Beach, Besties and Bugs

Some time during the late spring, I had this idea to go camping during the beginning of the up coming school year.  Just me and the kids.  To kind of take our show on the road.  Do what we do.  Just some where else.

My goal was to have hubby drop us off at a beach campground about 2 hours away.  Leave us down there for a bunch of days and we would do school and life and then he would come pick us up on his next day off. 

I shared the idea with a couple of my friends and our "school fall camping trip" was born.  Our three families, 15 in all minus husbands, spent a few days at the beach, camping and doing school and life.  It was an experience to say the least.

My friends went down on a Wednesday.  The hubbies helped set up and then went home.  As it turns out, the bugs were super, super bad.  So, when I came down the following day, I had to buy 11 extra bottles of bug spray.  Bad, bad bugs!

It was decided, that to avoid the bug problem, we would have a plan of how our days would go.  And the plan went something like this:  breakfast inside, when the sun came out and the morning heated up which would make the mosquitoes go away, the kids would play.  Then about mid-morning we would go to the beach until early afternoon.  We would come back, eat lunch, do some school and then let the kids play. Dinner would be early to beat the bugs before dusk and then we would head to the beach for sunset.  We would play at the beach again until bath time.  And then we all come back, get cleaned and go to bed.  Or at least hang out in our campers.  The bugs were so bad that we couldn't really be out after sunset.

We went out to eat one night and had ice cream another day.  One day the waves were so big that the kids got to basically surf on their boogie boards.  The boys did a lot of bike riding and exploring.  

It wasn't exactly how I envisioned it.  But, I think it worked out well all the same.  The kids had fun.  We got to see lots of nature.  Crabs, snakes, a racoon that was not the least bit afraid of us.  And bugs.  Lots and lots of bugs.

I am glad we did the trip.  And we learned a lot about camping without husbands.  It was an experience and it definitely was a memory maker.  I think next time it will be in the mountains.  Maybe somewhere cooler and definitely a place not quite so buggy. . .

Marksmenship

I am not sure if I have posted about this or not.  We have a great gun safety shooting program in town.  A bunch of older gentlemen who belong to the NRA put on a monthly free shooting class for kids of all ages.  Some friends of ours told us about it about a year ago.  And every second Saturday of the month, if we don't have anything else scheduled, we spend the morning at the shooting range.

The gentlemen are so patient and willing to work with the kids.  They stress gun safety and they don't tolerate bad behavior or poor attitudes.  But they love watching the kids grow in their shooting skills and they are very encouraging.

It is very family friendly environment.  I have been out with all four kids, at least once, by myself, and have felt totally safe and comfortable.  EG will be able to start shooting in about a month if her daddy is there to help her.

The great thing is, the kids get awards for achieving certain skill levels.  When they master certain skills they get to move to the next level.  They get certificates and medals and they are to pin them on a shooting vest.

We are really very thankful to have found this program.  And very grateful to the gentlemen who are willing to give up their time and their talents to help all our kids . . .

My Little Man

He is 9 today!!!!  Super crazy to me.  (Yes I know he needs a hair cut.)  He is such an awesome kid.  Just a couple examples of how awesome the birthday boy really is:

First, his sister has a dance class tonight that she really wants to go to.  She is the youngest in the class and got moved up with a bunch of older girls.  She has been working hard to learn the dance steps and is worried if she misses class she will need that much more help to catch up.  We are having a family birthday party tonight.  I was telling his sister she probably wouldn't be able to go to class.  He looked at her and said "If she wants to go I want her to go."  So stickin' selfless.

Second, my sister is engaged. (More about that exciting event later I am sure!)  Anyway, this past Friday all of us met at a bridal salon to help my sister pick out a dress.  Daddy had to work so Boop had to go with all of us and sit there for about an hour or so checking out all the dresses with about 10 other girls.  He mentioned once it really wasn't something he wanted to do but never mentioned it again.  He never complained the whole time he was there.  And even gave his signature grin at the ladies a time or two!

Lastly, this morning I came home from running.  He saw me coming down the street and ran out in the drizzle to welcome me back and get a birthday hug.

This is just what he has done in the last week.  He is going to be such an awesome grown up man!  More about how we celebrated his birthday later.

Just wanted to share about what a great boy he is on his special day . . . 

Last Beach Day

We have been back and into the swing of things for quite a few days so my memory of the details is kind of fading.  All I know is, these pictures are from our last day at the beach on Friday.  Because of the Labor Day Weekend we didn't even go near the beach.  Also, I think it was the first Saturday of college football.  So we swam a little and watch a lot of football.

It was super windy and overcast.  Although the storms never came ashore.  At least not by us.  Boop and daddy had a great time trying to fish with the crazy waves.  At one point they were so strong, they knocked daddy over.  Needless to say I had my eyes on them the whole time!

