Beach Vacay...Again {Gulf Shores 2018}

The family thoroughly enjoyed our beach vacation and spending time with the cousins back in June, but after the summer we've had, we felt like one more beach vacay was in order. And, despite the early school year, we weren't ready to say goodbye to summer just yet.

We picked the kids up from school on Friday afternoon and drove straight to Gulf Shores Beach. (Every kids dream, right!) We arrived at our condo that evening and we decided to take a quick dip in the condo's pool before heading out to dinner.

We snapped these pictures on the condo's balcony before dinner. That view, though!

The Original Oyster House is one of our family's favorite places to eat when we visit Gulf Shores. The food is great and we like window shopping while we wait.

The next morning, we woke up early for a JBQ competition in Mobile, about a one-hour drive from Gulf Shores. (Remember JBQ?) This was the reason for our random, weekend beach vacation. Our Achiever (Advanced) team was competing that day. Although Evan has recently joined the team, he sat at the table a few times during the rounds. The kids did great! Evangel placed 2nd in our division. We had three top quizzers and Chloe was top quizzer. We are excited about the great start to the competition season.

That afternoon, we drove back to the beach to resume our vacation.

That night, we ate dinner at Lulu's. This was our first time eating at Lulu's. I had read reviews that it was similar to The Hangout with fun activities and mediocre food. I thought the kids would enjoy it, and boy, did they. I wasn't too impressed with the food, but Chris said that his burger was delicious. He may have been extra hungry, though, since we didn't get seated until 8pm. 

We've never really taken advantage of any attractions at the beach. Usually, we're beachin' it and looking for good spots to eat. I thought it might be a nice change of pace to let the kids drive go-karts, so we headed to The Track after dinner. My dare devil Chloe was super pumped, but my Evan was apprehensive. Chris and Chloe rode the Wild Woody!

Eventually, Chloe was able to convince Evan to ride on a tamer course. Chloe wanted to drive her own go-kart, so Chris drove Evan on a separate go-kart. I watched and attempted to take pictures. Here were a couple of decent shots that I got.

We called it a night and headed back to our condo. I was not looking forward to the early check-out the following morning.

After the car was loaded and we checked out, we headed to the public beach. Since it was a short vacation, we were determined to make the most of our time. I promised the kids that we could pick out a souvenir before leaving Gulf Shores, so we stopped by a souvenir store on the way. Would you believe that they chose hermit crabs? Hmmm:/

We brought the crabs to the beach because we didn't want them to bake in the car.

We enjoyed our last bit of beach time.

Remember this picture from a few years back?

We ate lunch at Hangout since we got a prime parking spot.

Who goes on a 2 hour dolphin tour and doesn't see a single solitary dolphin? My crew! 

Yep! According to the captain, in the 5,000 dolphin tours he's given, he's only been unsuccessful in finding dolphins once or twice before. We still enjoyed the "bay" tour, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

It was a hot afternoon, so on our way out of town, we stopped by The Yard for milkshakes. They didn't disappoint!

There you have it, our short and fun-packed beach vacay! Until we meet again, beach!

First Day of School {2018}

Well, we started another school year. It seems like the new school year comes earlier and earlier each year. After a tumultuous summer, I don't think any of us were mentally prepared for the start of another school year...but, we're slowly getting back into the groove.

I didn't forget our back to school pictures...

I think that most of our friends and family were surprised at my Type A child's "undecided" response to what she wants to be when she grows up. But hey, she's 9 years old. She doesn't have to have the rest of her life figured out so that I have something cute to write on her back to school sign. Ha!

We also had our traditional back to school breakfast. If you can't tell from Evan's expression (or lack of), they were thrilled to take pictures.

I also got a few shots at school.

And, we took pictures with our new teachers. Evan has the same teachers that Chloe did in the 2nd grade.

My kids go to  an academic magnet school, so most years, we hit the ground running. I worry sometimes about the pressure that is placed on them at such a young age, but am always amazed at how they adapt and excel. We had an incident last year, which made me question if this was the right program for my two. I still go back and forth...Ultimately, I have to consider the alternatives and I hope and pray that we're making the right decision. Wishing these two another great school year! 

Our 4th of July

Independence Day happens to be one of my favorite holidays, right behind Christmas and Easter of course.:) It's been a few years since I've posted about our 4th of July festivities.

Our 4th started with a special patriotic breakfast...

...complete with patriotic goodies to help us celebrate!

It makes my heart happy that Chloe and Evan still look forward to our special breakfasts. When I forget or don't have time to do them, they remind me about how much these meals mean to them.

Chloe rejects all things she considers girly and every year becomes a little more of battle with her. However, I was able to convince her to wear this patriotic dress (with bike shorts underneath) for the parade. Aren't they the cutest?!

Our neighborhood association goes all out for the 4th with a parade during the day and a concert in the park in the evening. We've walked/rode bikes in the parade almost every year since moving into the neighborhood. This year was no different, except this year, we had friends to keep us company.

I totally stole this picture from my friend Tenesha's page because this is the only picture of me in the parade. Hey, mommas need pictures, too!

We took a shortcut to the park where the parade ended, so we could get a little relief from the heat and where I could get better pictures of the parade. If you can't tell from the picture above, I was pouring sweat.

I thought these next two pictures were funny. I couldn't get these two to coordinate their smiles.

These two did a much better job.

 

After the parade, we went home to refuel and rehydrate. Chris had spent the morning grilling out.

Instead of heading back to the park for the concert this year, we decided to mix things up and go to a Biscuits game. The Southwind Drum & Bugle Corps played the National Anthem.

The sky over the field was gorgeous as the sun was setting that evening.

Although the Biscuits lost, we enjoyed the game.

We especially enjoyed our front row seats to the Max Fireworks Extravaganza!

So there you have it, our 4th of July. I hope that everyone enjoyed his or her 4th. Happy Independence Day!!!

I couldn't write this post without mentioning my favorite patriot, my Dad. He went to be with the Lord on June 3, 2018. We buried him on June 27th at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with full military honors. (His funeral-memorial service was the Saturday following his death.) It was a beautiful burial service befitting of a great man and patriot. He will be forever loved and dearly missed.