in a nutshell

for those of you who follow me on instagram...i apologize for the repetitiveness. this is mainly for my non-insta readers. (also referred to as my parents)

our vacation in a nutshell...

day one:

we spent our first day getting reacquainted with the beach. may was not a fan at first but slowly warmed up to it.

day two:


more beach & pool action on day two...topped off with dinner at the crab trap. our fave!

day three:


day three brought much of the same. beach and pool. girls made friends with some adorable 10 year olds who played with them for over an hour! ryan also had her first encounter with a jellyfish. she was such a champ considering how big that sting was.

day four:


we spent day four lounging around until the rest of the crew arrived that evening! the girls were over the moon to see everyone.

day five:


a morning storm delayed our morning beach run but we were at the pool by 10am. made it down to the sand in the afternoon...such a difference this year. only two napping babies so more time spent outside with the big kids!! brendan also caught a gecko!

day six:


more beach & pool action for day six...with multiple golf cart rides thrown in the mix.

day seven:


day seven brought an early wake up call for miss may & i, a beach stroll to the crab trap playground and sand cakes/pies for everyone. some kids even napped after a long morning on the beach!

day eight:


shark! that was the big news of day eight. while out floating on the waves in the ocean we had a shark spotting and had to hustle out of the water. the shark looked to be about a 5-footer and maybe 20-30 feet away from us! ahhhh. not 30 minutes earlier my dad & I were talking to the coast guard about them! his ears much have been ringing? wait, sharks don't have ears?!? I digress. we also hit up the outlet mall that afternoon and the girls put on a fashion show/dance party to model their new dresses.

day nine:


day nine was our big out-to-dinner night. also our photo-shoot-on-the beach night. those pics are on my good camera and will be uploaded soon. every year gets a little easier photographing these kids. this year took all of 20 mins! of course ryan would have kept posing had i let her.

day ten:


day ten was the crew's last day. so naturally we did it all! beach, pool, ate all the food left in the fridge, then the pool again to wear them out for the long drive home the next day.

day eleven:


may & i woke up early again on day eleven to a quiet house. just may, lil, elaine & i left. ryan hitched a ride home with my patents. she asked too...girlfriend loves a good long road trip! we took a much needed break from the sun and did a little bubble catching at cracker barrel. then came back to the house to greet ya ya! hit the beach for one last castle making excursion then dinner then bed.

day twelve:


home at last! it was such a wonderful vacation but there really is no place like home!