Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Beach Vacation 2012

As you can probably see from the previous post, I did not spend any time posting from the beach this year. I completely gave in to the rest and relaxation! As if vacation with 3 young children is really rest, right? :) Plus, I left the cord I needed for downloading my pictures from my camera at home...hehe. So, in pictures (Beware! There's quite a few.) and a few words, here's our Beach Vacation 2012.
 Beautiful skies after our only and very short-lived rain from Tropical Storm Debby.
 Red flag still continued to fly for Sunday and Monday, but the warning was completely lifted by Tuesday morning.
Still enjoyed the sand even though we couldn't get in the ocean right away. Got our "glow gear" for walking on the beach at night!

 Ah, yes...the Hangout!! A must-go-to in Gulf Shores! Note: Try the Fish Tacos.:)
 Laugh if you must, but this is one of our traditions...Souvenir City, AKA "The Shark's Mouth".
The children just cannot resist the hundreds of Made in China treasures that await inside. Before we walk in, we have to snap the obligatory photo with the shark's teeth, and then Jan proceeds to give them clear instruction on the $ limit they have to spend on something. This year, we walked away with some colored stones for Mary Claire which she calls her "jewels" (one bag full for $4.99), and two boogie boards for the boys. As you will see in the next few pictures, the boys made good use of the boards for the rest of the week.
 Look who's ready to dive right in!
Looks like somebody enjoys naps on the beach as much as I do. :)

Feeding the fish at the marina in Orange Beach. We ate at a wonderful restaurant named Gratzie's. (An Italian Seafood place)
(Want another food suggestion? Everything we ordered was good, but the crabcakes were the BEST!!)

 Mimi and Daddy Nick
 As we finished our dinner, a boat docked right below where we sat on the covered porch and one of the guys yells, "Hey! We caught a bull shark. You guys wanna see it?" Yep, and there it is...all 7 feet and probably about 500-600 pounds of a bull shark!!
 Jan helped the men get the rather heavy fish on to the table you see in the photo and managed not to get the shark's blood on himself. A couple of others were not so lucky as some slipped in the blood pooled on the dock and at the base of the table. They said they caught the shark about 3 miles off the shoreline. The kids got to touch it and look at its eyes up close. What an experience!!
My three sea-goers!

Mary Claire keeping an eye on the ocean.


Our message in the sand this year...always in our hearts, minds, and prayers.
Go, Lucy! We love you!
Muscle Man #1

Muscle Man #2 :)

Both my muscle men with their boogie boards!
Let's catch some waves!

John Owen chill-axin' in the sand chair he made.
Mary Claire sinking her hands in!

Somebody loved going out to ride the waves with Daddy:)

While Jonah caught some wave action!

John Owen running back for more waves! I kept calling him "Surfer Boy" 'cause he was really good at paddling out and waiting on just the right wave to ride.

Fun in the sand!

Jonah(6 yrs.), Mary Claire(4 yrs.), and John Owen(9 yrs.)
Fort Morgan, Alabama
June 2012




Mary Claire and Mommy on our last night at the beach

My three babies!
We had a wonderful week together at the beach!
 It was hard to leave this place that we love so much.
Thank you, God, for a safe trip and time enjoyed together. I look at the ocean and sand, and I marvel at Your work in nature. I look at these people in these photos, and I marvel at Your goodness. I give thanks a thousand times over for all the blessings You give daily. 

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