vacation.

we are on vacation.

vacation used to be carefree.

relaxing.

sleeping in late.

lazy.

late night drinking.

dinners out.

bars.

dancing.

strolling along shopping and moseying in & out of stores.

after beach naps.

and now that we have kids.

vacations are

stressful.

busy.

expensive.

full of activities.

so much so that you often never sit down til the end of the day.

cranky-too-much-fun-meltdowns.

walking babies in strollers praying they will fall asleep so you can catch a few minutes of sun in your chair with your face in the sun {as opposed to shoulders & back in the sun from chasing said babies}

early early "alarm clocks".

but ... they are also full of

cute sandy toes {and tushes... and any other crack, crease, or fold you can think of}

copertone smelling sun drenched skin.

outdoor showers.

licks off their ice cream cones to help them so it doesn't drip.

sand condos {jack's new version of castles}

watching my little man learn to ride the waves on his belly.

helping my littlest man learn to walk in ebb & flow of the ocean as it comes in & out & throws off his balance... as he gathers endless seashells & rocks ... puts them in his mouth & spits them back out.

salty kisses.

sunsets.

and sunrises {refer to above comments about early risers}.

my littlest man saying "ni-ni" {night night} and learning to say "shhh" with his finger up to his lips in this amazingly precious way that makes my heart skip a beat every single time he does it.

snuggley littles at the end of the day because they are exhausted & thankful for all the fun they had as they whisper, "i just love the beach momma".

and they, i mean i, fall asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

as in everything in life.

there are good & bad things that come with the territory.

so... for the rest of the week we are off enjoying the beach and our family!

stay tuned for pictures of those sandy toes and fun memories!