Mommy N' Me: Day 3, Let the Sun Shine

Let the Sun Shine....and shine...and shine!!!

Day 3 and we're up early and ready for a boat ride. We decide to take a boat over to Shell Island. For those of you who don't know, Shell Island is just off shore of PC Beach, and it's nothing but beach. No restrooms, no trash cans, no anything other than beach! We were looking forward to a day of SUNSHINE!!!!

Ariel, oh, I mean Olivia, was ready for the beach in her mermaid best.

On the boat, I snapped this picture just before Olivia's hat was blown off by the wind. She and I dove at the same time -she over the edge of the boat to rescue her hat, me over the beach bag to rescue her! It was a close call, but we were able to save both her and her hat....whew! Zachary loved the boat ride too. We got to see several dolphins on our way too! And of course, we constantly kept our eye out for Nemo.

Shell Island did not disappoint. It was beautiful. If I hadn't had the kids, I could have stayed there all day. The boys headed straight for their sand toys. Zach loved the sand. It was one of his favorite things about the beach!

HMMMM, what do you suppose I could do with these two things!!!

Zach may have not known what to do with them, but Olivia and Aunti Lynn Lynn sure did. First we buried Olivia, but she flipped out,. and since she was actually enjoying the beach this time, I didn't press my luck on having her stay still long enough to get out the camera. But DJ was very cooperative and let us grab this shot before he turned into the HULK and broke free!!!


One pic of the three of us on the beach. Do you know how hard it is taking 4 kids to the beach and trying to get pictures!!! I don't think we ever got any where everyone was looking!! But it was all worth it. Sitting on the beach with both of my kids was the greatest feeling I've had in a while. It's what being a mom is all about!!! Creating memories!


BFF!!! These two are too cute! They were playing in the "Baby Water"....that's the water that doesn't cover their feet!!! One of the only ways we could convince Olivia that it would be okay to actually be in the ocean.


But she did come around and start enjoying herself, and my fear of being the only sun-lover in the family started to subside. But meanwhile back at camp.....


Zachary was all tuckered out!!! I rigged up two chairs and a towel to create some shade for him. He slept for about an hour while the other two kids played! Boy, it's hard being a boy!


And even harder to wake up on the BEACH!!! What the heck, Mommy. Where's my blanket? Where's my crib....where am I at??? Let's just say that Little Zachary didn't wake up in the best of moods, but he did eventually come around.

Still in the water!!! What a little model!!!!

What's going to work? Team Work!!!

We headed back on the next boat back to our resort and let four very tired gets get some rest. We were very fortunate that all of them stayed somewhat on schedule while we were away, and they all had naps every day!!! After nap time we decided to head out for an afternoon of fun, only to find......

Yes, Those are my kids in the car and a huge crack in my windshield. WHAT!!! We had been inside for a few hours and come out to find this. I was convinced that some kids had thrown something off the balcony or had smashed the window with something....I was livid!!! But one hour and one cocky cop later, it was determined that golf-ball-gone-wild had smashed my window.....I officially hate golfers....especially bad ones!!!!


But the night went on and after having dinner out, we went to a little amusement park. The kids were tired so we didn't do much - just enough to tire them out! Here's the Haskell family waiting to buy tickets.


And Mommy with her Princess!!! Oh, isn't she the cutest thing I've ever seen!!!!


And let us not forget about Master Zachary!!! He was such a doll in his little outfit that night. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of him alone!!!


Amber was zooming around on the big race cars. Olivia and I had hoped to give her a run for her money, but my pip-squeak was about a half an inch too short to be a passenger! Too bad....but we'll get you next year, Amber!!!!

The airplanes were the first ride for the little ones. At the last minute, DJ got upset, so he decided to cheer Livi on while she zoomed around the park.


Can you tell that her Grandfather and Great-grandfather were pilots!!! She's a born natural!!!!

This ended up being a LATE night for us. When we got home, half of the resort was without power. We're still not sure what happened...some golfer with a bad swing probably busted a transfuser or something. Our unit wasn't affected - thank God, so we headed straight to bed awaiting what Day 4 would bring!!!

