Apalachicola

Wednesday afternoon we drove about 40 minutes to get to Apalachicola. It is a small town with some little shops. We walked around a bit and ate some gelato. It was so good! We didn't stay as long as everyone else because the kids couldn't really go into the shops and they were starting to melt down. When we got back to the beach house, we laid the kids down for a nap and Brian and I started cooking dinner. It was our turn. We baked and shredded some chicken the night before so we could heat it up in bbq sauce. We also made homemade potato wedges, broccoli, and peach cobbler. We put the bbq chicken over the potatoes and topped it with cheese...yum! Dinner was delicious if I do say so myself! After the kids were in bed, Brian and I took a walk on the beach by ourselves. It was really nice to have a few minutes alone. I'm so grateful that we had family with us who could (and were willing) to help us with our kiddos when we needed it!

Macie wore her sunglasses everywhere!

Brian found this sign in one of the shops and thought it was perfect for me!

Day 4 - Wednesday

We went to the beach again on Wednesday morning, but we didn't even bother putting on our suits because we were only going to be there for a little bit. My big agenda for the morning was putting out the shells for Macie to find. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of shells on the beach where we were. One of the many great things about Cape San Blas is that it is very secluded. On the busiest day, we could only see 21 other people as far as we could see. We were able to take lots of walks and find some awesome shells. But I still wanted Macie to have that magical experience and I wasn't disappointed. She hasn't stopped talking about it since! Brian placed the starfish a little too close to the water though and Macie wouldn't go up there until we made her. When she saw the star fish, she lit up! Brian also put another cool shell my dad found the night before. She didn't want to let go of the star fish and even took it to Miss Julie's to show her today. Another highlight of the morning was when Aunt Annie dug a hole to put Gavin in. Macie wanted to get in too and she ended up burying herself. I thought she may freak out, but she didn't. We stayed at the beach until lunch. While the kids were napping, we all showered and got ready for an afternoon in Apalachicola.

The story of the week: Macie HAD to put her sandals right by Aunt Addie's (aka Allie) "Look Mommy, I found a truck!"

Finding a starfish

She was so excited!

Mommy had to help her find another shell

"Look Davin..."

Taking a walk with Aunt Allie

Gavin didn't mind being in the hole

I think Gavin had squinty eyes for the whole trip!

Day 3 - Tuesday

Tuesday was a lot like Monday...we spent the whole day at the beach. We went for a few hours in the morning and then back to the beach house for lunch and naps. Once the kids were down, Brian let me go back to the beach. I sat in my favorite spot by the water for a while. It was so relaxing. I really needed that time because although the vacation was great, it is still a lot of work when you have two small, needy children! When Brian and the kids came back we played some more. We took several walks along the beach and just had an overall good day. Once we were back at the house, we got cleaned up and relaxed while my parents made dinner. My dad grilled and mom made some yummy sides. After dinner, my mom, sisters, and I did a little bit of shopping. We picked up a few items at Piggly Wiggly and got my mom a diet coke at McDonalds. We were all a little shocked that it cost $2.34 which is twice as much as it is at home! We also stopped by two little souvenier shops. I was hoping to find the kids t-shirts, but I didn't quite find what I was looking for. I did find a starfish for Macie though. She kept talking about finding a starfish and I knew that she wasn't going to find one on her own. Instead, I decided to plant one on the beach. I heard Tori Spelling tell a story once that her mom took her to the beach when she was little and put shells for her to find. Tori didn't know that her mom put them there until her adult life. I hoped to make some memories like that for my little girl.

Sweet little footprints in the sand

Gavin had so much fun playing in a bucket of water. He was so funny because he kept dipping his pap in the water and sucking it off. I guess he liked the salt!

Macie wanted to help carry stuff back to the house so she carried these noodles. She is such a great helper!

Day 2 - Monday

The plan for Monday was to spend the whole day at the beach and we did just that. We went a few hours in the morning, came back to the house for lunch and naps (well neither one really napped), and headed back to the house around 3. Because we were going to be there all day, we brought a pop-up canopy, cooler, and chairs. The canopy was perfect and Gavin spent a lot of time in the shade. We played in the sand and took walks down the beach. When we were walking, we noticed there were shallow pools of water a short distance from where we were. We brought the kids down there and they had a good time splashing and playing in the water. When we came back in the afternoon, I noticed that Allie was sitting way down by the water in a beach chair with the water splashing on her. I thought she looked a bit crazy, but this ended up being my FAVORITE part of the whole trip. I sat in her chair for a bit and it was so relaxing and perfect for me. I don't really like being in the ocean because it freaks me out, so this was a great way to soak in some sun and feel the cool water. Macie decided she wanted to sit on my lap. I started singing to her and rocking her and she conked out. It was the sweetest thing. I loved holding and cuddling my baby and she slept there for almost an hour. The ironic thing was, Brian rocked Gavin to sleep. Once we got everything packed up and back at the beach house, we all showered and got ready to go out to eat. We went to Toucans in Mexico Beach. It was really neat and we were able to sit on a deck outside. The food was wonderful and I was able to satisfy my crab leg craving. After dinner, we stopped in the store for a minute and then back to the beach house. After the kids were in bed, we played dice games.

Playing in the water...splash, splash, splash!

Carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders

Don't you like the mismatched outfit? This shirt has a towel liner inside so it is perfect for the beach.

Macie even found the beach at the store at Toucans