Last year we went to Panama City, Florida for our family summer vacation the first week after school, and this year I thought we'd stay a bit closer to home. We took a week and went to Galveston, just over an hour from our house. It's on the Gulf of Mexico, but then again, so was Panama City, technically.
All in all, we had a great time. There was a little more seaweed than we'd have liked (due to a cool spring and some storms), and the sand isn't quite as beautiful as Florida, but there were still crabs to play with, water to swim in and lots of sunshine. We mostly did a good job of not getting burned and we kept ourselves busy!
We got in on Sunday and we went down to the beach while we waited for them to finish cleaning our rooms. When it became apparent they were going to be late on the check in time, we went to dinner at a mexican place. It was pretty good. Here's Eli smiling. He was a pretty good sport, even though the kids were all wet--from being in the ocean and then heading straight over to eat in the A/C. Ah, well, best laid plans.
Once we got inside, the room was really nice. Two bedrooms, but two living areas, two bathrooms, two kitchens and a laundry room, too. We used the second living area as a third bedroom and put Eli and Dora in one room and the babies in the other, just like at home. It worked out pretty well. Unfortunately, we had some sick kids while we were there, but we soldiered on. ;) Here's Tessa. Her latest trick is stuffing her mouth full, then spitting everything out. These were some eggs that had just been selected for evacuation. Going somewhere close was fun--we had an ice chest full of stuff, including our own fresh eggs that we brought with us.
We went out to the beach every day we were there. Usually Whit would take them in the morning and I would work out during Tessa's nap in the hotel. Then Tessa and I would head down and join them for a bit before everyone tired out and came back in the afternoon some time. We'd clean off in the spray area and then in the pool before going back up to the room. This kept the sand intrusion down to a minimum. The kids had a great time on the beach, which you could see from our balcony and which was an easy walk, and in the big huge pool, too. They also liked our jetted tub in the Master Bath.
I got this suit and two others from a special little company that makes modest swimwear. "It's not itsy bitsy" or something is the name. I kind of love this one, the blue and red. Yay! Classy.
Oh my little Tessa. You can see her little umbilical hernia, even through her swimsuit, here. Poor kid. She's so cute, though. Love those hilarious faces and her little dimples.
She just loved the sand, the water, everything. She really only had trouble with one thing--not having any fear of the ocean. All my kids have suffered from that. Dora hated the seaweed in the water, though, and so she and Tessa spent a lot of time playing in the sand together. That worked out well, because you couldn't really pry Eli and Emmy away from the ocean. Poor Whit was out there swimming with them for hours every day.
I loved Emmy's hilarious little tankini. So cute, right?
Even funnier was that we thought a regular diaper would be better for playing in the sand and splashing in the water. I guess we underestimated how much time she'd spend swimming in the water. Whoops. Swim diapers from here on out.
Tessa LOVED the shovel. So cute.
My adorable fish man.
See? I was there, too! I made Whit snap one shot of me to prove it.
Here are the girls playing in the sand.
Whit with Miss Fish.
LOVE my sweet helper.
This grin cracks me up.
Oh Dora and her tan tan skin and her beautiful hair. I swear I get stopped once a week from someone telling me how her coloring and her hair and her skin are just to die for. Don't I know it!
Oh Tessa--got a smores ice cream cone and she made a BIG mess.
We went to lots of places to eat, but the kids favorite is always IHOP. In addition to being her dad's tiny mini-me clone, Amethyst Whitney also just adores her father. Aren't they cute at IHOP? I could not get enough of these photos. The light, their faces, I just ate them up. I love these two so much.
That button nose, her little tufty hair, her cute dimples and fat cheeks. She's so BEAUTIFUL!
How do I freeze time here??
Emmy was very high on her daddy that night too, and they were both kind of fighting over him. I don't blame them. He's my favorite, too.
My pretty little loyalist. Dora just would not leave my side. Maybe because she loves to have her back scratched and I have the best nails, but I'm gonna claim it's because she thinks I am fabulous.
These two are just best friends. Poor Eli kept his eyes open under water all day and they were BLOODSHOT! Also, poor fella got super sunburned. He def did not get Dora's skin. Le sigh.
It makes me happy to see them playing so well. They really were having fun here, weird faces notwithstanding.
Awwwww. Right now, whether you ask for a kiss or a hug, you get a kiss. Tessa thinks they're the same. I'll have to disabuse her of that before she reaches dating age...
What's better than sitting AT the table? Sitting ON the table!!
Happy kid. He loves to do all the puzzles and games on the children's menus, now. Phew. When will the other kids start doing that too!?! Haha.
Dinner took a bit too long, so we broke out the sugar packets. Classy, I know. That's how we roll here at the Baker house.
Everyone, Get Dad!! Dora wanted to be by me, but I told her to go get in the photo. She listened, but only got close when I told her she'd feel left out when she saw the cute photos. Aww, my loyalist. Haha.
Maul dad!!
Everyone pile on!
See? I couldn't stop taking photos, but can you blame me? Look at those cheeks!! Those expressions. This baby is just priceless.
