Gulf Shores 2011

Every year, we are treated to a week at the beach with Derek's family - which always means time together at The Lighthouse, seated right on the Gulf of Mexico. The only drawback about a trip like this is the 13 hours in the car, and the insane amount of bags needed for 4 people to fit into a room - along with diapers, pack n play, sippy cups, bedtime stories, and teddy bears. Long gone are the days when we could toss a swimsuit, towel, toothbrush and a couple of tees in a bag and just GO!




On the first day, Ella was named Queen of the Swimming Pool. Carson shared Ella's ambivalence toward the ocean; he seemed convinced that the surf was out to "get" him.




Every afternoon we'd come in from a day in the sun, and Ella would get ready with Grandma and Aunt Andrea - including hot rollers and bubblebaths. It was a six-year-old's dream.







Mid-week...a chance to celebrate a huge milestone for Andrea! We decorated the condo with streamers and signs, and had a party that night after dinner, complete with one very loud party horn and a cake.



Bumpy. Fast. Screaming. Hilarious.



Morning routine: breakfast, magazine or yoga, sunscreen, flip flops, pool. Exhale.



Every day, we'd get in the pool and I'd put his bright orange ear plugs in my ears to show Carson how cool they were. Then he would beg for them. (Gotta love a 2-year-old who falls for it every time.)

But wow, those things are terribly annoying! Yes, they keep the water out of his tubes, but with them in, you truly cannot hear a thing besides the noises in your own head. Scary.







We woke up early on our last day there, dreading the end of our time together. For Chris, it meant starting rotations; for Ella, starting first grade. For Derek, it meant starting his Paramedic program; for Marv and Lynda, impending surgeries. Andrea, Carson and I would go back to our normal routines, with a bit of sun on our faces and sand in our shoes.




For the first time, Ella actually got to benefit from her mother's annoying neurosis regarding food waste (half a can of black beans and some questionable tomatoes? Let's make salsa!)

This time it was an entire gallon of vanilla ice cream. It was 9:30 am and we had to clear the fridge and freezer by 10. I handed Ella and her Grandpa each a spoon and said "you have THIRTY SECONDS to eat as much ice cream as you can!! GO!"


What a trip...and what a perfect time to do absolutely anything or absolutely nothing together. Thank you, Mom and Dad Sands, for bringing us all together for one more week of surf, sun and family fun.