Sun, Sand, and Great Friends, Continued.

On Tuesday of our vacation we started the day down at the beach. I really loved this particular beach because it was shallow for quite a distance out from the shore which was perfect for the kids, and the water was surprisingly clear. We were blessed with perfect beach weather-- no rain or clouds, just a lot of bright sunshine and warm but manageable temperatures.

Getting ready to head out. He was still loving his hat :)

Playing on the beach.

Getting sleepy...

After the beach we headed back to our rooms for lunch and naps. Court and I escaped for some pool time. Getting to spend time with her and share about life is like food for my soul. She keeps me sane. I'm not sure what I would do without her friendship, especially during this phase of my life.

Dinner on Tuesday night was at Mr. Bones BBQ-- a truly unique, but random, restaurant.


On Wednesday the guys went to play golf, so Court and I took the kids to the pool and then walked down to the Gulf Drive Cafe (again) for lunch.

Court helping Carver "swim"

Whitney playing with Carver's stroller.

At lunch!

In the late afternoon on Wednesday we headed back to the beach...

This was a definite favorite activity...

Dinner on Wednesday was at Oma's Pizzeria followed by crepes which we ate in the back of Daniel's truck :)

Carver was mesmerized by the blinking light of our camera's timer...

And, the final picture of the weekend. This was taken after (another) lunch at the Gulf Drive Cafe. (Thanks to Daniel's sweet mother for embroidering these cute shirts for the kids!)

This was truly a perfect joint-family vacation. Several years ago we traveled to Breckenridge with Courtney and Darin and had the best time. I am thrilled that even though we both have a child we still have big plans to take (hopefully) yearly trips together. I love it that our children are growing up truly knowing each other and I am so incredibly thankful that Court and I have been on this whole path of motherhood together. She has listened to me vent and complain and is always there for me. I know my life would be immeasurably better if we lived closer, but regardless I am so very thankful for her presence in my life-- even at a distance.

And, getting to spend a week with Daniel was an enormous blessing. I am so thankful for my little family :)

I can't promise that there will be no more beach pics posted since I don't have Court's yet-- but this should finish up our Anna Maria Island vacation recap.

Thunder+Lightning+3 scared dogs= A full bed

(Photo taken at 2:00 a.m. after baby Winston climbed over me to get up on the bed and in between Daniel and me.)

Sun, Sand, and Great Friends

A few days at the beach were just what we needed after the chaos summer always brings. Last week we went to Anna Maria Island and met up with some good friends for a joint family vacation. We had an incredible few days of rest, sunshine, great food, good conversations and play time with the kids.

I am so disappointed that our beach vacation is over. So sad.


The weather was beautiful and the kids loved the beach and pool. Our rooms were perfect and I took an obscene amount of pictures. All of which you are about to see.

Take a deep breath and brace yourself, there are a lot of pictures. But with such cute kids it's hard to narrow down :)

The highly recommended accommodations: The Tortuga Inn

Day One: Pool time and Dinner at the Gulf Drive Cafe

Carver's new flotation device-- we were pleased with it, not sure he was...

Carver's best friend, Whitney (17 months old)

We ate here 3 times in four days...good food, right on the water, and about a 5 minute walk from our hotel. (Thanks to Megan for the recommendation!)

He can make anything a toy...

Day two we spent the morning on the beach, ate lunch in our room, and headed out for dinner at Eat Here-- my favorite restaurant of the week and another Megan recommendation.

Court and Whitney

Darin and Courtney

He gets into everything.

Heading out to dinner. After seeing Whitney in her hat all day (and stealing it some), Carver decided that he wanted to wear his hat--even to dinner. He also refused to wear any shoes except his Crocs.

At Eat Here for dinner. The kids did so well siting next to each other. They shared snacks, drinks, utensils, etc.

Shrimp Tacos!

We ended Monday night with ice cream and then headed back to put the kiddos to bed.

Stay tuned for pics and stories from our next days at the beach!

Enjoying retirement....

Specifically my Mama's retirement.

I always dread the end of summer when my mom goes back to work. I get so used to the idea of being able to call her whenever I want during the summer months, that when she goes back to work in August I find it very frustrating that I can't just call if I need something. Or if I'm bored. Or if no one else wants to talk to me three times a day on the phone.

Not anymore.

As I mentioned before, Mom has officially retired and this is the first time she has not gone back to work after summer break. I'm loving it and I'm sure she is too.

Recently she was able to come and stay with us for about a week-- one of her longest visits yet. (She had to divide her time off between GA, VA, and MD). The week was really relaxed but fun and it was nice to have a visit with her without Carver and I having to make the long trip down to Florida. If Daddy had been here it would have been perfect :)

We went shopping to find Carver some Fall/Winter clothes (thanks Mama!), and two super cute pairs of shoes (again, thanks Mom!). We ate out some: P.F. Chang's, Hawg Wild BBQ, El Campesino (Mexican obviously), and The Copper Pot.

But the highlights of the week were dinner at Unicoi State Park on Friday night, and lunch at the Dillard House on Saturday. (As we all know, I really love the Dillard House).

Carver loved having Grandmama here and so did I. My mom is great about getting Carver up in the mornings or after his nap so I can sleep a little longer. And, she loves rocking him in the glider while he watches movies. We went for a couple of walks, cooked, and visited our local Farmer's Market/Produce Stand. Daniel even kept Carver twice so Mama and I could go to a movie one night and then out to dinner (alone) a few days later.

Carver trying to eat his pumpkin from the Farmer's Market.

At Unicoi-- it's really hard to get a picture of Carver these days-- he's too squirmy.

Heading in to the Dillard House for lunch.

At the Dillard House, food is served family style. There is no ordering, they just bring this whole load to your table. And, it is all-you-can-eat. This is what they brought us for me, Mom, and Carver. Some of it we didn't eat at all (painfully wasteful, I know), and a couple of things we got refills of. The best part? They let you take your leftovers home :)

Normally the food is placed on your table, but Carver can't be trusted and the table wasn't big enough to keep everything out of his reach. So, they left the whole tray...

After lunch we walked out to the "FarmZoo" and spent most of our time watching this poor girl waddle around. It was pitiful. Especially when she heaved herself up to get some water. I wanted to take her home with me. I think she is pregnant. I hope she is pregnant. Or, maybe they just feed their animals like they feed their guests. If I lived at the Dillard House I might look like this too. Scary.

It was a really fun visit for all of us and I am thrilled that Mom is retired.