Nights in PCB

One of my favorite things about vacation is just lounging in the sun all day and then getting cleaned up for nighttime fun.  You have to eat good seafood when you're at the beach, which we did our fair share of.   

I thought these pictures of the kids were too cute.  I had to run back to the room to get something and when I got back, Ronnie and Cathy were taking these adorable pics of the kids.  My little blonde cutie.  He melts my heart.

And does she look grown-up or what?  Legs crossed and all.  Sigh...

We couldn't get over how lucky we were with our wait time for supper.  We never had to wait longer than 30 minutes any night we were there.  With little ones, that's highly important you know.

Panama City's Pier Park is loaded with tasty restaurants, nice shops, and a carnival/fair area.  One night, after supper at a restaurant at Pier Park, we rode lots of rides at the carnival.  The kids thought that was the coolest thing ever.  

We loved the laid-back nature at Sharky's.  Karaoke on the deck, overlooking the ocean....it doesn't get much better folks.

While we were waiting for our food, we walked off the deck to snap a few beach pictures.

We topped the night off with putt putt golf.  Even Canaan tried to play a little golf when there was no one in line behind us.  I led pretty much the whole game but choked toward the end.  Justin ended up winning and totally gloated about it.  I have to let him win every now and then.  We couldn't have asked for better food or fun while on this vacation.  It really was so relaxing and I am so glad that we decided to take a beach trip this year.  Now I'm just ready to go back!

Splash Resort

My sister had highly recommended Splash Resort in Panama City Beach, so we decided to try it out for ourselves.  We were beyond impressed with the amenities offered at this super kid-friendly resort.  A waterpark, two pools, lazy river, and splash pad were all we needed to keep our busy little ones occupied.  I think what I loved the very most about Splash, was that after our kids got tired of the beach/ocean in the morning, we hit the waterpark area for awhile.  After Canaan's afternoon nap, our schedule was pretty much the same, so the kids never got bored. 

So every minute and a half (give or take) an enormous bucket of water at the very top of the water slides would tip over and drench everyone below.  You can imagine that the noise factor of that many gallons of water being dumped at once is pretty intimidating.  Canaan was very apprehensive about the surprise drench he could receive at any moment, so Hadley stayed with him most of the time. 

They found a great hiding spot underneath the slides and would sometimes wait out the soaking.

Since this area was fully shaded, it was perfect to go to when the kids needed a sun detox.  The water was nice and cool and offered a reprieve from the heat.

We love having breakfast and coffee on the balcony.  We would scope out where our beach spot would be the for the day, as well as look for anything exciting in the ocean.

The kids were over the moon excited about the bunk beds.  Hadley took the top bunk and we got the biggest kick out of listening to her talk to Canaan at night when they were in bed.  Since they don't normally sleep in the same room, they enjoyed having access to each other at bedtime.  She told Canaan a thousand times how much she loved him and he would answer back like he fully understand everything she said.  It was precious.  We loved Splash Resort and certainly hope to get back sooner rather than later.

Beach Vacation 2015

Prior to this summer, it had been four long years since we had taken a beach trip.  To say that my heart was longing for that salty ocean air, delicious seafood, and endless ocean views was a major understatement.  We were so excited that Justin's parents went with us on our vacation this year.  We had the best time with them and I know they loved getting to experience everything with the kids.  It was a trip that we will never forget.  

One of the things the kids were most excited about was building sandcastles.  I think they managed to build multiple ones, several times a day.  We borrowed other people's buckets to make ours bigger and better as the week went along.

Granna and Grandad are always up for a good time.  One of the many reasons our kids adore them.

Canaan had a bit of a love/hate relationship with the ocean.  He bit the dust a couple of times by some rather large waves and that made him scared.  We had to coax him back into the water after that.

I had been so excited for Canaan to just get to see the ocean for the first time ever.  I imagined what his sweet face would like when he saw the huge expanse before him.  I love watching him squish the wet sand between his fingers and toes.  Oh, those "firsts" with kids are priceless aren't they?

Hadley was a machine when it came to building the sandcastles.  She hauled dozens of buckets of water to try to make a moat around the castle.  She wasn't going down without a fight.

We had the most relaxing beach time ever.  I mentioned I had been longing for the beach for quite some time, and it far surpassed my expectations.  I think everyone just needs a little beach therapy from time to time.  I know this girl does.  Thankful to spend that time with people I love.

Basketball Cookouts

Justin's ball team has traveled to Indiana, Mississippi, and all over South Central Kentucky over the course of the last three weeks.  Now we are about to welcome in the two week "dead period" in Kentucky high school sports.  There can be absolutely no practices or interactions with players during the dead period, so that these student-athletes can have some down time.  I laughingly say my favorite two words in sports are "dead period."  

To celebrate our summer ball season, we hosted the girls and coaches for a pool party and cookout.  I was able to use decorations I already had around the house and whipped up a couple of tissue paper pom poms for decor.

We appreciate that the girls take time out of their busy schedules to hang out with us not so cool grown folk.  I think it really shows what good girls they are, though.  They can enjoy some fun games, swimming, and good food....even without boys involved ;)

Bree is the biggest kid of all and had to eat with the little ones at the little picnic table.  We are so proud of Bree, though.  She has just verbally committed to play her collegiate basketball at Ole Miss!  I told Justin that we have to go watch her play....road trip!

I really cracked the girls up with my dirt pudding.  They totally thought it was real and didn't touch it!  After showing them that it was really just crushed oreos on top and some silk flowers to add our Glasgow colors, they dug right in.  

The very next night we welcomed our boy's basketball team's new head coach and his family over for a cookout/swim party.  What's super cool about this is that they are dear friends of ours from church and James and Justin both went to the same high school even.  We are thankful for this sweet family and can't wait to get to spend even more quality time with them during basketball season this year.  Yep, a pretty sweet way to wrap up our summer basketball season.  Thankful for these times!

Cousin Camp

Cousin Camp is a relatively new tradition for our family.  It started last summer when my parent's church (the church I was raised in) had their Vacation Bible School.  My mom really wanted her five grandchildren to attend and asked if she could keep them for a few days and take them.  Fun was had by all and memories were most certainly made, so she decided that she wanted to do it again this year, only not during VBS since that was a bit hectic.  Uh, you think?  I could've told you that!  It's hectic enough for me with two kids, much less five!

There is approximately a seven week time span where the first five grandchildren are one year apart.  We were forutnate enough to be in that time span for the kick-off of cousin camp.  Now how cute is 6-5-4-3-2....we're new?  Now we have a total of seven grandchildren on my side of the family.  It's crazy madness when we're all together but we love it so much.

I do happen to be a little partial to #'s 5 and 2.  With no further adieu, I present to you glimpses from Cousin Camp 2015.  God bless my parents....sheesh!

I can hardly wait to see this year's shutterfly book from the week.  Talk about some pretty amazing memories for these cousins.  I am so thankful for these sweet times for my children, nieces, and nephews.  Oh, and next year the two would-be toddlers might join them.  Yikes!