Thursday, July 24, 2014

Rosemary Beach!

We got back from the quaint little town of Rosemary Beach, Florida 2 weeks ago.  I am still having beach withdrawals.  This was our first time going, and we will be back, probably more than once!  It is a little down the shore from Destin, Grayton Beach, Watercolor, and Seaside.  It was super family friendly, and other than stocking up on groceries, there is no need to get in your car.  It was a perfect vacation, and we are so very grateful Tula and Pop brought us along. 
We decided to make the 13 hour drive instead of fly.  We left at 4 in the morning, thinking the kids would fall back asleep, but that was a no go. I wish more of this had gone on...

 We stopped in Lafayette for lunch with Aunt Karen, Billy Wolf, and Adley. 
 Rebecca's 1st birthday happen to fall on our travel day and she was celebrated once again. 
Thanks Aunt Karen for the adorable hat, outfits, and cupcakes!
 She lovedd the cake!

 
 After lunch we finished that day of driving in Mobile, Alabama and met up with the Gahan crew.  We had one last birthday celebration in our hotel room.
I just love this picture.
After a night in Mobile, we stopped at the USS Alabama before making the additional 3 hour trip.  It was very interesting and the kids had fun exploring the ship.
We are such cool moms.
Benjamin surprised me by being super fearless on the ship.  If you look closely you can see Will and him high up.


My family has made fun of me in the past for being a 'bad jumper.' This picture proves they are wrong and for that reason I love it.

We arrived at Rosemary Beach that afternoon.  The town has a European feel, and is so very cute.



The boardwalk from our house to the beach.
Everyday we ventured out into the town.  The Sugar Shack was a hit with the kids!
You could ride bikes everywhere.  Luke loved riding around town, and the other kids enjoyed riding on the back of the bikes.

We had some fun lunches in town.

We also made it out to Seaside, for a delicious lobster roll lunch.


Amanda and I switched off watching the kids on opposite nights, so we each got a kid free night out with our hubbies and the rest of the adults. 
We enjoyed family time at the house.

Mess.


We also ventured out one day to a putt putt built in the 1950s.  This was the first time any of the kids had played golf, and they had a blast.
Actually everyone had a blast but Benjamin.  He had a majorrrr meltdown on hole 8 that ended his golf game. :)
 Riding down one night to enjoy the live music.

We are in love and we don't care who knows it. :)






We were there over July 4th, and they had a bike decorating breakfast and parade.  It was so much fun!














I guess this was our go to pose for the trip.




We made our way down to the beach for fireworks that night. The show was amazing!




Ben was precious and put his hands in the air after almost every firework.

 
When we weren't enjoying the town or napping, we were beaching it.  It was the softest sand I have ever felt.
Rebecca's first beach experience wasn't what I was expecting.
"What the heck mom?!"
 The first day she lasted 20 minutes.




 She cracks me up!!
 Instagram got a love that week.













We got tons of looks with this one.  I read on pinterest about bringing a shower curtain to the beach so you can make a little baby pool.  It worked like a charm.  We also used the little pool to watch the hermit crabs that Brian collected from the ocean. 



Love these booties!

One night we attempted family pictures.  Not too bad!
 
 
 The trip was so relaxing, and overall so much fun.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone.  Thank you Tula and Pop for wanting to take our crazy crew on great vacations!