We went to see a restored battleship and submarine while we were there, and they were SURPRISINGLY (to me) really cool! I think I could have handled a submarine. (Or maybe not) but it was really neat to see. They do sleepovers in there, too, for groups. That sounded really cool to me, for some reason.
Loving Tessa's adorable pony tails here. Oh I forgot to mention that my mom came out about half way through our week and spent a few nights with us. She came on the submarine tour. Lerdleluh, as the kids call her, is always a big hit!
Ah, the comfort of a submarine. This was one bed over the warheads.
They had some SUPER narrow spots in there. I guess no one overweight was allowed?!?
Beautiful day and lovely weather. (A bit hot in the sun, but still so pretty).
Oh my angel, Emmy. I don't even know what to do with her sometimes, but goodness she's beautiful. God makes the difficult ones the cutest, I guess. LOL. I can't complain too bad because she is ME, from her tantrums to her temper, to her very very very developed and tenacious opinions on things. Egads I am difficult to live with. ;)
We went to the Strand for breakfast and then a candy store, too. Across the street from this candy store, at which we stuffed our faces, I found something much much more dangerous. A jewelry store. Oh, it is a LOVELY store. I came out of that store happy, but Whit's wallet was quite a bit lighter. Thanks honey...
Eli and Dora both wanted huge jawbreakers. Eli is STILL licking on that gross thing.
Then back to the beach, of course. Did I mention we stopped for beignets? We did. That Gumbo Diner or whatever it was called was delicious. So good we went back the next morning. But I digress. Beach. Whit got kites, and these hilarious mini kites that looked like little specks, but oh they were fun! I made fun of him, but he has some vision, that's for sure. He also got a cool plane to throw that was fun. We all sat in the sand and found little clams, or oysters, or something, crabs, and little sea shrimp, or water bugs, not sure what to call them. We had a big time catching them, and watching them all burrow. Fun, fun.
Then one of the nights, we went to the Rainforest Cafe. It was great food and good entertainment! Can you tell the kids were sunburned by then? Well, not Dora and Tessa, but Emmy and Eli, my fair skinned little imps.
Ah, my sweetheart. I love him so so so sso sooooo much!
My mom wrangled sweet little Tessa most of dinner.
Then the next day Whit had a work meeting so my mom and I took the kids mini-golfing. I think the windmachine on the island responsible for the island breeze died. Or maybe it was just the wall separating the two courses, but egads it was SO SO hot. I about perished half way through. The kids had fun, though. So that was something. I think the only one who really played all 18 holes was Eli. About 2 holes in, Emmy started just throwing her balls. Dora was about 90 percent consistent. I wrote down their scores, but my mom and I both quit even trying a few holes in. Watching the kids was hard enough.
Look at Eli go! He got like 5 holes in one.
Oh my gorgeous little girl.
Love this sequence of Emmy. She lines it up, just like she did on every hole, hits it backwards, whoops. Then she holds it over her club and carries it over and chucks it into the hole. Geez. She really IS my mini me.
Tada! She would yell that when she got it in.
Tessa didn't even bother trying to play but she liked to sit and guard the hole and snag other people's balls. Rapscallion.
So we totally didn't make this turtle or the shark, but aren't they cool?? Wouldn't it have been neat if we had made them?? Okay, let's pretend we did. Our sand creations were more like partial bucket shapes where some of the sand got stuck and then we all smashed on that at once and cursed the bucket design because clearly otherwise we'd have a beautiful castle. Yeah, they get their artistic talent from me.
Ride that shark, buddy.
Poor Tessa. Turns out rubbing your eye when you have sand in it is more effective when your hand isn't also covered with sand. Doh!
My hot hot hot hot hot hot hubby. Love that guy to the moon and back.
Here they are, big plane and kites in hand. Loved the sky and the sun and the sand and the sea.
We went to the wharf but they wouldn't let us out. Oh well, we still had fun.
Oh these two, such cute little friends.
Dora is so sweet.
Whit gave Emmy a(n unused) urine catch thing and she carried it EVERYWHERE. Had a weird name for it too, her "heart box". ?? Anyway, that finally "got lost" last week.
Thanks to my mom we got a few family shots.
This was the best one...
but only because Mr. Eli had to grab his crotch in this one... BOYS! Sheesh.
Loved these of Emmy and Daddy.
My handsome little guy.
Best friends.
Eli took a few shots of me and Dora.
Dora took one of me and Eli, too!
Here's Tessa, all strapped in and ready to go home.
We stopped on the way to look at a house on the Bay. Whit's going to be working at UTMB and we were thinking about moving out to the island. The house was much smaller than we are used to, but it's pretty neat. On over half an acre, three lots pushed together, big pool, boat dock and jetski dock, hot tub, elevator, and on and on. It was an interesting thing to contemplate.
Kids loved it. They are ready to move. LOL.
Oh, poor burned Emmy. So cute, so beautiful and so pink cheeked.
Here she is crossing her eyes. She's been doing that on command for over a year. Never knew a baby who could do that so young! She cracks me up.
All in all, Galveston was fun!!
