Knee Deep in the Water

Week 9: What a week! Mary Virginia is registered for kindergarten! She was so excited to see her new school. We can't wait to go to open house next week and meet her teacher! So far things seem wonderful. The school and the staff that we have seen so far have been very nice - we are looking forward to a great year! (She wouldn't let me take pictures, she said I needed to wait until the first day.) Although school officially starts next week, the kindergarten classes have a delayed schedule...MV won't go for a full day until the 12th!

After an exciting step in getting ready for school, we took a much needed vacation to the beach! We have amazing friends that live in Navarre and they welcomed us with open arms! We had a week of sun, sand and salt water! It was a nice change to be back in our old stomping grounds...and away from the rain of Louisiana! I think the Zac Brown Band gave us our motto for the weekend...

'Cause now I'm knee deep in the water somewhere

Got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair

Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair

While all of the adults (except me) had to go to work, the kids and I stayed at home and played pool side. We had a little rain, but swimming made up for that! MV, Hunter and Sydney were swimming like fish - they wouldn't stop long enough to get a picture. John Bay stayed close to the steps, but was loving the pool...check out his get up - this is the swim gear he chose for himself! We also spent and amazing day at the beach. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but it was a red flag day! The waves were a little larger than we were used to thanks to the tropical storm near Texas. The kids still were able to play in the ocean - with adults...don't worry, we were sitting next to the lifeguards and there were always adults in the water with them! John Bay spent most of the day on the beach building castles while the rest of the kids were collecting seashells and riding the waves. Nothing tops off a morning at the beach better than yummy icecream and a nap! If you know my kids, you know that naptime is a little difficult at our house - not this day! Everyone was sound asleep within about 15 minutes of pulling in the driveway. (Michelle had another camera, so as soon as I get the pictures from her, I will post them). We ended the day with dinner at one of our favorite hang outs, Peg Leg Pete's. I think the rest of Pensacola Beach and Navarre had the same idea! The food was great (as usual), the music was a treat, and what great friends to share it with.

Mary Virginia and John Bay slowed down long enough to get a picture.

It was a cozy start for Saturday! The kids got up super early to get ready for a day on the boat, but this is as far as they got! I think they were still worn out from playing at the beach and a late night out!

Mike and Michelle have a beautiful boat. They were nice enough to take us out for the day. We drove up and down the bay area and found a perfect place to anchor at Fort McRee. It was an old military fort designed to guard the entrance to the bay and sat opposite Fort Pickins. (When you are driving through the Navy base by the museum, when you look out into the bay, the site of Fort McRee is the area that you can see.) Boats were anchored all around the area and on the beaches! We stopped there for a while for the kids to play on the beach and to go for a swim! It reminded me of Crab Island! (Michelle had a waterproof camera, so there are some great pictures of all of us in the water, I will post them as soon as I get them!)

After swimming and relaxing we headed to lunch at the Paradise Inn. Mary Virginia and John Bay thought it was so cool...you anchored your boat and waded into the restaurant. We refueled with a yummy lunch and some fried green beans and then the kids were ready to tube! You mention a boat and our kids are looking for a tube! They did great. Hunter and Mary Virginia had fun trying to show off and stand up in the tube - John Bay was just along for the ride on his turn! They were not too sure about the salt water spraying them, but they made do and had a blast! They will be talking about this trip for a long time. There is no way to thank Michelle and Mike enough for a great trip to Florida!

Of course, what is a trip to Florida without a trip to the Airplane Museum! On our way out of town we stopped at NAS to see the airplanes. It was a quick stop, but we did get a chance to visit the new addition, Hangar Bay One. The kids were not as impressed as Ed and I were, except that they were able to sit in an ejection seat and see some HUGE airplanes! If you haven't been to NAS to the museum, it is a must see!

John Bay wouldn't look at the camera - he was too busy flying!

Mary Virgina was just being silly!

Kids on the anchor outside the museum

We were sad to leave our friends, but we know that we will see them soon! Thanks for a wonderful weekend. We are looking forward to next week and getting ready for school to start...we have a full week of preparations including haircuts and shoe shopping! This weekend we are heading to the hot air balloon championship (unless it rains), so look out for some amazing pictures! I am still hoping to get to the crawfish this week - I cooked a ton of seafood this past week, but I still haven't tried the crawfish...