We just returned from a fabulous week long vacation in beautiful Gulf Shores, AL. (Okay, so it's been a week since we have been home, but I have been busy! :)) I have to say that this was by far my favorite so far! Of course we were all worried that the trip would be canceled because of the recent oil spill in the gulf, but held out until the last minute to make our final decision. WE ARE SO GLAD WE DID!!!
Our vacation started on Thursday evening as our little family of 4 set out for Baton Rouge. We stayed the night there to break the trip up a bit and began driving again the next morning. We met Zach's side of the family at The Grand Resort in Point Clear to kick off our vacation festivities! This is the neatest place and has been around since the late 1800's. Our room was in the original, main part of the hotel and was probably as big as my first apartment. :) We are all completely IN LOVE with their pool area, so we spent most of our stay there, as well as the beach that was only a few steps away.
Every evening they built a fire on the beach so the kids could roast marshmallows and make s'mores. Ella loved this!
Emerson slept in a travel bed and Ella enjoyed hanging out in it with her in the morning. She also requested that she had a bow in first thing when she woke up. Who is this child?! :)
Emmy also liked sitting up like a big girl in her bed. Add a few pillows and it was a perfect seat! :)
After more swim time we loaded up and headed to the beach house. I love that we go to the same house every year. It has become a family tradition that I hope we continue for many years to come. I was also excited to have my mom, sister, and niece staying with us this year. My dad, step-mom and niece, Eliza, were in town too. We had so much fun doing nothing but enjoy the beach, watch the kids play and laugh endlessly, and make memories as a family. I loved that I only put on makeup once the whole time we were there. I also loved that Ella Grace ran with the big girls the whole time. You would never have known that she was only 2. Her cousin Marley and friend Elizabeth completely took her under their wing and took care of her every minute of the day. They are precious! Now get ready for picture overload...
When we arrived the first day the oil had just rolled in about an hour before we got to the house. It covered the water's edge and looked awful! I was almost in tears about what it was doing to this place that means so much to us. It's one thing hearing about it on the news, but to see it is unbelievable. We truly thought that we were going to have to pack up and make the long trip back home. The next morning when we woke up, this is what we saw...
Which is why these guys were constantly flying by all day...
(Of course Ella didn't mind, she is obsessed with airplanes and helicopters.)
Looks pretty bad, but nothing compared to the day before. It was only in a concentrated area and far enough from the water. There was actually nothing in the water, so we were clear to swim. As the days went on we really only saw a few tarballs. It was amazing how it just cleared out. So it was on with our vacation!
Ella had NO problems with the sand and loved being in the water. She seriously stayed outside all day. Most of the time she was covered from head to toe in sand, but still had a smile on her face. She was just happy to be there. My kind of girl. :)
Honey, Caysie, and Ella Grace
Some days we took a little break for pool time...
But most of our time was spent at the beach...
Oh how she wanted to catch those birds!
Yes, on the last day, she decided she needed to go without clothes. I won't post the picture with her bottoms off, but just know that she did go all the way. :)
Our friends Barrett and Hayden were there too! We were so glad to get to see them one day. Barrett and Ella were so funny together. They shared a popsicle and played with boats, and even sneaked in a hug before he had to leave. So sweet!
Our evenings were spent eating, hunting for crabs, dancing, and swinging in the hammock.
Nice "stache", huh?!
Definitely can't wait to go back next year!
