Florida 2016

I'm so thankful to God for the provision of a sweet beach trip this summer.  We went to Destin in July. This was only our second time to beach with the kids, so they were especially excited  I loved that it was so special and out of the ordinary. It meant a lot to all of us! We stopped in Nashville on our way down to Florida and met our nephew, Daniel! He's adorable and the girls' first cousin on the Bailey side of the family. There's nothing like a new squishy baby!  

This view of Sarah is how I will remember her from this trip. She wore her puddle jumper on the beach everyday but barely got in the water.  She LOVED playing in the sand, but the waves were just too intimidating this year. I am so so proud of her for making great strides in the pool. She was swimming all over the place. 

We stayed at a town home in a condo community right on the water in Destin. It was a simple no- frills kind of a place, and it was perfect.  We were located next to the pool and just a three minute walk to the beach.  The ocean water was warm, clear, and, beautiful.  We spent hours at the beach every day.  Doesn't it sound like I'm exaggerating and bragging!?!?  It truly was wonderful!

Oh, Janey!  She loved the sand as well, and was so so happy to play on the beach for hours.  We had to keep our eyes on her though because she was always refilling that blue bucket with water, and getting knocked over by waves.  She had no fear!!

Anna and Payton! My goodness, they were like fish all week.  Payton made a friend at the beach and played with her every day.  Anna enjoyed boogie boarding and using the snorkel to look for shells and fish.  They were confident in the water and loved the ocean. It was fun to enjoy it with them.

These two photos were taken on evening at the beach. I captured happiness!

Several friends from our church went to Destin the same week.  We didn't all stay at the same place but we met up a few times, which was so special.  Here's the whole crew one night at Baytowne Wharf where the kids did a rope course and we enjoyed slushies. FUN times for sure, and not a single kid was lost!

Proof that I went on this vacation!  Mommies are always behind the camera!

Our girls!  It's not easy having four kids but it's wonderful.  I love them so much. 

One thing that made this trip so great was having John's Mom with us. She got to be a part of all these beach memories and she was a big help to us.  I'm so thankful that she joined us. I mean, who doesn't need a extra set of hands to help apply sunscreen?  We all know that's the hardest part of a beach vacay with kids!   

We stayed at the same condo community as our friends, the Blacks. It was so fun to spend time at the beach every day with them. We had lots of good talks and the kiddos had fun together.   Maybe in a few years we can do it again!

John took the girls on a jet ski ride. According to him, they were terrified but afterwards said, "It was so much fun!"  Isn't that the way it goes with kids? It's great. 

Beignets before we left!!   Happy about the memories but sad to leave!!