Beach Awesomeness

I can't decide if the fact that we are on vacation should mean that I get posts out more often because I should technically have more time, or it if should mean that the less frequent posts are completely justified for the very reason that this is vacation. Either way, this is a long post (with lots of pictures and quotes) so enjoy! Hopefully the extra wait this time has not killed any of our devoted readers.

 Thursday I suppose is where I get to start. (Wow, okay, so like I have not covered all that has happened since the rest of the family arrived... Sorry, just trying to orient myself like always.)

Every morning before beach time there ensues a lot of hair braiding and sunscreening each other up. This is the first year that everyone can put most of their own sunscreen on and shower themselves. (It's the little things, okay?)

Christian got me flowers again and insisted I take another picture. 

Dad watching over his babies (and getting some sun). 

(Because this is already going to be a very long post I'm going to mostly explain the pictures and tell the highlights of each day. In the next few posts I'll give a detailed account of what a typical day here looks like.) 

After a day at the beach we all went back to the room to shower and got ready to go out for dinner. 

In accordance with tradition (I'll write a post about our Maui traditions too) we ate at Bubba Gump's. 

In front of the restaurant there is a bench with fake shoes. I think this is replicating a scene from the movie. Anyways people can pose with the shoes and stuff. 

I think every time we've eaten at Bubba Gump's the past 3 or 4 years we've been seated at the same table. (You can put that in the "fun fact" category.) 

The view from our table. Yup, the ocean is right there! 

The servings are pretty large so we end up sharing a lot of our food. Plus we are family, so what else would we do?! (You can put that in the "rhetorical question" category.) 

It must have been three years ago that we finally tried the strawberry shortcake and decided to ask for chocolate on top. We call it Texas style. This is the best strawberry shortcake we've ever had! We got three large servings and then all shared (of course). 

Okay, but Mom wanted her own.

Ava kept getting food on me, the last feat of her's involved whipped cream. 

She was on cleanup duty. 

Friday morning down in the cabana we practiced the play for Mrs Karen and Mr Mike. Everyone is doing really well and our audience enjoyed the show. 

In the afternoon the rest of our beach grandparents arrived- Mr David and Mrs Pat, Mr Rene and Mrs Phyllis, and then Mr Rick and Mrs Lee. There were hugs and kisses and laughter going all around and it was the best kind of reunion ever! Between the 16 (our family, the 3 couples that just arrived, and the couple that was here a few days ago) of us we kind of tend to be a little loud and take up about 1/3 of the cabana. It's always a party! 

That night Mom and Dad went out for dinner. 

Saturday morning Mom and Dad took Chloe out for her birthday breakfast a week after her actual birthday. 

Even Mia can help!

There weren't many people around when we first go to the beach so Dad, Ava, and I did cartwheels, handstands, and flips into the ocean. It probably wasn't all that pretty, but it definitely was fun! 

One of the rare occasions they both get to relax and read grownup books. 

Our "party" takes up this whole area. 

The plan had been to walk back up to our room to eat lunch and then go back to the beach, but we were having waaaaaaay too much fun to want to leave our friends, so about 2:30 Dad and Mia went to purchase sandwiches for us. 

Chloe and Mr Rick teamed up against Mrs Lee and I to play "Hand and Foot." Chloe and Mr Rick did a fabulous job... How to play Hand and Foot.

These guys had a great idea: boogie board slip and slide! 

On the golf course at sunset there was a huge wedding. 

We were trying to calculate the cost. 

One chair for 30 minutes rental cost $50. 

The chairs had been up all day. 

Mom and Ava and Chloe stood way to the side and watched part of the wedding but didn't take pictures. Later the bride and groom were doing a photo shoot near our room. There was a hedge between us so the littles grabbed chairs to stand on so they could watch. 

That night we all watched the new Cinderella. Definitely one of my favorite movies!!!! It's so beautiful and we all enjoy it. From our family to yours, Cinderella comes highly recommended. 

Sunday morning we went to church on the beach again, but this time all together. Then we ate breakfast at Island Vintage Coffee in Whaler's Village (which is where church is). 

Mom, Chloe, and I tried to go to our favorite resale shop, but the location near us had closed, so we soon joined the others down at the beach after preparing lunch to take with us. 

Our one (ish) week, sort of tan picture.

Mia got turned into the hat of a sand-man's face created by Mr Rene. 

Gabe's bed. 

Mia needed a nap. Being here wears her out like nothing else. 

The golf course had been closed for several days for maintenance and we knew we weren't supposed to go on it. But Sunday night somehow the kids justified going on it because it was closed. So we all ran and did cartwheels and round-offs and handstands and played freeze-tag and ran or rolled down a big hill and had the best half hour at twilight ever. 

The sunset that night was stunning. 

Monday was a more quiet beach day. Most of our friends were golfing or shopping so we played in the water on our own and read books and played games.

Gabe- I mean Tarzan in the tree. 

That Moment When...

You totally forgot all the moments you were going to put in this section and decide it's time to start writing them down as they come as well.

You are talking about your great waiter and he walks up from behind asking if you all were talking about him.

You get thrown under the bus for saying that someone was 83 years old when she is actually 77.

You are singing praises to the Lord on the beach with people you don't know, but are nonetheless a part of your spiritual family.

Someone keeps getting food on you every five minutes.


The Herd: Quoted

"We all know I'm blind..." -Me

"Blind or blonde?" -Mom

"Both." -Me

"It was just laying there!" -Chloe showing off a fabulous shell. 

"Yeah, with big neon lights flashing saying 'hey, Chloe, over here!'" 

"You guys need to occupy me." -Mia  

"Dad, flex." -Christian

*Dad does* 

"Oh wow, I always feel so safe when you do that." -Christian  

"Mia, your poker face is terrible!" -Chloe  

"This is just so relaxing..." -Chloe showing me the playlist- "Epic pirate music" 

"Dad took a picture of me awake when he thought I was asleep!" -Gabe 

"They are going to think we are spying on them!" -Mia watching the bride and groom.
"We are spying on them." -Me
*Meanwhile Gabe starts waving his arms to get their attention until I realize it and tackle him* 

"I don't know...that wedding set up looks pretty nice... But I'll go for something at home." -Me referring to the huge wedding taking place on the golf course right by the beach at sunset. 

"You marry a prince and we'll see if he can pull a few strings and get you that." -Dad

"I'll keep that in mind!" -Me

"I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack." -Mia dead serious after running down the golf course hill. 

"That was fun, but we can never do it again. We are going to jail for this." -Me after playing on the golf course.  

"Remind me why I'm going to be sore tomorrow?" -Gabe 

"Because you just did all that running." -Me

"Remind me of that again tomorrow." -Gabe