The Bug Sanctuary

Well, it was SUPPOSED to be a bird sanctuary, but we didn't see a single one. There was, however, a multitude of bugs to swat away. What fun! (P.s. J decided to pass on this adventure and played on the beach with the other "big" kids catching hermit crabs....smart kid!!!)

Looking for birds with daddy

Hmmmm, maybe they are down here???

Pretty girl in curls

Maybe this hat will keep the bugs away

Hey! Wait! That's MY hat!

Can we just go back to the beach???

Still looking for those darn birds...

Lousy attempt at a photo opp...

And...still not working
We didn't stay long, and enjoyed a nice lunch after! I don't recommend bird sanctuaries to people traveling with small children. If you do go, take a lot of bug spray!!!

Guess who is 1 today???

Can you believe our baby is one? Last year at this time I was super sick from all the IV pain meds and not allowed to get out of bed to visit my baby with the hole in her lung in the NICU. It was devastating not being able to hold her right after birth...and for several says after. I can't imagine moms that have to go longer. My night nurse sneaked me out of my bed into a wheelchair and flew me downstairs to see my poor little girl, but I was a vomitting mess and they made me leave as soon as I started up again. She left the NICU 2 days later, but we watched her breathing for months...

Now...there is no stopping her! She is a ray of Sunshine in our lives. We are blessed to have her!

Then...

Now...

Today at Peter Piper Pizza

"Window shopping" at an early age

Riding the rides...

Can we get some pizza here???

More beach pics...

From the first REAL day on the beach....

Are you SURE I won't get dirty...

Fun in the sand....and behind them in the water....

Iz not digging the sand

Surfer girl E runs to the water
My digital zoom seems to be out of focus. He was pretty far away from me in this pic.
E's Godmommy C catchin' some rays

First steps on the beach

The day we arrived, we didn't let the kids go swimming since we were all too tired to rescue should anyone float out to sea. After a long car ride it was nice to gt out in the open air and feel the sand between our toes.

This is Katie. She came along to help out with the kids. It wa really nice because we could go hang out at the beach during nap time without worrying about little ones near the water.

E calls her Kay-ee.

Well, we weren't going to swim...but you can see J diving in behind me.
Not so sure I like this sand stuff....

(pics from our first day)

The view from our house

We're back!

In case I forgot to mention it, last week we took a family trip to Dauphin Island. It was a much needed vacation, but since we went with other families (and their children), it was a learning experience as well. You can't throw 7 children into the same house and expect them to b on the same schedule....and....sound travels. (Especially the sounds of crying/screaming children). Despite the inherent lack of sleep...fun was had by all.
My boys have sunburns, but us girls were smart enough to protect our skin with ample sunblock....although towards the last few days we were burning through the SPF 50...after 3 applications. That sun was intense! All of us have a lot more blonde in our hair....even B's arm hair bleached out! The beach was amazing! Several times we saw dolphins swimming just a football field away from us. At first we just saw the dorsal fin and got a little freaked out at the thought of swimming with sharks...but it became clear that wasn't the case. They would jump out of the water and play after feeding. The kids got a huge kick out of it!

I will post pics as soon as I get them up and loaded....and get some much needed sleep!