Heading Home

After spending some quality time with Aunt Kiki this morning where Ella and Aidan had ladybug races on the front porch and Kiki got to meet Lauren for the first time....

....we completed the last leg of our trip home today, leaving Atlanta at around 1:30 PM and getting home just before dark at 5:00 PM. The minivan was literally packed to the gills - we could not have fit one more thing in the back!

Happy New Year's Eve!

Christmas at the Beach - Day 7

We headed out for Atlanta today, making it officially out of the beach house right at 11 AM.

We made it as far as Mexico Beach (about 1/2 hour) before the kids decided they had to go to the bathroom and were hungry, so we stopped at this neat little restaurant called Toucans that was right on the ocean. Strangely enough, Mexico Beach is in this little pocket that is in a different time zone, so they were not open yet.

We took the time to let Lauren and the kids get their feet in the sand one last time!

Christmas at the Beach - Day 6

We made our final trip into Appalachicola this morning and enjoyed lunch one last time at our favorite spot, The Owl Cafe....

....as we explored, we came across a really cool spot for mini photo shoot with my new photo prop chairs....

....once we got home, it was warm enough for a dip in the (heated) pool....

Christmas at the Beach - Day 5

Sometimes, you just need a day to walk on the beach....

....hang out with Opa and Grandma Shushi....

....eat boiled peanuts on the deck....

....play on the deck....

....take in the beautiful scene from the restaurant where you had lunch (the Sunset Grill)....

...and just plain relax....

Christmas at the Beach - Day 4

Today was incredibly windy and much cooler - so much so that we decided not to even take Lauren outside!

While Lauren hung out with Opa and Grandma Shushi....

....Mike and I spent some quality time with Ella and Aidan exploring a little bit of Cape San Blas and Port St. Joe.

We played at a little playground and walked out onto the pier....

....and then had lunch and spent some time at the Port St. Joe marina....

Despite the wind, Mike and the kids did decide to take a brief visit to the beach later in the afternoon....

Christmas at the Beach - Day 3

We enjoyed some time on the beach today - Lauren got her first real taste of the sun and surf while we took a walk....

....and then she finally got to stick her little feet and fingers in the sand!

Christmas at the Beach - Day 2 - Merry Christmas!

Christmas day was spent relaxing, opening a crazy amout of presents, and heading back down to the beach for some fun in the sun!

We had a fabulous and special Christmas dinner and just enjoyed each other's company - what a memorable Christmas!