The Beach 2011

The girls, Mom and I just got back from our annual family reunion in Ocean Isle Beach, NC. As always, a super fun week filled with sun, food, and games. Mom and I try to take different routes each year that we drive. This year we stopped in Gautier, Mississippi and Atlanta, Georgia. Not our greatest route, but it was still exciting to see new things.

Each year Unle Dick brings flags to represent where our family is from. He changes them out every day and we snap a shot of everyone living in that state.

Showing our Texas pride...

Michaela did really well with her boarding this year. She caught several really good waves all by herself!
Skye outside our favorite souvenier shop in Calabash...

Michaela hates the beach. She pretty much cried the entire time and wanted nothing to do with the sand or water. She played with this shovel and pail for about 15 seconds. Notice my cousin, Carrie, in the background relaxing and reading because her baby took a nice little nap right there in her pack & play. Hmph.

Michaela also took her first boat ride on Uncle Bill's sailboat. She was very brave to ride right in to the waves, but learned she really prefers the shore. She cried for about 95% of the ride.

My cousins and I who all had babies under the age of 2. It was fun and a little loud. ;)

First cousins represented at The Beach this year, minus Walter, whom we could not find when taking these photos...

On our way home from the beach we detoured through Florida for a few days. We drove all over Orlando taking in the sites, then stopped in Pensacola our last night. This was taken at Pensacola Beach. The sand was amazingly soft- no shells or rocks whatsoever. Skye found 1/2 of a sand dollar that must have been 6" across when complete and about an inch thick. As you can see, Reiley wouldn't even let me take her shoes off.

We loved spending time with eachother and our extended family on this trip, but BOY! are we glad to be home!!!