The Last Hoorah

It's so hard to believe that summer is winding down, and school is about to start.  We headed back to the beach for one last adventure. Maddie loves hunting and fishing, and just being outdoors in general. She and Pop fished at the beach, and at the pass before venturing out for a charter inshore fishing trip.  In her words, "It was amazing!" Her favorite was catching a stingray. The stinger is now proudly displayed in her visor! I will share much more about our trip when we get back home, but for now I wanted to just share the memories from today's adventures! The little ones and I spent the afternoon at the pool, and had a great time, too!

Ready to head out with Captain Mike

A coke and a rod and reel-what more could a girl want?

Waiting on the big one!

Awesome!

Stingray!!

Waiting patiently!

Possible Future Charter Boat Champion?

Maybe just a little yucky to the touch!!

Proudly displaying the stinger from the stingray!

Lots of fun and lots of memories were made!  Maddie can't wait to go back!  Much more to come on our trip.  Lillian's first solo go cart ride, Build a Bear, beach with Uncle C and Aunt Tay and more!!

Sand Pile Fun

I promise there is nothing more fun than our sand pile adventures.  Lindsey and Caleb loved this, and so do the grand babies.  However, Beau might be the biggest fan of all! Lillian asked who else was going to be there, and seemed to be amazed that this little amusement park was just for them!

The look of determination combined with lots of dirt!

Boys will be boys!

And girls will be girls!!

This was one happy dog!!

We are beach bound this weekend!  We can't wait!

Soccer and Pool Fun

Lindsey and the kids have been here this week while Maddie attended Soccer Camp at Alabama.  Maddie's quite the trooper- she never once complained about the heat.  Nana on the other hand was only there about 15 minutes one day, and nearly died!  She really seemed to enjoy the camp!  While Lindsey and Maddie was doing the soccer thing, the little ones and Pop and I were doing fun things here!  We loved having them here, and it's always a super quiet when they leave!  I will be heading that way Sunday, and then the kids are headed back to the beach with me and Pop next weekend!  We are trying to get all the fun we can out of this summer!


It amazes how quickly this one is growing!  It also amazes me how much she has enjoyed soccer!  I think Pop and I are going to have to keep learning all they can about this sport!

Camp drills and practice!

Hot and tired, but oh so cute and sweet!!

Maddie was able to come and jump in the pool to cool off as soon as camp was over!

For 26 years now, Cathy has brought her older daycare children to swim in the afternoons.  I truly love spending time with them, and so do my sweet grandchildren.  Many of these kid's parents grew up with Lindsey or Caleb, so that makes it even more special.  I sadly don't have pictures of all the swimmers this year.  I'm going to work on that!

These two have become buddies!

This one is almost a swimmer!!  She's practicing in the deep end without her swimmies, and she stayed under for 21 seconds in the shallow end!!  She's also an expert doggy paddler!

Reed spent more time in this pool than he normally does!  We are hoping he's going to love swimming, too!

Pool hair don't care!!

One afternoon after camp, Maddie and Tatelyn were able to go to Upsurge together.  They had a great time!



 

Next up, fun at the sandpile!

Quick Update

Just a quick update - after our camping trip, Lindsey, Josh and the kids headed to Mobile for a few days.  Lindsey attended a conference and Josh and the kids explored a bit.  Josh went to college at South Alabama, so he is very familiar with the area and wanted to share it with the kids. They visited the Battleship, went on a marsh tour and visited a science museum.

Battleship

They also have some special friends in Fairhope, and went to a splashpad there with them.

And just a little update on Beau!  He has grown so much, and is very much a part of the family now.  He's 7 months old, and his favorite things are chewing his deer antlers and playing with Levi!  

He also loves the top step of the pool!  He runs back and forth splashing, but so far hasn't ventured further into the water.  He will also jump on a float if you get to close the side.  

Next up, Maddie's soccer camp at UA, and we had so much fun that we've decided go head back to the beach for another summer adventure!!

A Camping We Will Go

We have entered the exciting world of camping!  We journeyed to the Gulf State park with our little ones and had an awesome 5 days!  Pop and I were not sure what to expect, so we considered this a learning adventure!  What we learned was that this is something we will want to do again and again!  The park had a huge pool, bike trail, splash pad, fishing pier, nature center, resident alligator and more! The kids loved everything about it, and so did Nana and Pop! Lots and lots of pictures, because we made lots of memories!

We ordered out our first night and brought supper back to the camper. We have decided that next time, we are going to cook more at the campsite, so the kids can enjoy it more!  

The kids (and Pop) enjoyed cooking smores and jiffy pop on the campfire. 

Too much fun!

Sweet dreams!

Happy Campers!

Riding bikes was lots of fun!  The alligator stayed under the boardwalk, which was very close to us.

The beach was just a short distance away.  We spent the mornings at the beach, and then headed to the pool and splash pad in the afternoons.

The best days are beach days!

There were holes to dig and crabs to find!

And nothing beats a sandy nap on the beach under the umbrella!

We may or may not look like the Beverly Hill Billies heading to the beach!  Josh and Lindsey joined us for a couple of days.

Wipe Out!!

Burying your sister is always fun!

Love you to the beach and back!!  This one was a champion shell finder!

Pop and Reed

Tangled hair don't care!  There's not much I wouldn't do for this smile!

Finding shells with Daddy!

Splash pad!  I have no pictures of the pool, but it is super nice!  The kids loved it!

Checking out the pier.  Reed just wasn't into having his picture made!

Our new friend!

All three rode the Ferris Wheel with Pop, and loved it!!

From inside the ferris wheel! I knew Maddie would love it, but the little ones surprised me!

Dolphin Cruise - All I'm going to say is that we enjoyed the boat ride.  We saw more dolphins from the shore of the beach though!

Last visit to the pool before we headed home, and the kids and their mom and dad headed to Mobile for a few days!

I learned that all true campers have a dog and bicycles!  Luckily, we had both!  Beau could not have been any better!

 The sand may brush off, and the salt may wash away, but the memories will last forever!  Trust me, we'll be back!!