Take me to the beach...

We had the best three day weekend y'all - on somewhat of whim we decided to head south to Port Aransas. We hadn't been to the beach in what seemed like forever and it ended up being the best idea.

And bonus: Gigi and Pops came with us! (My dad even took Monday off from work - that's huge!) My mom's birthday was this week so this was the perfect way to celebrate her!

Everything is just better at the beach.

I really think the waves wash away every single stressful item and you just "be". 

I think it's how God really intended us to spend most of our days.

Surrounded by his beauty. 

Enjoying His creation.

Living outdoors.

Disconnected from our daily distractions.

This guy made their smiles even brighter. They miss him so much, we all do. They worked so sweetly together on that sand castle and they were so proud to show it off to me when they were done. And we couldn't have asked for better weather on Saturday. We stayed on the beach from 9am until 1pm with just some snacks and water to hold us over until lunch. We headed back to the most amazing beach house ever (more on that later) for a some quick naps before heading back to the beach for more. 

Emersyn decided that she wanted to build a sand castle all by herself and she was doing such a great job. Until the sand started to dry out and her castle began to collapse.

This is the face of a discouraged six-year-old that likes things to work how she wants them to.

So she took a quick break with Gigi and then got up to finish...

And made the best castle we had seen all day long!

As the sun started to set, we went exploring for some shells...

practiced some penalty kicks...

And copied big sister with a castle of her own.

I could relive this weekend over and over and never grow weary. Take me to the beach any day and you will have a happy hearted momma!

Because of course, parrots...

Because when we have been to Port Aransas more times than you can count, done all the things, purchased all the souvenirs and tried every sno cone flavor imaginable and you discover this new guy offering pictures with parrots - you take the pictures.

You. Are. Welcome.

The girls maybe accidentally dropped Paris the Parrot so she was moved to Jenni's arm which made us all erupt in a fit of laughter causing the adored "pirate face" to emerge on Jenni.

This one is a framer for sure!

It was worth every bit of Gigi's pennies for these pictures - 

even if the three of us tried not to be in them.

:)

The kids thought it was hysterical...

And I mean, what better material than pictures with birds for every slide show for the rest of their lives....

Thats, Adam, the parrot man. 

Beach pics because clearly...

 After our big dolphin watching adventure, we took the kids down the beach one more time for some pics. The sun was a little too bright, the beach was a little too crowded and the kiddos were a little too tired, but we managed to get some keepers and kept it under 15 minutes, too. 

Gigi and *almost* all of her babies. I can't believe that Kenly arrived 11 years ago and now she's less than an inch shorter than us. What a blessing she has been from the beginning and how lucky we are to watch her grow up right before our eyes. 

When the sun hasn't quite set enough, you make them turn around and then say "look at each other and laugh."

Silly shadow on Emmy's face but still adorable. 

Biggest and littlest. 

Boyest. 

(Can I just tell you how excited Radley was to have another boy around. Through the moon.) 

Squintiest. 

I'm pretty sure they were born yesterday. 8 years ago. 

As broken record as I may be - I still can't believe all those years ago, she was picked to be my best, good-friend. My LYLAS, my BFF, my life-long giggle partner. Unreal. And now our babies are stuck with each other too. And I am so very glad!

Grown-up girl...

baby legs...

50lbs of man...

and 30lbs of girly goodness...

I could just pinch myself...

but instead, I'll kiss their cheeks with "all the kisses" until they can't take it anymore. 

And then I'll wait until they fall asleep and kiss 'em again.

Beachin' with the Besties...

For as long as I can remember the beach means spending time with Mom, Dee, Jenni and her sisters. We traveled to Port A every summer from the time I was in 7th grade until I was a junior in college. And since then we have been back as often as we could get there. We are now officially part of the "adult club" and the baby oil has been replaced with SPF70, but there is really no place I'd rather be than here. 

We had the best week at the beach with these sweet kiddos - the weather was perfect, the beach was seaweed free and the smiles were endless! It was actually, dare I say, even a bit RELAXING which was a reason to celebrate in itself. The kids did a great job entertaining themselves, Kenly was a HUGE help with the littles and the fussing and fighting was kept to a minimum.

I know. CRAZY talk.

I also gave myself permission to just sit and rest. To enjoy these moments without the added pressure of capturing every last one on film. So I only took my camera to the beach one morning. 

I know. CRAZY talk.

I didn't need much more than 5 whole minutes to capture their joy of being at the beach.

The sun, the sand and the shore are enough to bring a smile to their face instantly.

And their joy is enough to bring one to mine. 

There just something about the ocean and beach - endless possibilities of discovery and imagination. Hidden creatures, lost treasure, and beauty in every nook and cranny. Items small enough to fit in the palm of their hand, tickling and wiggling to life as their giggles erupt freely from within.  

We spent two-and-a-half days building castles, jumping waves and finding treasures so by the last night we were ready for a delicious dinner out.  If haven't tried Virginia's On the Bay in Port A, then make plans to next time you are there. Seriously the best fish I have tasted and their tartar sauce was so stinking good. The kids ate so much we had to order and extra basket.  

After dinner we headed to the park by the ferry dock to watch the dolphins and we were not disappointed. At one point there was an adorable family of 5 swimming around - I just wasn't quick enough to get them all. 

We even spotted some sea turtles on the way out and I thought the kids were going to jump off that pier from excitement. 

And I would have let them if we weren't on our way to take some of the cutest beach pics you'll ever see...