July 4th & Orange Beach

We spent July 4th weekend (and a few extra days) at the beach.  Wish it could have been longer.  We all had a blast as usual.  PERFECT weather!  Last year on the 4th beach trip, it rained every day of our vacation.  This year, the weather was wonderful!

This was the first trip in a LONG time that we decided to do very little eating out.  We stopped at one of our favorite places on the way down, but other than that, we didn't go out.  It was a record-setting crowd for Orange Beach/Gulf Shores and we knew that restaurants would be PACKED, so we didn't even attempt it with three little kiddos!  We had lots more time to spend on the beach and it was so worth it!

The water was so clear!  We saw lots of fish (mostly little ones) and tried catching them with V's little net but failed.  ha.  We found TONS of "she-shells", much to Vera's delight.  Grady and I would dig and find handfuls to bring her, and she'd just keep asking us to find more!

Vera loved being in the ocean...  she thinks she is a mermaid...  I have no idea where this came from.  Probably Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  But she kept telling everyone she was a mermaid.  ha.

 Just like Memorial Day Weekend, the water was so calm.  Hardly no waves at all.  Perfect for the kids.  I will say that one day, a little girl just down from our beach set-up found a dead baby shark.  Of course Jon and Josh went over to check it out and confirmed that it was indeed a shark.  That was pretty much all it took for me to not want to get back in the water.  Where there's a baby, there's a mama somewhere.  Freaks me out!  AGH!  Needless to say, none of us went out very deep!

Look at these three sweet smiles!  They LOVE the beach and I LOVE that!!!!

 Every year since I've been a little girl, it's been the tradition to go and watch the fireworks on the 4th at the Gulf State Park, right on the beach.  We didn't go last year because Vera was still pretty little.  And Susan and Jon didn't attempt it this year due to Will's bedtime.  But the rest of us went, and it was pretty as usual...  Something about watching fireworks on the beach on July 4th always makes me tear up.  Maybe it's the patriotic music that someone inevitably is always playing while we are watching, or maybe it's because I am always reminded of my Papaw, or maybe it's just the years of memories...but every year I cry!  :)

A quick snack break....

...and then back to building the "she-shell castle"

Grady, defending the fort!

DeeDee and two peas in a pod!

We made it home last night and I am already homesick for the beach!

This morning when I woke Vera up, I asked her if she wanted to go to the movies today.  She replied matter-of-factly, "No, I wanna go to the BEACH!"

Me too, V!