Beach Trip 2011

The Roberts family went on vacation with three other families: The Whitlocks (Justin, Julie, Devon (2) and Tyler (3 months)
The Cannons (Judah, Connie, Bella (4) and Sawyer (1) and
The Campbells (Russell, Ashley, Henry (1).
We went to Surfside Beach and rented this AWESOME house with plenty of space for all of us, on the beach, and with a pool that was shared with some condos next door. We had a blast and I hope we can do it again next year! The vacation was for a week and unfortuanetly Randy and I couldn't do the whole week, we did Saturday to Wednesday, because I didn't have enough time because of my new job I just started in January. Hopefully next year we can do the whole week!!!

The three "big" girls Delaney, Bella, and Devon immediately bonded over goldfish and toys.

 Maya and Sawyer try to figure each other out.

Trying out the ocean for the first time for the week.

I found a live starfish and let Devon hold it. Five minutes later we found another one and then we actually found one more. It was awesome and the three girls enjoyed holding them---at least mine did briefly before she chucked it into the ocean.

Judah and Randy finding something amusing about the starfish.

Little Sawyer was absolutely adorable.

Julie and sweet little "T".

Self-portraits of three Roberts--one slightly resembling a treasure troll once again.



Maya was always so curious about Tyler.

 Maya attacks an inflatable tee and then heads for Tyler.



The girls loved to explore the awesome porch in the mornings. It was so perfect for all of us because the kids could play "outside" without really being outside. Loved it.



Maya's first "walk" on the beach.

Delaney having a little run with her daddy.

Julie, Devon, and Bella

And then a little Delaney was added. Delaney did VERY well with the other adults on the beach and in the ocean. She was a little fearful and, shall I say, whiny, when it was me or Randy. Sometimes she did awesome in the water and on the beach and other times she would freak out about a little wind, sand, water, etc....We learned she is a very "sensitive" child.

How can you possibly get cuter than this?

Our set-up on the beach was awesome with plenty of chair and mats and a huge beach tent. Tyler obviously loved it.

The matching Roberts girls.

Delaney having a little sand play with Bella and Henry.

Connie, Julie, and Ashley loving the sun and the relaxation.

My sweet little Maya got tuckered out on her first day at the beach.

Sawyer and Judah enjoying the pool after a morning at the beach.

Some animal water guns were a big hit with the kids. Hitting their daddies in the face was quite exciting.

We rented a golf cart for the week for fun.
There really wasn't anywhere to get to close by for an actual real outing but it was fun to just ride around for a little activity.

Delaney has been wanting to take pictures with my camera lately. Here is a really attractive one of me.

Sweet Maya loving the beach.

She was in too cute an outfit though so she just got naked so her clothes wouldn't get too sandy.

The kids definitely entertained themselves quite well. There was always a musical instrument being played and puzzle pieces on the ground. Delaney, a.k.a. puzzle master would start a puzzle and then wander off.



Having the bikes and the Plasma trikes outside was a big hit. There were a couple of small fights over them but overall the kids shared well.



The girls, plus a Saywer this night, would watching movies in the "girls" room before going to bed. I was so proud of Delaney because she was such a big girl and lasted in the room all night without needing her mommy or daddy. That's my girl. Yes---she still sucks on a pacifier at night but she is growing up in other ways. Poor little Devon didn't last at night and Bella ended up sleeping with Saywer in another room which worked out better. The Doodles had her own room and really slept well. I was very proud of her.

Maya and Sawyer in a jam session.

Morning walk time on the beach is so much fun.

We tried to do the self-timer on the camera for this one but getting those girls to look up without motivation is hard.

You can't see it well but check out the bikini here. How adorable is that??? Little fluffy yellow bikini. She is so so so cute.

It was a little cold during this pool adventure so Maya was like a little clingy monkey to her daddy.

Delaney has a similiar adorable bikini like Maya's but unlike Maya---Delaney does not have the bootie to fill hers. They were falling off of her bottom so I had to capture several pics before she changed bathing suits. My sweet 3 year old still wears a 2T because she is such a skinny minny--but tall.

Delaney had a blast playing with Bella and her daddy---and me when I wasn't being a photographer.

Here is a series of shots that Delaney took with my camera. I was really impressed with how they turned out. Maybe a future photographer??? Here is Devon looking really serious.

Bella

Sawyer

Russell and Henry

You know these two

Judah

My cutie pie loving her lilypad float in the pool.

Delaney and Devon sharing a little giggle in the chair.

Maya was the happiest baby at the beach. You would just plop her down on the ground and she would slowly crawl towards a toy and then play with a couple of toys for hours.

At night the kids would have dance time to the song "I Like to Move It, Move It" from Madagascar. Delaney needed a little coaxing from Judah to get into the groove.

At night at the beach, the kids would have a little dance party in the living room. Judah joined the kids on this night. Delaney was jamming it up on this night but on the other nights she preferred to watch from the couch. This was weird to me because usually she is a dancing machine. Sometimes she gets a little shy around other kids which is so unusual for her because she normally is a social butterfly. Also--there was a movie playing for the music so if you know my child, you know that with a movie, she becomes lobotomized and won't move from in front of it.

A little morning time with my girls.

My ballerina beach beauty

Maya LOVED the beach--especially the sand.

The kids and Ashley having fun in the sun.

Maya still loving the beach.



Connie with Delaney and Bella

 D

Henry was fascinated with the cold beers in the cooler. I had to capture this shot of him walking around with one.

Maya has started eating the dissolvable Puffs cereal. Her face is so funny when she eats one because it is a new thing to her.

A little golf cart ride.

Getting naked and eating ice cream cones. How can you get better than that?

Me and Connie

Me and Ashley

Julie, Connie, and Ashley

On our last day we went to Sam's Corner for greasy food and amusement.

Bella won a fake mustache with her prize tickets and Sawyer tried it out...

but it seemed to fit Maya better.

We had a BLAST at the beach and I truly loved everyone that was there. It was amazing that there can be 8 adults and 7 children in a house and function as good as we did. Here's to Beach Trip 2012!!!!!