Destin Trip- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

Wednesday morning we had a delicious buffet breakfast at Fudpuckers. Sam got his money worth on the homemade waffles. The kids were able to touch an alligator which they thought was pretty cool. After that we did some shopping at the outlet mall by our condo.

Wednesday afternoon and Thursday were spent with a lot of time at the beach and the pool. Thursday night we drove to Ft. Walton beach for dinner at The Crab Shack. The younger kids enjoyed the playground on the beach and the older kids enjoyed the shops.

Friday morning we headed back to Springfield. We took Sarah with us to help make more room in Dana and Kevin's car but she was really a big help to us. She kept the kids entertained on the way home and the trip went fairly smoothly. We made it back to Springfield just in time to watch the fireworks display that a local church puts on every year near our house.

Destin Trip- Monday and Tuesday

Monday we spent quite a bit of time at the pool since the kids had a lot of the beach on Sunday. They were happy floating around and not having to worry about the waves and salt water. That night we went to The Back Porch for dinner. The food was yummy and we took advantage of the wait to get a few pictures on the beach while the little kids watched a movie in the car with Uncle Kevin.

Tuesday we went to a state park beach. It was less crowded and allowed for a fun game of frisbee in the ocean. That afternoon Hannah, Sarah, Dana, Dawn, Ellie and I went parasailing. It was an awesome experience. It was actually very peaceful up above the ocean, which surprised me being pulled by a boat. Hannah and I got to see a large sea turtle swimming below which was so cool and we also saw a dolphin on our way out to the larger boat.

Destin Trip- days 1 & 2

Ella and I enjoying the beach. Our condo was on the top floor of the building in the background.
John and Sam on the beach the first evening.
The view from our balcony.

We left Friday night June 27th for the long drive to Destin, Florida. Traveling with eleven people we had to make quite a few pit stops but the kids did very well along the way. Ella had a few crying fits wanting to go to "my house" but overall was great. Having her big cousins Hannah and Ellie in the back seat with her was a big help. She was so excited when we exited a tunnel in Mobile, Alabama and could see the ocean for the first time. She said, "Look it's my pond!"

We were pleased with our condo when we finally arrived. We had a great view of the ocean from the balconies where we spent a lot of time last week. Some of the kids, including Sam, hit the beach when we arrived and John, Sam and I did a walk on the beach that evening.

Sunday John and Kevin went golfing while the kids and moms did a beach day.

Worlds of Fun!

The kids made their first visit to Worlds of Fun this last Monday.  The group that went was my Aunt Carol, Uncle Al, Scott, Emma, my mom, Ella, Sam and me.  They had an absolute blast!  Too bad we don't live closer or season passes might be in our future like I had when I was a kid. 

Ella and Sam both had the same favorite ride, the Rampage (well that's the old name).  Ella loved the swinging in the breeze and Sam liked it because he was tall enough to ride it by himself!  I think they each went on it at least five times. 

I was able to try out some of the new roller coasters while I was there.  Of the ones I tried, The Prowler was my favorite.  It is amazing how fast it goes for a wooden roller coaster.  Wooden roller coasters tend to be my favorites.  

We are going to try to make it back later this summer and take Daddy along with us.  I think he would enjoy himself on the rides but the most fun is watching the kids.  

Father's Day

We did an early Father's Day for my dad this last weekend. It was nice to all get together. Christy and Dale brought some bubble wands for my kids. The pictures are of them enjoying themselves in the backyard. Notice Christy's baby bump is growing! I am so excited to have a new niece or nephew.

Porch Time!

Over the last few months we have been working on getting things so we can enjoy our back deck. We have new planters filled with New Guinea Impatiens that I think are beautiful (the photo doesn't do them justice). We have a little seating area with a chair, ottoman, and side table. We also got a patio table with four chairs. Last but not least John hung some baskets off the deck that we have filled with vincas or begonias and some vinca vine. I think they look really nice, but you can judge for yourself. The back deck is open for any and all visitors!

Field Day

Sam's school had field day today. The kids spent the morning moving to different games. They also had a picnic lunch, got to see a dog show and go inside of a fire truck. Sam had a great time playing with his friends. Ella and I went to watch and eat lunch with Sam. Ella enjoyed going but was upset that she couldn't participate in some of the games. She absolutely loved the fire truck! She would have stayed in it all day if they would have let her.