We missed the beaches, the smaller crowds, the shopping, the zoo and the shells in Naples.
The Ft Walton Beach area was VERY crowded so we tried our best to avoid the traffic by staying at the ocean/condo most of the time. There were no shells, lots of algae and we'd rethink going back to this area in June/July for next year.
We love going to the ocean and look forward to it every year. We all enjoy it. I didn't grow up going to the ocean, but I've learned to love it. This was the first year that we went to the ocean six days in a row. The weather was almost perfect. It only rained once in the evening. We couldn't have asked for nicer weather.
Here are my favorites out of six days of ocean pictures:
We rolled into town just as the sun was setting! We were thrilled to get to see the ocean after a long day of driving. The kids did AMAZING on the drive down. We only stopped three times and none of them were for kid emergencies.
Good morning, Ocean! I rolled over in bed to see this view.
The kids loved playing in the ocean. Both were good about wearing sun hats so they barely burned.
Kevin and Fletcher being brave. The algae water was extra green.
I LOVED this DUDE hat from The Dollar Spot. People kept saying Hey Little Dude to him all day. He just smiled and thought people were being friendly.
Her favorite game... I'm a mermaid.
This was the first year that the kids were old enough/stayed up late enough to enjoy sunsets at the ocean. We'd walk down after dinner and see the most gorgeous sunsets.
My mom got the kids these water guns from Dollar Tree and I found the shovels from Meijer. Both were big hits.
Kevin bought the kids a boat. They had the best time playing in it in the condo, but only Olive enjoyed riding in it in the ocean. The waves were really strong.
We were so happy to have this guy around everyday all day for the week. He taught several online classes this summer so his work was portable :)
Both kids loved building sand castles.
Kevin's brother, Eric, packed a dinosaur costume to surprise the kids with. They've always called him Rex so he loves to pretend to be a dinosaur. He texted me one evening and said to bring the kids down to the ocean in just a few minutes. Surprise! Giant dinosaur roaming at the ocean.
Olive LOVED it. She thought it was hilarious. She had no clue it was her uncle and really thought there was a dino at the ocean. She hugged him. fed him sand and chased him all over.
Fletcher was TERRIFIED. He cried and cried so I held him at a safe distance from the dinosaur. Then he talked about it for the rest of the week. He thought it was funny to chat about.
It was such a gorgeous night!! Look at those rays coming off the moon behind us.
The algae cleared and calm waters arrived for our very last day at the beach. It was beautiful!! See Kevin and Olive going way out - I spy her white sun hat.
A big thumb's up to another great trip to the ocean!!
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Those sunsets are amazing. So beautiful. The beach is such a beautiful place, but I'm not a beach person. I guess since I am prone for sunburns, I'd rather go somewhere else. The dinosaur costume is too funny.
ReplyDeleteSuch gorgeous pics! I’m so glad you had a great time. Thanks for the Beach info. Naples is definitely on my list of places to go. Two questions: Was your annual key lime pie as good?? And did you get to go to the Kate spade outlet? :)
ReplyDeleteGreat family vacation photos! So many memories were made, I’m sure. It looks like you all had fun and some time to relax! Thanks so much for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteShelbee
www.shelbeeontheedge.com
I grew up making 12 hour trips in the car a couple times a year, but now that we live in SC those long trips aren't usually necessary. We drove 12 hours straight through to New Jersey last week and I can't imagine doing that with kids. Ha! :) So I'm glad to hear your trip was so smooth and pleasant. You got some gorgeous pictures! It almost looks like the Caribbean in a few of those shots. After being at Naples it's hard for any beach to measure up - I think the gulf is my favorite, definitely over the Carolina beaches. I'm with Fletcher, I'm still a little creeped out by anybody in full body costume. Ha!
ReplyDeleteWhat fabulous pics of an awesome family trip! I'm still trying to psych myself up to do beach trip pics, ughhh so much work! iPhones are so fabulous but it also means it takes so much longer to sort through pics than when it was just the camera shots int he old days! ha
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