Day 5

Wednesday morning, we went to the beach with Beth and Lily for a little while.  John helped the kids build a sandcastle.

Then, we looked for seashells.  I found a whole sand dollar and Grace found a ton of teeny tiny shells.  And, we were both very proud of our treasures!

We went back to the beach house to swim in the pool.  Later, we got ready to take family pictures at the beach.  Steph made all of the kids super cute seersucker outfits...thanks Steph!!!  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures that I absolutely love!  Grace was not too cooperative and Carter fell asleep while John was holding him...weird!  So, these are the best photos.

We did get a good photo of the whole Taylor fam!

top:  Mom, Dad, Me, Carter, John, Charlie, Steph, Brad, Beth, Jenna,

Julie (and baby boy), Daniel

bottom: Grace, Tripp, Andrew, Lily

On Day 4, We Swam

tuesday, we spent the entire day at the pool.  it was a fun and relaxing day!  the water had been so cold from the rain on sunday and tuesday it had finally warmed up.  so, carter finally got to swim!

the three amigos

tripp learned how to swim with his face in the water...although, he had to be reminded to come up for air!

carter and charlie floating...i don't think they knew that the other one was in the pool too!

grace caught up on her reading while lounging around the pool.  i think i read 2 chapters of my book this year...maybe, i'll be able to finish it next summer.

drew found a way to combine his 2 loves, trains and water, by creating a water train!  He's so smart!

lunch time!!!

beth & lily

crazy uncles

we had a fun pool party/shrimp boil for the july birthdays!

there was a little planking involved.

brad, steph, & charlie 

daniel, julie, & jenna

time for cake!  yum!

the birthday kids (minus tripp)

mimi's birthday gifts

we still have 3 more days of vacation!  i know, i know...you are so over this!

Day 3

Monday morning, we woke up, ate breakfast, and jumped in the pool.  The guys and Mimi went to play golf and the rest of the girls and the kids swam!

Lily and her chipmunk face...cute!

While we were swimming, a little visitor hopped by.  Beth caught him and the girls got to hold him.

Our house was right on the intercoastal waterway.  We get to watch a lot of cool stuff come by...fishing boats, barges, military ships, sailboats, and even dolphins!  Drew loved watching the SHIPS come by!

The kids had a little snack...

...and then were back to splashing in the pool!

When the guys and Mimi got back, we took a little break and...

...then headed to the beach.  The kids were sooo excited to finally BE at the beach!

Tripp and Grace immediately got to playing!

Charlie and Carter were 

taking it all in.

I love her smile and giggles so much!  She loves being chased by the waves!

Mimi letting Carter experience his first wave. He already has the surfer stance down!

Poppa helped Grace boogie board!  She did great!  She only did it once, but at least this year she smiled the whole time!  Last year, she cried when she got off and wouldn't go near him again.

This is a classic Carter pose!  He loved watching the water and licking the salt off of his hands!

Me and my beach bunny!

The kids played hard!

Once Carter had enough and we found our keys, we picked up pizza from Lillian's, ate dinner, and went to bed!

4 more days left...