There's just something about the....

BEACH that I just can't get enough of. Sadly, I don't get to make it down south as often as I'd like. BUT, this past 4th of July, our little family of five, packed up and headed on the 18-hour journey down to Gulf Shores, Alabama. I have a HUGE pool of memories associated with that place from when I was little. Thanks to my momma having roots down there, I was able to spend many summers down there soaking up the sun with my brother, Aaron, and my Nana and Pops. Since I've spent the last six years either pregnant, giving birth, caring for wee little ones, or moving, vacay time has really seemed to elude me. I seriously cannot tell you how long I've been looking forward to this little family adventure.

We left on a Thursday, hit StL, where we picked up MawMaw Cindy and did not return for the next ten days. The kiddos were wonderful, considering the long road travels and the fact that we were away from home for so long. Trey definitely manned the DVD player in the third row and Ty did quite a bit of coloring on her little lap top car set-up. Miss Tay, who was enjoying her first long road trip, was quite the NOISY traveler. That little 15-month old screeching is just not that enjoyable. For a little girl who can't seem to get enough of the Binky when we're at home, she surely wanted NOTHING to do with it while we were in the car. But, she did LOVE it the entire time we were NOT in the CAR.

Aside from the screeching over anything and everything, things really did go extremely smoothly and EVERYONE had an ab-fab time!! I LOVED every second of the vacay and will NEVER forget the fabulous time we had together.....

Tay, Trey, and Ty checking out the bay while waiting for the ferry ride over to Gulf Shores....

Ty & Nana enjoying the ferry ride...

Can you tell that Trey was excited?!?! I'm not sure if he was more excited about being on the ferry or the fact that he was finally able to get out of the car!!!

Taking in the view as soon as we arrived....beautiful!!!

All thumbs up for FINALLY making it to the beach!!!

Headed down towards the water....perfect first evening....

Tay getting her VERY first BEACH experience....

Ty checking out the shoreline...

Trey found a live sand dollar within the first five minutes on the beach....Lucky Guy!

Trey and Ty's room for the next seven nights. After pushing the beds together, they realized that it was going to all work out perfectly.....

The pictures above were all from our first 3 hours down there. Needless to say, I took over 300 pictures on this trip and there's no way I'll be able to get them all in on this blog. I've had a heck of a time picking my favorites, but I think knowing that Ty picked out a Gulf Shores photo album at the souvenir shop that will be able to hold all the photos gives me a little piece of mind. Enjoy a few (okay, more than a few) of my favorites.....

Trey and Nana enjoying the BEACH...

Ty LOVED the sand....

Trey dug a hole and climbed on in...

Yes, they did have to do a little work while we were on vacay...gotta keep that mind thinking ;)

Can't go to Gulf Shores without hitting Souvenir City and the giant shark mouth entrance...The kiddos LOVED this....

Ty's face after trying a little bite of oyster....not. so. much.

Jason and his kiddos....In my eyes, one of the best moments of the trip. Jason, being from Ottumwa and not having much beach history, doesn't love the place nearly as much as I do. This pic shows that he's keeping my love for the beach alive in the kids' eyes...Thanks, Babe...love you!!!

Ty posing...and having a ball...

I think this is a definite look of approval....

They were awesome on this trip...nothing like a little sibling love!

My Munchkins with their fingers and toes in the sand....LOVE.

We never travel without the Gun Show....Like father, Like son.

This was one of my favorite things to watch...Trey and Ty hitting the boardwalk and heading down towards the water. Something so peaceful, relaxing, and innocent about this view. It's like seeing the world through the kiddos' eyes!!!

Wave Time!

Trey & Ty going on little walk on the morning of the 4th....

Sisters shot!!! Building sand castles in their cute little matching 4th of July suits....ADORABLE!

Tay building a sand castle all of her own....

The tide came in a little too close...SPLASH!!!

MawMaw and the older two in the water!!! My mom was a true blessing on this trip. Not only was it great to spend time with her, but she also gave me extra hands on the beach while Jason hit the gym. She also let us sneak out for a night or two of date nights...THANKS MawMaw Cindy!!!

Nothing better than the water, sun, and sand toys!!!

Trey working hard...and he totally lived with those goggles on his head the entire trip!!!

Tay playing in the sand and water...and there's that BINKY she wanted NOTHING to do with during that car ride!!! Ha!

Ty napping on the beach...with her legs up and feet crossed!!! Too cute!

Trey and I having some fun times while the girls napped....

Goggle Monster....

