Mermaid Baby Annemarie

Our family beach picture tradition continues on our Sanibel Island vacation with this being Annemarie's 1st beach picture. I had a cute baby mermaid outfit made special for this occasion. Precious girl; can't wait to see the professional pics. Michael snapped these with my iPhone. My sunshine girl is the cutest!

Handsome Jackson on the beach

It can be hard to take the nice camera to the beach because of the heat, sand, water, & safety issues. Thank goodness for smartphones that can capture moments like today. 

Mommy & Daddy with their boys

My world summed up in these 3 men.

I love the black & white look of beach pictures. Priceless.

Look at the joy on these boys' faces! They love their Daddy!

How fun is this one? Jumping for joy!

Noah, Mommy, & Jackson walking on the beach

So easy to have fun with this big kid!

Here are some fun pictures of Michael & I with the boys on our beach vacation.  Despite best intentions to "plan" a photo shoot with kids...you just never know what will happen.  I was shocked that we got any pictures at all with a 7 am photo shoot! But, my boys are adorable. They look amazing doing just about anything anywhere. Not that I'm biased;)

Florida Family Pictures

So many of our family photos have been upside down!
It's so "us" & always guarantees a smile!

Here are a few pictures of our family on the beach.  I know it is always a hassle to try to do a photo session...especially while on vacation...but I can honestly say that I've never been sorry that we've done it! It's almost the only way I can have proof that I was with my boys on their vacation.  Them having photos with their mom is really important to me. My mom was always the one behind the camera...and I really do make a concerted effort to try to leave behind photos of them WITH their mom! One day, they'll realize that it is a treasure.

Noah's First Vacation

Here we are on our way to Noah's 1st Vacation, a trip to Rosemary Beach, Florida. Michael's sister & brother-in-law were soooooo generous to allow us the opportunity to stay with them in a beautiful condo on the beach. We're so lucky to have such loving family. Not everyone would WANT to spend their vacation with their family, but we are so blessed to be friends with our family. (Thank you Rebekah & Brian!) We drove all night to get to Florida...11 hours. Noah only slept about 5 1/2 hours, and Michael & I didn't sleep at all. (Which was the general sleeping pattern of the trip!) Even with little sleep, Noah was a GREAT traveler and did so well on the trip! We stayed in a condo with Aunt Rebekah, Uncle Brian, Sam, Lucas, Alice, and Grammie. Noah had SUCH a fun time playing with his cousins. He called Uncle Brian "Bry" and called Alice "Awwwa." Sam & Lucas were so nice to him, and graciously shared their toys, even though Noah often came through their room and made a tornado run through the place. He'd only give Aunt Rebekah kisses on the mouth, and would kiss everyone else on the cheek. He got to see the beach for the 1st time which he loved, but it tired him out quickly, so we only spent about an hour at a time on the beach. Noah got to meet his Great Uncle Lawrence and his cousin Lisa for the 1st time, which was a special treat. I had a photographer meet us on the beach so that we could take family pictures on the beach, but Uncle Brian couldn't go, and the kids were SO tired by the time we had the pictures at sunset. It did not go as I had envisioned in my mind, but hopefully we'll at least have some pictures on the beach that turned out. On the last day, Noah gave everyone kisses, and we began our long journey home.

Daddy shows Noah the ocean for the 1st time.


I tried to wave at Daddy but Noah was so fascinated with the ocean water.

Mommy & Noah on the beach


Noah in the ocean water for the 1st time

Noah loved the sand

Daddy & Noah played in the sand

Noah enjoyed going out to the patio. It was fenced in so he felt so big being able to just go outside.

We had a great view from the patio. We'd sit and watch the people ride their bikes.

Noah got to meet his cousin Lisa for the 1st time
Pictured: Lisa, Grammie, Sam, Aunt Rebekah, Daddy, Noah, & Uncle Brian ("Bry")

Grammie spent all day cooking for the family.

Isn't Grammie pretty?

Noah loved to give Aunt Rebekah kisses

Here Uncle Noah is meeting Great Uncle Lawrence for the 1st time.

Happy boy in his beach shirt

Noah & Daddy @ Grayton Beach State Park

On the way home, we stopped at the Sci-Port Museum in Shreveport. It's voted a top 10 in Parents Magazine. Noah had a great time & was glad to get out of the car & run around!

Bye Bye Sci-Port. We're going home!