This was one of the many sunrises that Liz got to see this week. She shared a room with the girls, and she was gracious to get up with them each morning, regardless of how early. Dad helped with this too since he is an early riser. All I know is I cannot tell you how much Ryan and I appreciated having these mornings to sleep in and rest some. Thank you so much!
On a side note, Liz was up and heard the two sonic booms that came when the shuttle came back to Earth. She grew up watching the shuttle launches in Florida, so I'm glad she was awake and heard (and saw on tv) the last shuttle return home.
On Wednesday morning, we were all ready to head back out again!
We played at the beach a long time. Here, Lily and Mia played in the sand with Zac, Francie and Molly. It's so much fun having lots of kids around!
After some beach time, we headed up to the pool. The girls had lots of fun with a boogie board that was floating around; we never figured out who it belonged to. They would take turns laying on it and letting the other person pull her around. This was their way of "surfing!"
We did a lot of jumping into the pool this afternoon!
Lily gave it her all!
Fun times in the condo before nap time. Here's hide and seek with the big basket.
Mia fell in love with this little area of the kitchen; she could pull out one of the cabinet doors and it would turn just right so she could have her "own kitchen."
Showing off her hat.
Wednesday afternoon brought one of my favorite days of the year: hot dog day! We all crowd into Jodi and Michael's condo for the best hot dogs you can imagine. In addition to Meme's hot dogs (with chili if you wish), we enjoy her delicious fresh fruit salad (peaches, cherries and pineapple), chips, cookies, etc. Delicious and lots of fun! Here's the line that has formed as everyone is excited.
After everyone eats, we try to take a few pictures. Getting everyone looking at the same camera is like herding wild cats, but we try. Here are most of the great-grandkids (the generation under mine). We're missing about five of them, but it's the majority.
I love getting kisses from my girls!
The big family picture! Again, we're missing several people (a couple of families weren't able to make it this year), but it was still a fun crowd!
We tried getting a picture of Meme with the girls afterwards, but Mia wouldn't have anything to do with it; she was so exhausted, so we headed upstairs for a nap.
We didn't take any pictures on Thursday, but it was another fun day. Meme made breakfast with her three boys for their families. So delicious! Biscuits, gravy, sausage, bacon, grits, eggs, country ham, tomatoes and cantelopes...what a great way to start the day. After breakfast, we changed clothes and headed out to the beach and then the pool. After nap time, Mom and I took Lily and Molly to Bubba Gump's for dinner. In 2004, Ryan and I discovered Bubba Gump's in Maui while on vacation. Seriously, the best fried shrimp I have ever eaten (and the strawberry lemonade is a plus too!). When we found out there was also one in Daytona Beach (a short drive from New Smyrna), we couldn't wait to go. We went for several years until Mia came along. That summer, Ryan stayed at the condo with her, and Mom, Lily and I went to enjoy it. Since then, it has grown to include one or both of my nieces too. It is so delicious, and we have a fun time hanging out "just the girls." What a yummy evening!
We couldn't believe when Friday arrived; it was our last day again! We decided to pack as much fun in as possible. Liz helped Mia (and Lily who just wasn't in this picture) make a wet sandcastle.
Mia finally tried Zac's boogie board; she didn't like it a whole lot in the ocean.
Molly and Lily had a lot of fun playing together, as usual.
Lily jumped over hundreds of more waves.
Mia had fun rolling all around in the water.
By the end of the week, Lily was pretty brave too. She had a great time playing in the ocean though one of her favorite games was to hold my hands, let her feet go out from under her and float as the tide pulled her in and out.
Who am I kidding? Splashing was her favorite game!
She also tried out this big float that Joseph and Benjamin brought down. Mia had tried a smaller boat float the day before, but she got scared as it went over the waves, so she refused to try this float. She kept saying it was "too scary." However, she liked holding on to the side and spinning Lily around.
We had more fun in the pool too. Mia told Granna exactly where to stand to catch her when she jumped.
Throughout the week, Lily had a lot of fun going all the way underwater and then popping back up. I loved the face she would make as she would come out, so I snapped this picture of it. I love how big her eyes got!
On Thursday, Lily started jumping into the pool and swimming over to someone with her backpack on. We could see her confidence growing some each day. On Friday, she decided to take the backpack off and try really swimming. She did it! We were so proud of her! She started by going just a few strokes, but by the end, she was swimming from the side of the pool over to where the stairs were (half the width of the pool). We rewarded her bravery with gummy bears and a new Ladybug Girl book (Ladybug Girl Dresses Up if you're wondering). It was so awesome to see her truly swim; she was holding her breath well, and she remembered to kick and paddle instead of flail about. Yea Lily! Here's a picture of the big moment!
Towards the end of the day, we were able to grab a picture of Meme's 11 great-grandchildren who all happened to be in the pool swimming at the same time. Aren't they adorable?
We enjoyed beautiful weather until about 6:40 Friday evening, and then a big thunderstorm settled in, so we called it quits for the day and week. Here's a sunset that wrapped up our week for us.
Another great week in New Smyrna Beach with our family. A big thank you to Mom and Dad for letting us all stay with you again this year and for all the help you provided with the girls. Liz, we're so glad you joined us, and we appreciate all of your help as well. We had a great vacation, and we're already counting down until next year's trip!
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