Ty in her adorable mermaid towel. The kids each got one from MawMaw and they were PERFECT for the beach. No worries about having to carry their towels around!!!

Tay loving the turtle on the playground. The resort was totally kid friendly...LOVED that!

Ty (my little poser) heading into the van as we were off to get more souvenirs...there was a rain storm a comin'....

Me and my Tylee!!!

Nana stealing a smooch from her great-gran! Tay loved book time with Nana!!

Seems like a strange shot, but this is what we saw EVERY morning when Ty woke up. She'd head out to the balcony, step up on Nana's cooler, and just take in the gorgeous scenery! So cute...she loved everything about the beach!

Jumpin' in the pool with Uncle Norm! Ready. Set. JUMP. The kids LOVED spending time with Uncle Norm, Aunt Cathy, Nana, and the rest of the gang. They were AWESOME with the kiddos!!!!

The pool/beach combo was PERFECT! We'd start out on the beach in the morning and stay until 1 o'clock or so, grab a sandwich in the condo, hit the pool until 5 or so, grab a quick dinner, and head back down to the beach for shell hunting and sunset watching....PERFECTION!!!!

Tay working on her pool jumpin' skills...won't be long!!

The kids and I waiting for the fireworks to start. They closed off the beach entry during the show, but watching poolside was perfect. Thanks, Aunt Cathy, for all the glow stuff. The kids loved it all!!!

Daddy & Ty taking in the fireworks...poolside and through the palm trees. Great show!

The kids and I just beachin' it....the floaties were lifesavers. Not too much, but enough for them to float around and ride the waves!

Me and Ty with our cute little sand castle....

Trey could have done this ALL. DAY. LONG.

Nana, Ty, and MawMaw soaking up the sun. By the way, Cheez-its on the beach is a MUST!!

LOVE this shot of Ty and Nana. Ty had a blast squirting Nana and helping to keep her cool. The expressions are priceless!!!

My little Munchkins digging into a little watermelon on the beach....

Tay couldn't life her piece...so she went down to it! Love her cute little chunky legs, toes, and fingers!!

Trey dug right in...

Ty picked all her seeds out before the first bite. MawMaw Cindy even showed her how to shoot the seeds...fun!

Family shot in front of the dunes....was a little shadowy...

The whole gang!

Me and My CUTIES!

The generations shot!

Us with Nana...

Jason and his CUTIES! Tay was definitely ready to get down in that sand...

Tylee Jean, Taylen Jae, and Trey Jacob...LOVING the sandy, white stuff! Moments after this pic was snapped, it was a flyin'....

Awwwwww...

Sweet Kisses for a Sweet Sis...

MawMaw Cindy shot....my fave!

Started off as being a pic of just Jason and I, but the two older ones just couldn't handle it....and,

As you can see...the third one knew we were missing her!!!

Ty with her MawMaw & Gran-Nana...hand in hand. Cute, cute!!!

Sweet Tay-Tay....

Her absolute FAVORITE part of leaving the beach...she'd rinse her feet all day long, if people weren't waiting in line behind her. Good thing she's cute...I don't think they minded waiting a few extra moments so she could be EXTRA rinsed off!!!

Tay and Nana following the birdie....

LOVE this cute little 15 month stage. She's interested in EVERYTHING and is constantly stopping to take it all in. Oh, the little things!!! Love you, Baby Girl!

Walking to get on the super-slide and grab some ice cream on our last afternoon there...

What a great little trip....

Trey's turn to have his fun...super high water slide! Unlimited trips for $15. He saved some of his vacay money for the week just for this!!! Fun. Fun. Fun. In his own words, "Ty you have to try this, it makes me feel so FREE!" Ha! Ha!

Playing in the sand and water is fun, but playing in the sand and water with DADDY is the BEST!

They each wanted a name in the sand picture for their rooms....

Unfortunately, Blogger won't let me upload any more pictures to this blog entry without paying a fee to upgrade my picture storage, so I think I'll bring the picture frenzy to an end....as you can tell, and already knew, I tend to take a few too many pictures! But, I love them and am so glad I do. The good thing about pictures is that they never change even if the people in them do. They always capture that one little moment in time...the only way to hold on to it forever!!!

What a wonderful family vacay full of timeless memories and lots of love! As we begin to get back into the swing of high school football and the business of heading back to school and work, it'll be nice to sit back and remember all of the fun, fun moments from our little 10-day vacation to the place I love most!!!!!!!!

Like I said before, there's just something about the BEACH.....

Life. Is. Beyond. Good.