Our 4th

We spent the 4th of July weekend on the sugar sand beaches of the Gulf Coast, and what an awesome time it was! We got lucky with the weather, so the days were bright and sunny but not miserably hot.  We did the same thing every day: woke up in the morning and watched cartoons with the kids while my sweet mama made us fresh blueberry Belgian waffles. After breakfast, we would lounge around in our pajamas and just chill. I even sat on the balcony alone one day for thirty glorious minutes and gave myself a mani & pedi. Thirty whole minutes! I even had enough patience to give Vivi her first pedicure, although I had to strap her in her high chair to hold her still.

After a long morning of chilling, we would put the kids down all nap and then have lunch afterward. Then we would put on our suits and head down to the beach around 2pm, and we would stay there all afternoon. The kids were obsessed with playing in the sand. I hated getting sandy as a child (and I still hate it as an adult), so I was surprised that Vivi immediately began to wallow in it.

The water was warm and pretty clear, so we bounced around in the ocean for most of our time out there. I have an irrational fear of getting wet, but I will make an exception for the shallow section of a beautiful beach. The kids LOVED the ocean and jumping the waves. Bobby was able to even float on his own amidst the waves, which was pretty impressive for a two year old! Vivi tried to wiggle out of my arms and swim on her own like a mermaid. That girl is going to give me a heart attack with her moxie. She gets that from her brother.

The babies made quite the splash with the other vacationers; Vivi stumbled around drunkenly and tried to steal booze from the tent beside us, while Bobby used his big blue eyes to charm toys away from the neighboring beach-goers. We're so proud.

Seriously, thanks to the person who gave Bobby a baseball bat.

Vivi had the best time watching the big girls play volleyball, and she desperately wanted to join. She just missed the cut but refused to leave the area, so her daddy had to carry her away.

All-in-all it was a relaxing and fun long weekend, where I got to sleep in and take naps and just chill a bit. The best way to round out the 4th of July was to watch the fireworks from our balcony. Bobby wasn't especially keen on them, but Vivien was mesmerized. Aside from swimming and firework-watching, we indulged as you should on a holiday vacation--every single thing I put in my mouth was a carb, and I didn't even care one little bit. And then I saw a picture of myself on the beach, so that snapped me back into reality. You know how sometimes it really takes seeing an unflattering picture of yourself to motivate you? Well, that was all I needed. Now I have a new determination to eat cleaner and spend more time in the gym! But vacation was fun while it lasted :)

Hope you have a great week!