Beautiful Backdrop

The beach sure makes a beautiful backdrop for pictures! Add in the setting sun and you just can't get any better.

Where the Wild Things Are

Our first day in Florida, we spotted a couple of frogs and a gecko. Trent quickly declared that Florida was "paradise". If I knew that was all it would take, I would have just brought him to the pet store! Trent and Reed spent a good deal of time trying to catch geckos, and they finally did. They held them and played with them before letting them go. One of the last days we were in Florida, one of the geckos had decided it had enough. When Reed picked it up by the tail, it turned around and bit him on the hand. Needless to say, the gecko hunting came to an abrupt end!

Destin, Florida

We went to Destin, Florida two separate evenings for dinner. At both restaraunts, we ate dinner overlooking the Destin Bay. We also made a quick stop at Fudruckers to see the gators.

Pontooning in Panama City Beach

We rented a pontoon boat for an afternoon and pontooned around the bay in Panama City Beach. What an afternoon! Our first stop was at a barrier island with the bay on one side and the ocean on the other. The kids loved snorkeling and seeing the fish in the crystal clear water.

We stopped in the middle of the bay a little while later where the water was shallow and some boats were anchored. Soon after we got out into the water, I felt a sand dollar under my foot. We quickly discovered that we had hit the sand dollar jackpot! They were everywhere. You could pick up three or four without moving. We got over 140 in about 20 minutes before we had to make ourselves quit. (I personally think they were placed there just for us by Grandma Helen. I love and miss her so much. Thank you Grandma.)

On our ride back across the bay, we saw many dolphin. Some were pretty close to the boat. It was the first time the kids remembered seeing dolphin. (Cole and Trent did in the Outer Banks but were too young to remember.) We were thrilled to see so many.

Our last stop was Shell Island. Although we didn't find any shells, the kids found many tiny hermit crabs. They picked up about twenty and put them on the boat. Of course, crabs don't just stay where you put them like sand dollars. They were crawling all over the boat. Back into the water they went!

It was a great day and a memory that for me will last a lifetime!

Beach Bums

Every year, the kids say that they may not go in the ocean because they are afraid of sharks, jelly fish, crabs,etc. This year Discovery Channel had "Shark Week" the same week we were leaving on vacation. Trent was convinced he wasn't going in any deeper than his knees. It takes them about two minutes after we hit the sand to put their fears aside. The call of the waves always wins out. Once again, we had so much fun boogie boarding all week long. The kids are so brave. Even Riley got in on the action this year. She wanted to go out as far as her brothers. By the end of the week, she was almost too brave. She didn't want anyone to hold on to her board because the waves would carry her even further when we were not holding on. When not on their boogie boards, the kids also like to play in the sand. So glad they like the beach as much as their mom. Great times and great memories for us all.

The Lagoon Pool

The Seacrest Beach neighborhood has an unbelievable 12,000 square foot swimming pool. The kids decided that it was the largest pool that they have ever swam in. We swam in it a lot (usually a couple of times a day). To have both the beautiful beach and this amazing pool made it a great family vacation spot.