Pool time

The kids love the pool, well at least two of them do. Cutter loves the kiddie pool for our subdivision but isn't completely sure about bigger pools, however he loves getting ready to swim and sitting on the steps to splash his feet.

Aunt Teresa helping get floaties on.

He's all ready to sit on the steps and splash.

Poor Quinton, I think Sailor stayed attached to him the entire time, she sure does love him.

I'm sure Cutter was telling him something really important.

Apparently he needed to tell Tucker the same thing.

Happy Birthday Morgan!

Yesterday was Morgan's 11th birthday and to celebrate her mom surprised her with a ride out of Destin on the Sea Blaster. For some reason I did not get a single picture of the boat but the Sea Blaster is 73 foot passenger speed boat that does dolphin tours out in the Gulf. The seas were a little rough yesterday, and the kids choose to sit at the front of the boat, so we literally got soaked on the ride but the kids loved every minute of it. Cutter hated the ride and getting wet but loved seeing the dolphins and as soon as the boat docked he told me, "boat ride fun", I guess he enjoyed it after all. And for those that haven't visited this area before, we truly live in paradise!

The beautiful Harborwalk Village. In addition to the towering condos there are some great little shops and restaurants located in the lower portion and right on the harbor.

Destin Harbor

I'm so glad we got a before shot because I never could have imagined how wet I would end up afterwards!

The birthday girl!

We saw a lot of dolphins but Cutter refused to let me put him down as the boat was rocking hard so I got very few pictures. Morgan said she counted about 15 dolphins, we even had one that jumped out of the water for us.

The after photo, and this was after the ride back into the harbor which dried us off a little! Don't you love the attitude Tucker is giving?!

The beautiful Marquis girls.

You know it was a very good day when they go right to sleep the minute they get in the vehicle!

Tyrrell County Wildlife

While in Columbia Mr Skippy took me, Tucker and Cutter out one evening to look for bears. We had such a good time. I enjoyed all the wildlife we got to see, but enjoyed his company and all the stories he told me about my granddaddy even more.

Turkeys in the field.

I'm not the best at differentiating between male and female deer, but even I could see the horns on these.

It's been a long time since I've seen quail and we saw quite a few.

The first of three bears we saw.

I personally think this bear came out just for us. He walked out, stood up and looked around for a few minutes before heading back into the woods.

July 4th

For the first time since we moved here we spent the 4th of July over at Navarre Beach to watch the local fireworks. We arrived in time to go out and enjoy a little time on the beach before dark and to make sure we had a good place to watch. We were able to park directly across from the lot where they were being shot from. Cutter loved watching them but decided they were a little too loud.

Cutter loves finding a big pile of sand he can jump off of.

He never goes home clean!Navarre Beach put on a wonderful fireworks display and we are already looking forward to being able to go again next year.

The Back Porch

While Misty and her family were still in Destin we met them one night for supper at The Back Porch, one of our favorite places to eat in Destin. The food is good and the view can't be beat, you eat while overlooking the gorgeous Gulf of Mexico. It was such a treat to get to spend so much time with her and her family. I can't wait for them to vacation down here again!

A rare picture of all three cleaned up.

We sure have a bunch of kids, rather cute too!

Don't we look just like we did in high school?!

Old friends and new friends

My dear friend Misty and her family recently spent a week vacationing in Destin and while she was here we were fortunate enough to get to spend time with them. I think the last time I saw her I was pregnant with Tucker so I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to spend time with her and finally meet her husband and kids. The kids had a great time too as you can tell.

Cutter and Maggie

Sailor and Lillie

A little tug of war on the beach never hurt anyone!CharlieLillie looking all cute and Sailor giving her best "rockstar" pose.

Bubbles

My kids have all loved blowing bubbles and Cutter is no different. We go through quite a few bottles of bubbles and I'm pretty sure most of it ends up on the ground but he sure does enjoy trying.

Sure seems to be hard work.

Finally made some!

Getting a little help from Morgan.

That's one proud little boy.

Cutter was impressed with how big Sailor's bubbles were.