vacation, part 1

We were on vacation last week! My parents gave us all (the four of us Smiths plus my sister and her family) a trip to Saint George Island for Christmas. We were all thrilled. We hadn't been to the beach in three years, so a trip to the shore was much-needed. The only catch... were were going to be camping. I had my doubts, but we wound up having a great week. It would have been a perfect week if the mosquitoes had stayed away, but there was nothing we could do about that.

We set out for our adventure on Monday morning at 4:00 a.m. Everyone except the Hubs, who had to work until Wednesday. My parents pulling their camper, my sister and I in her van, and my brother in law in his van towing their camping. All of the children were scattered in various vehicles. We all thought the kids would fall asleep and be out until it was time to stop for breakfast. It didn't quite work out that way, but all in all it was an uneventful trip. Except for the time when my sister and I became separated from the group and drove 30 minutes in the wrong direction. But that could happen to anybody.

Here is a picture of our view for most of the drive. That's my parents and their camper. Shaun rode with them the entire way and his cousins alternated keeping him company.















We were driving a long time. Ten hours or so, because of bathroom breaks and what not. I guess that's typical when you're traveling with 6 children. The kids passed the time watching movies and playing video games. Lori and I passed the time by laughing, listening to the 90's station on the radio, and talking about life.



































Overall, the kids were pretty good. We were all getting a little antsy by the time we finally made it to the bridge to Saint George. There was lots of cheering.













We made it to our campsite and were immediately swarmed by mosquitoes. These were hard-core mosquitoes. Our regular spray didn't even touch them. They even bit us through our clothes. And they hurt! We had to go back to the "mainland" to get the "real" mosquito repellent. The kind that contains Deet. Horrible for us, but at least it kept us from getting eaten alive.

After we arrived on the island, it was time to set up camp. Of course, my dad had to help me. Or do it for me. Since I had no idea of how to set up a tent. I did help him though. One of my favorite memories from the trip was when my dad was setting up our tent, Jordan sidled up to him, planted a kiss on his cheek and said, "You're the best papa ever".

Here's our tent.












The boys and I had planned on sleeping here, but we only stayed one night. The first night my dad insisted on staying with them, because he thought I'd get scared. I stayed in the camper with my mom, and both boys wound up with us sometime during the night. The next night, the boys and I opted to stay with my sister's family in their camper. Here's a shot of some of the kids, all snuggled up and watching Soul Surfer.

















The tent was used for "recreation" the rest of the week. The kids played in there, and watched movies. Oh, and they also snacked in there and caused the tent to be overrun with ants. My dad had to rescue us again.
















As expected, we spent a lot of time at the beach. The kids loved it. They played for hours and hours and were exhausted at the end of each day.








































Jordan and Jaycee loved the gulls.








































This is why we like the beach in the Fall. We had the place to ourselves!













The funniest picture of the week.



































I love the classic "big brother" look of annoyance on Shaun's face.

Jordan did a lot of running.

I love the looks on the kids faces. Pure joy, most of the time. They had a blast.