I'm back!

Wondering where I have been? I thought you might be:) We have been in Gulf Shores. Ahhhh, I love the beach! We had a great time. This was actually our second trip this Summer. If you have children, then you know that vacation is not really 'vacation'! We did not get to just 'hang out' on the beach, and I definitely did not get to read much. But, it was so worth the work it takes to be there! To see the boys having such a great time was well worth the money, time, work, and effort it takes to go on vacation. Jackson especially LOVES the beach. The child was swimming like a fish in the ocean! All day! I have a few suggestions to share...

First suggestion: When we go to the beach, we stay at the Regatta in Gulf Shores. It is right on the beach, and that is ABSOLUTELY necessary. It is worth the money to stay ON the beach. If you have to put kids down for naps, feed kids, get everyone ready for dinner, or anything else that requires being in the condo it is soooo much easier to stay directly on the beach.

Second suggestion: Take a babysitter! Eating out with kids is always stressful for me. I wish I was more laid back, but I am not. I stress! I can't stand whining.....drives me crazy! So guess what? My kids whined every night at dinner:) They were all exhausted and we went to dinner late which did not help. We took Abigail with us (I have mentioned her before-she is our 17 year old sitter). It is helpful with small kids to have an extra pair of hands! She actually kept the kids at the condo the last night we were there and we had an adult dinner! SO nice! And she gets a free trip to the beach! Everybody wins:)

Third suggestion: If you are going on a trip with kids, a DVD player is essential!

Fourth suggestion: Spray on sunscreen! So important to me! First of all, I do not want anyone to get skin cancer. But, secondly, I cannot stand to rub sunscreen on! It seems to always leave streaks where I missed! And I can't stand to get sand stuck all over me! I use the stick sunscreen for faces.


Fifth suggestion: Make some family traditions:) One of our traditions is breakfast at Waffle House! We have WH for breakfast just across the street from our condo. The boys love it! But so do we:) If we ever go to Waffle House at home the boys want to know if we are going to the beach!

Sixth suggestion: Have fun!!! I struggle with this! I like for things to go as close to perfect as possible! But, obviously things are not always going to go over without a hitch. Especially not with children! I have to step back a lot of times and remind myself to relax! In the end, who cares about the trivial? What does it really matter? One day I will look back at this time in my life and wish I could come back to it! I won't always have whining children at dinner. They will grow up. I won't always be the only lady in their life. They won't always depend on mommy. I won't always be changing diapers or feeding kids or cleaning after them. No, it won't be like this for long, and I want to enjoy every minute of it!


These pictures are actually from our first trip this Summer. I don't have my camera but wanted to share some pics:)

Beautiful

Live Bait

Beach Fun!

My boys

Another tradition:) The Pier!