We packed up Sunday and I would like to say I was ready to come home but that wouldn't be exactly truthful.  I hope we will have the opportunity, again, next year.  In the meantime I will look at the pictures and smile . . . 

More FishingI

If someone asks me about my vacation, a huge grin still comes over my face.  I can't help it.  The thoughts about it just warm my heart!

Because it was the beginning of Labor Day Weekend and the official end of summer, one of the hotels had a fireworks display.  Because we had fished at this jetty during the week, we knew the perfect place to go to watch the fireworks, away from the crowds and spend a little more time fishing.  This is such a great picture of my husband.  Doing what he LOVES to do!

And I love this picture too.  There is just something about a beautiful girl, hair done just so, white shorts, monogrammed t-shirt with the backdrop of a beautiful sunset, trying real hard to learn how to cast a net!  She loved the fishing!  Boop helped her put on the live bait.  When daddy would catch little fish for bait, she could be seen picking them out of the bucket and releasing them.

Little Mama had no problems baiting her hooks.  She would stick her hand in the bucket, grab a little wiggling fish and just hook it on and cast away!  She was a champ.  She was determined to catch a fish but it just didn't happen.  

Boop was the go to guy.  If anyone need help, he was ready.  He helped bait hooks, when I was standing around with a reel he would ask if I needed him to cast it for me.  He was daddy right hand man.  Learning all he could about fishing and reels etc.  He has been scanning fishing magazines ever since we got back.  He is saving up for his own really good reel.

Love this picture of LM and Boop with the backdrop of the hotel that was having the fireworks.

Part of the festivities was a fly over by WW II planes.  They did all kinds of acrobats in the sky.

To keep entertained while waiting for the fireworks, the kids buried themselves in sand.  Of course they did.  Thankfully every night usually ended with a dip in the pool or a soak in the hot tub.

The fireworks were great and worth the wait . . . 

More About My Happy Place

I think Wednesday started out with an early beach trip to surf fish.  The kids and daddy had big fun playing in the water!  We had a couple sets of flippers and snorkels and the kids loved following all the sea life in the water and waves.  It seems like we had more time for fishing because of the beautiful weather.

Wednesday was also the day that daddy took Boop to a military plane museum.  They had gone the year before and Boop begged to be taken back. He LOVES planes!  So, the girls opted out of the trip because they wanted to shop.  Thankfully daddy was able to drop us of and we were close enough to the shops that we could walk back to the condo.  This picture is of the big girls way ahead of me and EG.

EG was not as thrilled with our shopping experience and then having to walk home.  But she was a trooper and was pacified with the fact that she could swim until the boys got home.  Wednesday was also the night that daddy treated us to Outback (we had a gift card from Christmas.)  It had been a long time that the little guys had eaten at a restaurant like that.  They wanted to know what was rolled up in cloth on the tables.  We had to tell them it was their silverware!

Wednesday was a good day filled with all kinds of activity.  More pictures to come . . . 

My Happy Place

Because we homeschool, we have the awesome opportunity to take our family vacation after all of the other families go back to school.  We did it last year and enjoyed it so much we decided to do it again this year.  It is my idea of a perfect vacation.  Our days were spent doing a whole lot of nothing important or pressing.  Beach, pool, walking, biking, shopping, fishing, reading, movie watching and eating.  Oh yes, and football.  By Sunday I was well rested.  As was everyone else.

When we arrived Sunday night there was a massive thunderstorm.  We managed to get unpacked before it started so we were able to sit on the porch and just watch.  It was pretty amazing.  We could barely see the street.  But the morning dawned bright and beautiful.  And we never saw a drop of rain after that.

I decided to keep up my "training" while we were there.  So this is a picture is of my first morning run.  This picture doesn't do my view justice.  I had big beautiful beach houses on one side and the Gulf and beaches on the other.  And a wonderful breeze to keep me relatively cool.

Our first day was pool, grocery store and more pool.  And then after dinner we went for a walk on the beach at sunset.

The next day was more pool and I am not even sure what else.  And then an early dinner and off to fish.  Where we would fish is right next to an air force base.  And they had protected birds and I guess this was one of them.  It looks like a Great Blue Heron.  And he was not shy.

In our Science curriculum there is a book called "Pagoo" about a hermit crab.  And we found one on the beach so we named him Pagoo.  EG was especially fond of him.

Daddy School of Fishing.  Attended by everyone with undivided attention.  Well, except EG.  It isn't for the feint of heart taking and teaching four kids how to fish.  Hooks and live bait.  Oh my.  And I am here to tell you, I am not much help.  Although, the few times I did get to cast, it was kind of fun.

I forgot my camera at home so all I had was my phone and it did not do the scenery justice.  Such a beutiful night.

Well, that is it through day two.  More pictures to come . . .