Mr. Webster says...

Vacation: (noun), leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure.

And rested and pleased we were! Our week in Grayton Beach, FL was wonderful! First of all, the best part of every vacation is having John with the family! It is so nice to share the morning coffee, decide on lunch plans and "while away" the afternoon playing with the kids and relaxing in the sun with my incredible husband. (Mr. Webster also says "while away": (verb), spend or pass time in a pleasant manner. -- We did that, too!) *One of our morning bike rides. Can you see John way ahead? He's pulling the princess in her chariot!
*And when we weren't at the beach, the little fishies were swimming away at the pool in our development!

So, most of our week was spent with sand between our toes on the soft, white sands of the Gulf Coast. We usually vacation on St. Simons Island, which is a beautiful place that is dear to my heart, but the beaches of the Gulf Coast are so amazing. Sam loved how the sand squeaks when you walk on it.
*There was a lot of this! *Enjoying a beautiful sunset!
*A nighttime crab hunt!

A big bonus to this vacation, was being able to see our old neighbor from Chattanooga! Julie and her girls and her sister were also down for the week and just a short drive away. So, we spent two days with them and the kids shared in some wonderful summer fun. *Sun, fun and friends!
*Catching up with old friends!
*Sam and Emma under the waterfall in the pool! (He's always with the girls!)

The kids will definitely say that their vacation highlight was setting sail on a pirate cruise! Two hours of treasure searching, sword fighting, face painting, limboing (I don't think Mr. Webster has that word in his repertoire.) and fun in the sun. All the while, the parents got to sit back and watch the smiles on their little ones faces! This was really a fun event and I highly recommend it to anyone with kids 3 - 10.*Boarding the pirate ship!
*Cooling off with water guns!
*Aaargh matey! (Who knew pirates could be so cute?!?)

Sam and Lily were great all week long and actually were good travel companions. Not too many "When will we be there's?", "How much longer's?". They sat back and watched movies and giggled. What a great trip! *Me with my lovelies!

So, now we're home and settled back into our no-schedule schedule, and loving every minute of it!

Whiling away~
Laurie

P.S. This was a little concerning to see on the beach, but luckily we saw no gators!

Happy Father's Day!

A Dad is a person
who is loving and kind,
And often he knows
what you have on your mind.
He's someone who listens,
suggests, and defends.
A dad can be one
of your very best friends!
He's proud of your triumphs,
but when things go wrong,
A dad can be patient
and helpful and strong
In all that you do,
a dad's love plays a part.
There's always a place for him
deep in your heart.
And each year that passes,
you're even more glad,
More grateful and proud
just to call him your dad!

My children are so lucky to have such an incredible father! Loving, strong, playful, hard-working...the list goes on. Sam and Lily Clare love him with all of their heart! Their eyes sparkle the minute they hear his car pull into the driveway after a hard day at work and are overjoyed on Saturdays and Sundays when he gets to stay home and play. I feel blessed to be able to witness such a special bond!

John and I were so lucky to be raised by wonderful dads and want to pass the love along!

Happy Father's Day to all dads everywhere!

Still Daddy's little girl~
Laurie

A little guessing game...

It's gonna take me a few days to sift through the 100 or so pictures we took over vacation, so I thought I'd give you a little guessing game to pass the time!

Can you guess what this is?(Hint 1: A lot of people spend lots of money to achieve it and only a few people are lucky enough to get it for free!
Hint 2: It's one of my favorite things about summer!)

Did you guess it?

Ta Da!
It's the wonderful, almost unbelievable, color of Sam's hair after a week at the beach! Actually, it's kinda blinding if you look at him in the direct sunlight... but it is so awesome!

I promise, a complete post is coming soon!

Home, safe and sound~
Laurie

Please stand by....

Chillin'~
Laurie