get points is next week.  We went in yesterday for our final point and prize visit.

The exciting news is that Abby filled up her entire card of 500 points!  Kids who did that got to put their name on a gear and add it to the wall.  Abby was SOOOO excited.  Just to give you an idea, picture books were 5 points, and chapter books and fact books were 15.  She (and we) did a lot of reading this summer!

Lily also had a ton of points but because hers were all 5 point books, the total doesn't rise quite as quickly.

I'm excited because I was able to sway most of their prize points to the "free" books, instead of the junky toys.  We ended up with a few of those, but the girls each got several new books (which each cost 80 points).

I'm definitely raising little readers.  :)

Water Bugs

I've got two little water bugs this summer.  Abby, in particular, has really taken off this year.  It has been so much fun.  She is dog paddling her way around without floaties and.... get this.... is putting her face in the water VOLUNTARILY!  I actually took video to prove it to  you.  She is retrieving toys in one, and doing a somersault in the other.  Since I took the video she has also started jumping into the shallow end without an adult catching her.  It's like a new kid.  Soooo fun.  

Lily, on the other hand, is content to float around or sit on the steps of the pool and play with toys.  Her trick is floating on her back with her Puddle Jumper floatie-thingie (which I swear by, by the way.  If you have a toddler and you are a pool-goer, you must get one.  They're worth every penny.).  She thinks she's smooth.  She is.

 

 

Abby turned seven!

Somehow, my firstborn made it to her seventh birthday on July 1.  (I'm a little late posting this)  Wow.  Those seven years have gone fast.  

Birthdays sure have changed too.  The first couple years, birthday parties are really about the parents.  Now, Abby cares about what we do.  With some guidance from me, we decided on a party at the movie theater.  They have a party room that you can reserve for an hour either before or after the movie.  We were so lucky that the new movie Brave opened the weekend before Abby's birthday.  It ended up being perfect because it was about a hundred degrees out (literally), so a cool movie theater was exactly where you wanted to be.

Her birthday was on Sunday, her "friend" party was on the Thursday preceding, and her family party was on Saturday.

Here are her and her friends enjoying her Brave storybook (gift) before the movie in the party room.

One of her favorite gifts.  :)  She loves her hair.

At gymnastics practice the next day, they sang to Abby.  She stood on the beam, while her team sang to her.  It was super cute.

Her family party- we had a DQ Blizzard cake.  It was a HUGE hit.

She is a blessed little girl and we are a blessed family to have her.