Monday, September 24, 2012

Family Vacation!!

We just got back from a fun filled week in Myrtle Beach, so I have to document the vacation!  A few months ago we decided to take a little family trip once all the big kids started school and the rates were cheaper.  To be honest we struggled with this a little since we are saving for our adoption, but it boiled down to, do we make memories with the kids God has already given us or do we save?  The choice became very clear when we were told our referral timeline was bumped up from 6-9 months when we first applied, to 11-12 months at the time our dossier was received in Ethiopia.  So we went for it, and I'm so glad we did!
We started out on our long drive on Sunday, after Josh and I returned from Empowered to Connect on Saturday night (Blog post coming soon on this amazing event!!).  Hadley couldn't make it the entire way since by the time you have potty breaks, lunch, and dinner it would have been well over 12 hours, so we stopped for the night in Ashville, NC.  Monday morning we made it to the beach! Can I just say, seeing the ocean, smelling the ocean, hearing the ocean does my heart all kinds of good.  I could live at the beach, no problem. It only requires my entire family to agree to move as well : )
We had a great time, even though it was only really sunny on our last day.  We still went to the pool, beach, baby pool, and lazy river everyday.  Usually after lunch Hadley would nap and then we would all get ready to go out to dinner.  We did venture out to Ripley's Aquarium, Broadway at the Beach, and we may have gotten ice cream more than once ; )  Cameryn absolutely loved everything and had no fear when it came to playing in the waves of the ocean.  I delegated that task to Josh since during the short time I took her out a piece of seaweed clung to my leg and I screamed leaving my three year old to fall on her butt and fend for herself! Not a proud moment. Hadley did okay. We joked saying that she is "travel size" but does not travel well.  She was either really happy or really unhappy on our trip.  She liked the pool sometimes, the ocean every now and then, and the sand for a little while.  I was very impressed that she wasn't really a bit afraid of the ocean.  She put her tiny feet right in the surf and would splash her hands in the water. It was so precious so see our tiny girl next to the enormous ocean and know that God made them both.
We had a great week making family memories and showing our girls lots of beautiful things that God made.  We drove through the mountains, played at the beach, looked at the moon, listened to the waves, and examined incredible creatures at the aquarium.  I am so thankful for these things and for getting to see it all through the eyes of my kids.

 Riding the luggage, ready to hit the road to the beach!
 Happy to be out of the car
 Sisters
 I can never get them both to smile at the same time!
 Precious Grandparents
 Our little fish
 Baby pool time
 Hadley's first time at the beach
 I LOVE this picture
 Camy loving the waves
 Family pic
 Staying afloat in the living room

 Camy holding a horseshoe crab
 Pretending to be scared at the dinosaur exhibit
 "Ish!"
 Daddy and Hadley inside the puffer fish tank

 "No feeding the animals!"
 Riding rides at Broadway at the Beach
 
Happy Girl!

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