Summer Vacation...

We finally had the opportunity to take a few days vacation at the very end of the summer. We started out on Thursday in Destin, Florida at the outlet mall in an attempt to acquire all the last minute things needed to clothe the kids in uniforms for this year. Skirts long enough to meet the requirements were difficult to find for my long-legged Madelyn, but once again, Children's Place came through and we got it all in one stop! Tennis shoes took a full hour, but we finally got what the kids needed and even took some time to play on the little playground at the mall!

As soon as we arrived, Dallin walked in front of Josh on the swing and was promptly knocked to the ground and covered in sand...he didn't cry for long once Parrish turned him onto the nearby fountain! He was clean and happy in no time at all! He was using the water spouts as drums! It was hilarious! Mostly we loved watching the reactions of those who walked past. Some of the snooty shoppers were mortified as we looked on, but the more practically minded just laughed and commented on Dallin enjoying himself. Needless to say, he didn't go in any stores until the very end- once he was mostly dry!

We left the mall and headed eastward to our true destination at Tyndall Air Force Base (also in Florida) where we had reserved a condo for the weekend. Turns out that there ARE some perks to being a government employee...$50/night was a steal for the accomodations and the proximity to the beach! We spent Friday at Tyndall beach where we walked over a mile to get to the water, but it was beautiful and we were one of only four groups on the beach! We flew kites, ate chips (it was too far to go back for the cooler like we had planned), snorkeled, and built sand castles. Saturday morning we left early and took Daddy to Tallahassee to the airport. He flew to Salt Lake to help his mom with her move cross-country. Instead of coming directly home, and since we still had the condo reserved through Sunday, the kids and I braved the rain from Tallahassee back to the condo, and spent the evening eating frozen pizza and watching dance troups perform on MTV. Can't believe I let my kids watch MTV, but the dancers were amazing and Josh was loving watching! During the program, Dallin got in the groove and did his first somersault! We made the best of the rain and had a great night! Sunday morning brought plenty of sunshine and checkout. We debated our options, and went to the beach instead of heading home. This time we hit Mexico Beach which, while it was slightly more crowded, was also tons of fun! I was a little nervous about taking all three kids to the beach by myself, but it worked out really well! There were tidepools when we arrived and we found all kinds of shells without ever touching the waves! As the day wore on, we braved the water, and found even more shells! We could walk out sooooooo far! It was awesome! We spent about five hours there before grabbing lunch and heading for home. We were exhausted, sunburned, and happy as ever! Come join us sometime! We love the beach!