Vitamin Sea

For all four of us,
the beach is our happiest place.

The place where we can relax,
unwind, swim in the sea, soak up the sun,
recharge our batteries and spend time
together as a family of four.

For the past few summers,
we have spent a week at Rosemary Beach,
and it has really started to feel like
our home away from home.

We have grown accustomed to the long car ride
there and back.
We have our routine down pat.
We know our favorite restaurants.
We know our favorite biking paths
down to the beach.
We take our annual dolphin excursion
with Captain Matt.
We watch the fireworks over the Gulf of Mexico.
We meet up with friends who are also on vacation there.
We pay a visit or two or three to the Sugar Shack.
Simply put, we are just happy there...
enjoying the wonderful Vitamin Sea.

A few pictures from the photo shoot
we had one evening:

The days are long, but the years are short

Time...it's a funny thing actually.
It can move at a snail's pace
or seem to fly by - full steam ahead.

(pool time, summer is for sleepovers,

Memorial Day parties, 6u Softball All Stars,

Camp Thurman) 

I really do think it is affected
by your mindset and your season of life.

(lunch dates, Lion King at Fair Park, 

unicorn sprinkler fun, lemonade stand, swim team 

practices, Ryleigh's first slumber party 

and catching up with the kinder gang)

I can remember days in CT
when I was home with my brand new
daughter, attempting to figure her out,
attempting to figure motherhood out and
attempting to figure out
how on earth we would make it through
the day until Vic returned home from work.

 (Animal Camp, first time off the high dive,

catching up with old friends and swim meets, 

softball swim dates, our fun daddy, pillow fights

and "Camp Bruner")

I can remember days when we had toddlers -
and at times they were disagreeable
or fussy or throwing a full on tantrum,
and I'd wonder how on earth we would make
it to nap time or bedtime.

 (soccer camp and ice cream, learning to make 

Nanny's pasta sauce, braces are off! and time with friends,

the cutest fiesta complete with hula dancers and a fire breather)

And now, what feels like almost overnight,
I have these "not so little" girls,
and I wonder how on earth they've gotten
so big so fast.

(off she goes to sleep away camp)

And the days right now are wonderful days.
The girls are fun, creative, playful, athletic,
helpful, curious and self sufficient.
And they're also at school for more hours
each day than they are home with me.

(a fantastic week with a bunch of her sweet friends)

So when sweet summertime rolls around,
you'd better believe we are cramming all
the fun in that we can....

(Ryleigh's turn at Camp Thurman, reunited and it feels so good,

a goodbye party for sweet Audrey and gearing up for our visit 

home to Jersey)

because I'm sure that before we know it,
they'll be busy talking to friends on their phones,
or driving around in their car,
or doing the things that big kids do.
And I want to savor this very moment in time,
for as long as I possibly can.