Mommy n' Me Beach Trip: Day 2

Day #2: From Gray Clouds to Sunny Skies!!!

Day #2 brought gray clouds early in the morning. Just as we reached the pool with all of our kids and gear in tow, the storm of the season ensued. We grabbed all of our stuff and our 4 very upset kids and ran for cover. We overheard another guest mention the Indoor Pool...so we were off!!! Soothing the kids and promising pool time, we walked to the next building where we found one VERY crowded indoor swimming pool. We didn't get any shots of the pool, partly because it was too crowded, but mainly because our kids hit the jacuzzi and didn't want to get out. Yes, Jenn and I checked the water first and it was like really warm bath water, so we let the kids have fun! The loved it.

Olivia - of course - was doing back flips on the handle bars. DJ is - of course - all smiles. Amber was being a great sport about helping with the kids, and Zach...well I think Jennica was holding him. They played in the jacuzzi for ever....until Mommy ready the Warning Sign:

Warning: No kids under 12 allowed. Use caution. Enjoy in 10 minute increments.

Yeah....should have ready that before we got in. Oh, well. They seemed fine...

Can't you tell from this darling face that no harm was done in the warm jacuzzi water!!! Within an hour, the sun was back out and the outdoor pools were calling our names....wait...it was more like our 4 kids were screaming, "Outside Pools, Outside Pools!!!!" DJ loved the swim ring. He was moving around like crazy in the water!!! He is all boy - completely fearless!!!!

Olivia, donned in her swimmies and her swim ring, was right in her element. No waves, no sand, and lots of water!!!! She is a pool girl!!! She kept saying, Don't touch me, Mommy." She wanted to swim with Amber like a "Big Girl"!!! Oh, they grow up so fast!!! And Little Man was off looking for sticks. Yes, my boy loves to play in the dirt. He collected rocks and bark and held on to them all afternoon. In fact, he had this one rock that was his treasure. He held it so tightly that I couldn't pry it from his hand! More on the Rock to come! After a ton of playing, the kiddos decide that it's time to take a break. How cute are they!!! Oh, I swear I could just eat them up!!! They really are "Best Friends" as Olivia would say! More like brother and sister!!!

After a brief rest, we decided to walk out on the pier and visit the bay. It was a great walk. The beach out there had lots of little Jelly Fish, so we didn't stay out there too long. On our way back, holding on to all of the kids for dear life because there was nothing preventing them from running right off the pier into the bay, we kept seeing the "blobs" in the water. Well, Jennica thought that they were jelly fish, I thought that they were craters.

"They're Jelly Fish" she insists.

"They're too big to be Jelly Fish" I say.

"Throw something down there and see." she says...she thinks she's so smart....

So, I did what anyone would do to prove that I'm right. I pried that little rock right out of my son's hand and threw it as hard as I could into that "blob". "

"See, I told you it was a crater!" (I love it when I'm right!)

"Wahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!", said Zach. Geeze son, it's just a rock!!!

On the walk back I tried to be all artistic but fell short. All I can say is it's hard to capture a shot when you're holding a 12 month old, a beach bag, and trying to make sure that you're 2 year old doesn't dive in head first while she's screaming, "I see NEMO....and Dori!!!!" Finally, back to the condo for some lunch. While Jenn and I made sandwiches in record time, the kiddos dug into a bowl of grapes. Nothing more refreshing after a day in the sun!!!!

Mommy N' Me PC Beach Vacation - Day 1

Yeah Baby!!! First Annual Mommy n' Me Beach Vacation!!!!

