FAMILY vacation...

lance and i have always taken a trip once camp is over. it is usually just the two of us, but we decided that with another baby on the way, it was time to do the ole FAMILY vaca. so, we packed our bags, made our plans, and headed to Santa Rosa beach in Florida!

a little pre trip planning: we marked up the map... in the highlighted cities the kids got a new little something from the surprise box and in the starred cities we would put in a video. they LOVED this and looked forward to the next major city.

we didn't break the bank with our surprise box... with the exception of woody and jessy, everything came from the target dollar spot and cost a total of 12 bucks! this is just some of what we bought.

we drove about 5 and 1/2 hours and then crashed in Jackson, MI. the big kids fell asleep holding hands... so sweet!

have you ever seen the show diners, drive ins, and dives? we enjoy watching that show and even more than watching - actually visiting the places that are highlighted on the show!

this was the first DDD restaurant... Maci's antique club... interesting would be the word to describe this joint! take not of the decor.

two days later... we made it to our condo. it was a beautiful four bedroom condo within about 50 steps of the beach! woohoo!

of course we ventured to the beach that evening... the kids had never seen anything like it!

riley loved the giant sand box!

the next day we hit the beach bright and early... and buried caleb! HA!

Riley didn't care much for the waves so he spent most of his time digging in the sand.

one evening we took the kids into destin for ice cream.... this flavor was called superman! it stained their skin... but, hey, they were lovin life!

we took a little stroll after dessert and i'm so glad we did because we caught this beautiful sunset!

lance bought the kids boogie boards and they had so much fun...

even got pretty good on them!

three of my four cuties!

allie and i got our toes "beach ready" with some pink nail polish.

we headed out via New Orleans and ate at this yummy spot. although, i don't know that i have many great things to say about the city itself, it was fun to see it.

DDD stop number two and one i have been waiting for... the creole creamery in New Orleans

we got six mini scoops of different flavors and shared them. flavors like black and gold crunch, lavender honey, molasses, and red velvet....oh, yum!

because we were not headed home after our vacation, but on to Columbus, TX for a work retreat for pine cove... Bob's taco station in Rosenberg, TX was the last of the ddd stops and the end of our trip! they seriously have the BEST TACOS i have EVER eaten! so good!

all in all, we had a great time, but in NO way was it relaxing... family vacations are a parental sacrifice at this stage in the game. we are hoping that we filled their memory banks with good stuff and if they are too young to remember... i will force memory with these pictures! HA!