Wrapping It Up

Our excellent boat driver

That's Kailey under there napping. Can you see her foot sticking out?

They were so cute in their life vests!

Some Bubba/Sissy snuggle time when she woke up

EVERYONE driving the boat

Our other excellent driver - we asked him to smile for the camera and he said seriously, "I'm driving!"

Mom and all three kids! : )

One view from our room

Here are the final pictures from Destin. We rented a boat on a spur-of-the-moment whim while walking through the marina and took it out for our last full afternoon. It turned out to be one of our very favorite things and one we will definitely do again. We drove it across the bay to a sandbar where the water was only a few feet deep. It was fun having the ocean surrounding us but still room to move around. Our family, a cooler of snacks and drinks, a ball to throw, and we were in great shape! So many memories. . . can't wait to do it again!

Return to Destin

I am going to wrap up these beach pictures before I start posting shots of Levi. Here are some of my kids hanging out. There are great walking trails at the Sandestin resort and these were taken on those and at the marina. The kids loved the parrot. They really thrived on just being together as a family for a solid week!

Up in the treehouse

Playing a giant game of checkers

Yummy breakfast!

Walking with Mom

Couldn't you eat them up?!

Quick State of the Household Address

For those of you interested in more of an update than pictures from our vacation two months ago, here is the latest.

I am 37 weeks pregnant. If I go by my track record, this puts us looking at 1-2 weeks until our little man arrives. I live with very frequent contractions for the last month or two so they have become a constant addition to my life. Right now I am blogging at 4:30 in the morning because I just can't sleep through them. . . again. I try to ignore them but hopefully will not ignore them at the proper time. I feel like I hit that wall where I just want to have the baby. You know, the one where you feel like a hippo, you remember at some point being a nice person, your husband talks in a high-pitched, syrupy voice whenever he absolutely has to speak to you, and your kids scatter when you walk in the room. : ) Maybe that's a slight exaggeration. It was precious the other morning because I got dressed, feeling huge and bulky and when John V walked in the room he said, "Mom, I love that shirt! And your pants! You look wonderful!" It melted my heart that he would know just what to say when he is oblivious to how it feels to be me right now. God is good to encourage us through our children. Especially when those same children also like to do this:


Yep, that's what I found in my closet after a few minutes of silence from my sweet angels. It was every piece of clothing from the drawers they could reach and several of my lower hanging items. Oh well, time to reorganize the drawers, right? I love them dearly, but will be thrilled when bending over to pick up after them makes me feel a little less grumpy. : )

We are all anxiously awaiting Levi's arrival and trying our best to get all those last pre-baby details taken care of. Thank you for your continued prayers that he arrives safely and in the perfect time!

Three "Wittle" Cousins

Kyle and Brittany ended up, unknown to either of us, planning their vacation in the Destin area for the same week as ours. That's what happens when two pregnant ladies are trying to get their traveling done before their time is up! : ) So, we took advantage of our close proximity and took a few pictures together after a yummy dinner. Our kids had a blast running around together in the village all holding hands. It is hard for me to describe my feelings for my precious niece. She is such an answer to prayer, a ball of energy and life that gives and gives to our family. She was the joy in the morning after the night of suffering. She perfectly embodies how you feel when you have longed, prayed, and waited for something. It has incredible value to you and is always held a little closer and dearer for the struggle that preceded it. Kyndall, I love you! I can't wait for you to have a sibling who is here with us until you can meet your older brother! Baby Brooklyn is almost here!

John and "the girls"

My little cutie patootie who wouldn't wear her cute, white sandals that actually WENT with the outfit.

Holding hands

John will always be a protector for both of these girls! He loves them!

More Beach Pics

And now for our annual "Turquoise on the Beach" shots. And before you think I'm terrible for sitting here blogging on Father's Day, my sweet husband is playing in a golf tournament. : ) We'll be ready for something fun when he gets home!

Destin Continued

A few days into our trip John V went with his dad to play his first full 18 holes of golf. They played as a foursome with another couple and the whole bit. One neat thing they have done on one of the Sandestin courses is to add kids' tees. John's not quite up to playing a real game but he loved hitting from the closer tees. The couple they played with was quite impressed and told me that he made putts nobody else was making! The look on his face when I dropped the two off at the clubhouse was something I will never forget. That boy was about to explode with sheer excitement and happiness. Hours of golf with Dad, just like a big guy. It made me realize just how important those days and activities are to a boy. Kailey and I spent the morning and early afternoon driving around, doing a little shopping, and at the pool. We also walked over to the hole right outside our condo and watched the guys tee off. We had a great time and enjoyed our relaxation.

Ahh, a golf cart. The ultimate toy.

A happy, happy golfer

Who wouldn't enjoy a morning spent with this kind of view?

Following through on the swing

Golfing buddies

Our condo

Destin 2008

We started off in a bit of a rough place for our beach trip this year. Kailey had come down with some stomach bug that completely wiped her out for almost a week. She was on the tail end of it, but still weak when John V caught it right before we left. We flew into Ft. Walton Beach with two very wimpy kids. Makes for an easy plane trip, though! : ) The next day John also took the bug and I spent a day gathering up groceries, etc. with Kailey who was almost 100% while the boys were lying in bed or hanging over the toilet. : ) Thank the Lord, John only had it for one day and was completely back to normal the next day while the kids continued to get perkier and happier. I never got sick for which I'm extremely grateful. We were so glad that we waded through feeling bad because we still ended up having such a wonderful trip. We just took it very easy and did a little at the time. By the end we were having the time of our lives. It makes us so happy to have our daddy all to ourselves. No sharing with work or anything else. I don't know if the kids like it more or if I do! : ) Being together 24/7 makes us four very happy people having a ton of fun. We are so grateful for these memories!

Kailey telling us where to go

Taking a short walk while we were still getting our full strength back. Kailey loved hearing the birds singing!

I'm ready to go to the beach, Mom!

"Cheese!"

Both kids loved our elevator ride up and down from the condo

Headed to dinner - An easy breakfast and lunch were usually in the condo but Mom doesn't cook on vacation! Hooray!

"Look at the flowers!"

Counting the seashells in the sidewalk