Beach Bums

As summer winds down each year (did you hear that, Nashville weather?), I always feel nostalgic for the slower-paced days of the preceding two months, days spent mostly outside in the park or on the playground or by the pool (and in the AC in between), and especially those glorious days spent on St. George Island with the Cummings crew.  I am a beach girl by nature, so that time is always a balm to my soul, and though my sweet husband would probably still choose the mountains over the beach most days, he's starting to come around:)  And much to my delight, Evelyn and James showed no hesitation this summer and love-love-loved playing on the sand and in the water.

We spent two weeks in June sharing a lovely beach house with Honey and D, Mac and Eddie, and El and George and Joseph and Estelle.  The house was beautiful and spacious enough for everyone to have some breathing room for themselves, and most importantly, had its own pool, much to Ev's delight.  Our little family fell into a rhythm of early beach strolls, morning pool swims, and long afternoons on the beach, punctuated by lots of snacking, sand-digging, and beach-dancing:)  Now obviously, four little ones (age 3 and under) bring some unpredictability into the mix, and we were no strangers to occasional disagreements, tantrums, time-outs, and such.  However, for the most part, the cousins got along and the rest of us got to enjoy our time together.  Now, on to a brief tour of our beach vacation in pictures....

We kicked off our journey to Florida with a stop at Peach Park for ice cream and fried pies...

...and then spent the night in Dothan, where Ev and James paused for a brief hotel reading break.

We concluded our drive the next day with a lunch stop at the Dockside Cafe, an old favorite in Port St. Joe, and then unloaded at our beach house.  

And then there was this.

We had a marathon drive home, but did manage to make another Peach Park stop on the way:)

We are so thankful for Honey and D and the amazing beach time they plan for all of us each year; what a gift!  See ya next summer, St. George; we'll be dreaming of your sand and your waves until then:)