We stayed in a neighborhood called Martinique. It was an adorable area with quaint little houses. Our house was called La Bonne Vie (The good life).
The best things about our trip….the beach and the golf cart!
The worst thing…the “creatures”. But we will get to that later.
Life was good on out first day! The kids built, and searched and dug and frolicked.
Caroline was as happy as a clam when she found a crab in the sand.
Atleast until she found out it was dead. Ewww….
My Jack laughing at me for something or another.
Yipeee!!!! We are on vacation!!
Nana fell asleep right out of the bath this night. Vacationing is so exhausting!
The very first day Savannah got a sunburn on her back and shoulders and had to wear this bathing suit for the remainder of the trip. She gets that skin from me and it SUCKS. You have to be obsessively vigilant with the sunscreen. It’s exhausting.
While eating lunch we had some cheeky and aggressive sea gulls hovering around us. I remember one year we were eating burgers on the beach and a sea gull swooped down and took the hamburger out of my sister’s hand and flew off. No joke.
So, we had Avery help us out and chase them away. She LOVED this job!
Which Caroline found amusing.
Avery and Madden looking for sea shells, little fish and such.
They were thrilled when they came out with a jellyfish.
However it was not so cool when some of the kid’s started to get stung. The jellyfish were everywhere for some reason on this trip. Three of the kids got stung. Towards the end of the trip the kids avoided the ocean all together.
When the kids wanted to get wet we went to the pool.
The kids loved it when Grandad got in and played with them. I mean who doesn't like to be thrown across the pool?
The 3 big kids decided they wanted to go parasailing.
So Angie (my big sister) and I trucked it over to Gulf Shores so they could have the experience.
Here they are getting on the banana boat that takes them out to the site.
Up, up and away!
My dad made us the most delicious drinks for us every night. They started out being “skinny” margarita’s but then he added fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. To die for! Very refreshing after a hot day at the beach.
The girls playing in the bridge across the street from the house.
Ahhh….the joy of being tormented by your older sister.
We always tell Avery she has eyes like a cat.
It all started a couple of minutes after this picture below was taken. And yes, I know. I’m short.
In the bushes behind us, coiled up in the sand was…..a pygmy rattlesnake. I wish I was kidding. We were warned by the neighbors next door that the “wildlife refuge” all around the neighborhood had copperheads and rattlesnakes in them. Faaaaabulous. She even told us that the owner of the beach house we were staying in got bit by a rattlesnake and had to go to the emergency room. Greeeeaaat.
It caused quite a bit of excitement amongst the onlookers, which were of course my family.
The drama did not stop when my dad cut the head off. Nope, the drama kept going. A passerby told us that they stayed in our beach house 2 years ago and had a water moccasin on the sun porch in the strike position upon entering the house. I am noticing a theme…and it is not a good one.
Here is my brave Avery holding a headless rattlesnake. Gross.
The reactions from the bunch was humorous.
My little sister’s husband, Shaun, was there and decided to skin the snake. This is not a big deal to him as he is an avid fisherman who skins and eats his fish all the time.
There was even more drama when we found out the snake was pregnant with NINE poisonous babies. Lovely.
You know, maybe frogs aren’t so bad after all…..