Oh, I'm hating that I haven't posted this sooner, but I'm ready to let loose the details on our WILD Mommy n' Me Vacation that happened just a few short weeks ago. For those of you who don't know this about me, I'm a complete last minute planner. Most of our vacations are usually totally last minute. And the last minute ones are usually the funnest ones, too!! Our first trip to Walt Disney world, planned on Wednesday left on Saturday. Our St. Augustine Vacation, planned on Monday left on Saturday. Our Cancun vacation, planned a week and a half in advance....you get the picture. After just having a really rough week at work and at home, I called my dear hubby the last Wednesday of June and said, "Lets go to the beach." He promptly said no....not that he didn't want to, but he couldn't, so I asked if I could take the kids. He stalled for a moment, but then realizing that he'd have the whole house to himself for almost a week, he agreed that we could go if someone else went with us.

Luckily, I knew another Mommy who might need the same kind of get-away. So, on Wednesday, I booked a 5 day trip to Panama City Beach for Jennica, Myself, and our kids!!! The following Sunday morning, the car and kids were packed and we were off to sunny Florida!!! The kids did great in the car. DJ, Olivia, and Zachary sat in the middle row, and Amber had the whole back seat to herself. (Kristina was in Orlando competing in her Nationals Gymnastics Competition.) We only stopped once for about an hour and a half to let the kids play and to eat lunch, so we made great timing considering that we were traveling with little ones!

We arrived late afternoon at the Condo, and it was really overcast so we didn't even hit the pool or the beach the first night. We grabbed dinner and hit the grocery store to stock up on staples. Then back to the condo to unpack and get ready for the next day. Unfortunately, Monday was VERY overcast too! The wind was blowing and the sky was dark...but did that stop us???? NO WAY. Only lightening itself could keep us from those blue waters and white sandy beaches..... but we didn't realize how DARK it really was until we looked back at the pictures. And now I present, Day #1: Dreary Day at the Beach! This is Olivia and Amber and their first sight of the ocean. This is the VERY FIRST time Olivia has EVER seen the ocean. I'm not sure I captured the "Oh My Goodness, what is this??" face. She was actually smiling, but it was hard to get too excited when the wind is blowing so hard that you're hanging on for dear life! Poor DJ did let go, and he almost blew away! Thank goodness Jennica had a good grip and did have her arms bogged down with the "load" of beach gear that we left in the van!!! Hold On DJ!!! DJ was actually the first one to dive in head first! He was running into the water and up and down the beach...poor Jennica had her work cut our for her keeping up with him! I loved that he was just fearless! He had a great time splashing in the water and playing in the sand. He really didn't stop for one second the entire time we were there! Zachary was really cool about the whole thing - he's such a chilled out kid! He explored the beach, put his toes in the water, splashed around a bit, and just....chilled! It was hard because I couldn't really just let him do his thing because well.....Olivia completely flipped out once we got into the water.

Here is Olivia before we went down to the ocean.......

And here is Olivia after she went into the ocean. Yeah, she's hiding. I'm sitting right at the surf, Zach's beside us playing, and Olivia had a choke hold on me the entire time. Jennica did stay with Zach while I took Olivia out to "look for Nemo", and she was okay as long as we were talking about Nemo and she had the death grip on my neck. But if she wasn't holding on to me...she was crying!!! How is it that I LOVE the sun and the beach and my family does not. My husband is afraid of the sun and now Olivia is terrified of the ocean....come on Preston Family...we can only have so much Mickey Mouse before we have to explore other vacation possibilities!!! And while Olivia is cutting off the circulation to my brain....Amber and DJ are in the ocean have a darn good time!!! Aren't they cute!!! After a long walk down the beach looking for sea shells, we decided to head home for a late lunch and naps. That night we went to a place called Hammer Head Fred's, which was recommended to us by a friend from work. We loved it!!! We were looking forward to some SUN the following day!!!

Dancin' Queen

So I just joined the times and finally got an iPod. (Total thanks to Jennica for opening my eyes to this great little contraption and to Melanie for hooking me up in the music department!!!) Well, let me just say, that I love it!!! But not nearly as much as this little Dancin' Queen! She loves the newest hit by Sugarland "All I Want to Do" This is my first video upload, so pardon me if it doesn't work. I have lots to write about, so stay tuned for our exciting last minute Mommy-N-Me trip to Panama City Beach!! Love you girls!!!!