Fun In the Sun

This past week we were in Destin with the Jensen family. This is our usual week of vacation that we take each year in September but since Carter will start kindergarten and Ella Ann will start pre-K at a public school in the fall we had to take our trip in May so no school would be missed. Everyone arrived on Saturday afternoon but I drove down with the kids on Sunday because we had a wedding (see previous post) to attend Saturday night. Spencer had to work a couple of days so he flew down Tuesday evening.

We had such a good time spending the week with each other. The big kids, Carter, Ella Ann and Seth, played nonstop for 6 straight days. They loved the pool and all three of them were swimming like fish by the second and third days. Mandy bought a baby pool to keep on the other side of the gate to the pool for the little boys, Ethan and Rane. Ethan loved it but Rane wanted in the big pool since he thinks he's larger than life already! He would just take off toward the pool and walk right into it. Crazy boy. Ella Ann and Rane were not fans of the beach. Ella Ann does not like getting dirty and she especially dislikes having anything on the bottoms of her feet so the sand was not making her day whatsoever. She begged anyone to take her back to the house as soon as we arrived at the beach each morning. She pretty much moped around until someone volunteered to take her back so she could swim in the pool. Rane eventually would walk in the sand but he didn't like it one bit. He was afraid of the water because there were big waves but by Friday we had him putting his hands and feet in the ocean and he would be okay for a few minutes. Every time a wave would wash over his feet he'd say, "Woahhhhhhhh!"

We ate really good food at the restaurants we went to for dinner and we cooked at the house twice. Rane was a handful at the restaurants but that was no surprise. Papa usually had to rescue him and take him outside.

Carter, Seth and Ella Ann slept on the first floor of our three story house. For the most part they slept pretty well together, although by the last night Carter had had enough of Seth and Ella Ann chatting before bed and waking him up WAY too early talking so he slept in Mandy and Zach's room! Gary and Gayla were up every single night, often multiple times, with one child or another's issues since they were in the bedroom next door. Rane slept great in our closet so I cannot complain! He was so worn out by nap time and bed time that he had no trouble sleeping.

We had an easy drive home yesterday and I was so happy to have Spencer with me for the trip. We miss our family terribly and wish we were still there but all good things must come to an end. Ella Ann was not happy at all to be home!

Below are a few of the many pictures I took but if you would like to view all of them click HERE.

Admiring the ocean but not about to set foot in it!

Such a great picture of Spencer and Ella Ann.

Spinning around in circles in the pool. Rane l-o-v-e-d it, as you can see!

We tried but there are zero good pictures of the 5 kids together!

Ella Ann and Seth paraded around the house one morning with bowls as hats.

Craig stepped in for Spencer while he wasn't there and really took care of my kids. He played for hours with them in the pool and I was so very grateful!

Mandy and I had the same outfits for the little boys so one night we dressed them alike. They looked so cute!

Craig being a fantastic uncle to Ella Ann!

Zach and Spencer took the big kids to play put-put one afternoon. It was the first time Ella Ann had ever been and she really, really liked it. Zach took them the next day to play again!

Ella Ann moping at the beach.

Rane about to blow because he wants off the beach so badly!