Lilly Girls

After Taylor's shower this morning we loaded up and headed to the beach for a quick trip. It rained when we went 2 weeks ago so we didn't get to go to the actual beach and I was itching for some sand between my toes! 

GranDi bought the girls these sweet matching Lilly dresses so we had to seize the opportunity for a quick beach picture in them before dinner at Captain Anderson's tonight. 

We can't wait to get some beach time in tomorrow!

Pool Fun

We went over to Aunt Robin and Uncle Tom's condo today and took advantage of their pool. These kiddos swam ALL afternoon and pouted when we made them get out. It's been a fun weekend to kick off summer!

Beach Fun

Julia was feeling MUCH better when she woke up this morning and was ready to get out of the house so we loaded up and headed to the beach for the day! It was perfect beach weather, warm enough to sit on the beach but not so warm that you were sweating. We enjoyed some fun on the beach and dinner at Angelo's -a perfect Spring day!

Beach Babes

The girls (Julia) have been begging to go to the beach for Spring Break so today Mom, the girls and I loaded up and headed to Panama City.  Even though it was freezing (high of 73 and WINDY) the girls insisted on putting their swimsuits on and even played in the edge of the water.

Tonight we cooked dinner at the beach house, made a trip to Dollar Tree for puzzles, and hung out at home. The girls are going to be sad to head home tomorrow but I need it to warm up a little before I'm ready to spend my days on the beach!

Gulf World

One of Julia's favorite things to do at the beach is going to Gulf World. We got up this morning and surprised the girls with a trip. Of course the turtles were Charlotte's favorite part and the dolphins were Julia's favorite part.

Her face cracks me up in this picture. She was watching the sea turtle feeding, but she was so excited that the admission stamp was a turtle and she was trying not to mess it up.

petting the sting rays

 We had our show schedule and managed to make all the shows. This was the sea lion show, but Julia was thrilled when they brought out rough tooth dolphins for part of the show.

admiring the rough tooth dolphins after the show

After the sea lion show we headed over to the dolphin show. It was the last show of the day (we also did the bird/reptile show earlier in the day but didn't have any pictures to show for it).

After the dolphin show you could get your picture taken holding a dolphins flippers (for a small price, of course). Julia asked to swim with the dolphins for her birthday but we haven't been able to find anywhere where she is old enough to do it. So, we let her take her picture with the dolphin today and she thought it was the best thing ever. She's talked about it all afternoon.

And a family shot just to prove I was there! 

Tomorrow is back to school for me and Julia starts Thursday. Two days at the beach was the perfect last minute getaway to end our summer vacation! 

Happy Birthday, Julia!

We woke up at the beach this morning! We started Julia's birthday celebration off with chocolate donuts and singing happy birthday!

We had to sing to Charlotte too. :)

 

The girls were a dolphin and a fish for Halloween and I've been wanting to get them on the beach to do some pictures in their costumes. This was the first time we've been to the beach since then so we took advantage today. Neither one of them were super cooperative and because of the time of day the lighting wasn't the best, but we made do!

We went back to the house and changed into our swimsuits and played on the beach. The girls played so well together and stayed right in front of us. It was almost relaxing!

We spent about an hour on the beach before it got too hot to stand. We went back to the beach house to shower and change. I had to snap a few pictures of the birthday girl in her birthday shirt even though she wasn't super cooperative!

 We headed to Miracle Strip to eat lunch and ride some rides. I think they rode every ride multiple times. The girls had a blast!

 

Charlotte loved the Tilt-a-Whirl

Charlotte waved to Sissy & Daddy on the Sea Dragon. 

She was not very happy that she wasn't tall enough to ride!

 

We headed home late this afternoon so we could get ready for Julia's party tomorrow! She chose Chick-Fil-A for dinner when we got home. I'm sure no one is surprised!

 

 I hope you had the best 5th birthday ever, Julia! Get ready to party with all your friends tomorrow!