Beach Trip 2011

Last weekend, we took a trip down to Port Aransas which is a beach town just outside Corpus Christi with the Blankenships and Krolls.  I was very excited for the trip, especially now that Evan was older and Caitlin was walking.  The last time we did this trip was when Evan was about 10 months old and he was only crawling.  He couldn't quite enjoy the beach and the water as much. That time, we also went with the Blankenships and Krolls.  I had only just found out I was pregnant with Caitlin.  We had fun that trip, but it was rare that all of us were on the beach at the same time. We hoped with the kids being older, that would be the case this year.  BUT, with all of us having a 2nd child between the last trip and this, we sort of ended up in the same situation.  With so many young kids and various nap schedules, it is somewhat difficult to get ALL 12 of us (6 kids, 6 adults) on the beach at one time!  Still, we all had a great time and enjoyed the time we did get to spend together.

We drove down Friday morning and arrived around 2:30pm. We checked in, unpacked, and headed for the beach which was just outside our condo (we had a great view of it from our unit). Evan LOVED it.

 

Ready for the ocean!

Caitlin's ready too!

Evan and Avery loved jumping over the waves and running back and forth from the water.

Leah, Avery, and Evan enjoying the beach!

Caitlin and AJ - they both LOVED our beach chairs - getting in and out and sitting in them

That night, we had dinner together in one of our condos Each of us got our own one bedroom, just because again all the kids have different sleeping schedules.  We should have planned a little better and gotten adjacent units. We didn't know that they actually connected inside each unit!  That would have been handy because once it was bedtime, we sort of all had to split up and put the kids to bed and then stay put.  It would have been nice to hangout with just adults for a bit!!

The next day, Amanda and I got up and did a little run around time (so proud of us!).  Especially because we ended up letting Evan sleep in our king bed with us.  BIG MISTAKE!  I got maybe 2-3 hours of sleep.  He just kept waking me up by rolling into me, etc.  It's tough having all four of us sleeping in the same room!  The second night we insisted he sleep on his new toddler aero bed we had brought and I have to say, we all slept pretty well (minus the horrible bed which was not comfortable and was very creaky). Note to self - do NOT sleep in the same bed with Evan again :)

Love you still Evan!

We all had breakfast and wandered down the beach at our own pace. 

Evan and Avery loved having Bryce cover up their legs in the sand and then they'd break free!

Bryce and Evan - so cute!

Caitlin and her favorite chair

Our attempt at getting a picture of all the kids - talk about tough! I can't even get a picture of my own TWO kids, let alone six!

Hooray Caitlin!

  

Caitlin finally enjoying the water. She did NOT want to go in it or splash in it at all to start. By the end, she really enjoyed stomping her feet in it.

Baywatch Caitlin surveying the scene

Daddy and Evan enjoyed playing and building in the sand

Family pic at the end of the 2nd day - I think someone was a little tired by then!

 Overall, it was a great trip and one I think we will try and do every year. It's really not a far drive and we all had fun.  Plus, we HAVE to get one year with the Krolls and Blankenships where we actually spend more time together than apart!  And I think as the kids get older, they will enjoy it even more.