Longboat Key, Florida

Beach Trip 2013

We got to take a family beach trip--

headed 547 miles south to...

Longboat Key, Florida (close to Sarasota)

"Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, 

drink the wild air"~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator

for all I have not seen" ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Milla and Brandon found a star fish!

"Sittin' in the morning sun---I'll be sittin' till 

the evenin' comes"

Our Family

"It's always better when we're together"

We got to stay in Brandon's Step-Grandma's

condo-- it was located on the Bay side--just a

walk across the street to the beach! One of the 

most relaxing things about the stay was that they

have a memory foam mattress and awesome 

sheets--incredibly soft and comfortable--I asked 

her were she got them and she said Bed, Bath 

and Beyond--- the next time we 

buy sheets--these will be it-- "Eucalyptus Orgins

Jersey Knit Sheet Set"....Best Sheets Ever!!!

 Brandon was proud of how high he got the kite!
...it is a a little green dot way up in the sky

there are Manatees that live in the bay that like

to hang out right by the docks outside of our condo!

They told us that if you run the water hose into 

the water-the manatees will come up to get a drink

and let you pet them!! We didn't get to pet them--

but, we got this close!! They are so sweet!

Brandon and Milla fishing

"give a man a fish; you have fed him for a day.

teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for

a lifetime." ~Chinese Proverb

spending a week at the beach... everyone

humming "don't worry-about a thing-cause

every little thing is gonna be alright"

 Beautiful display of God's Glory
as we crossed the bridge into St. Pete!!!

 We got to visit our cousins that live
in Land O' Lakes!!!

 Faith, Milla, Gatlin(striking the Olan Mills pose)
and Eme

 Wonderful visit with Ben, Ragan, Gatlin
and Eme!!! We enjoyed pizza and the park!

 We walked in the bay to go crabbing---Brandon
found this huge conch shell!

"life is good today"

Grilling out by the ocean!

Brandon made shrimp, corn,

jalapenos and mangos! yum!

storms are rolling in!!!

 RAINBOW

Faith relaxing on these beds by the pool!

Brandon and Milla in the sea kayak!!

 Strawberry Smoothie at the Longboat Key Club

 There are Peacocks everywhere in
Longboat Key...we got a show as this
one was trying to impress his nearby lady!

 We went to the Mote Aquarium

The shark tank!!

 Sisters in white

 a friend had said that the best beach toy is a
dish pan and some kitchen toys....it was true!
Faith loved it spent most of her time in it!..
her little piece of the ocean

 Me and Faithy!

Me and the girls in Armand Circle....

the girls favorite spot for ice cream shops.

You wouldn't believe how many types of ice

cream have eggs in them--3 out of 5 shops 

that we went to had eggs in their ice cream!

Glad we asked!!!

Parties, Swimming and Baseball

Faith and Milla growing up!

Blakeley and Will's twin boys Jack and Sam
turned one!  As it turns out-- everyone got
sick just days before the party--but, the show must
go on---they still put on their outfits and made an
appearance!  Even big sister Mia had to go to the
urgent care just before the party for an ear infection!
They were under the weather--but they still know
how to have a great party!!

The party was a carnival theme

Milla and Gracie helping themselves to the
popcorn machine

Brandon and Christian

Becky-Brittany(with a baby girl on the way)-Allison-
Blakeley-me

EGG-LESS CUPCAKES!!!!
we got together with out Bible Study for a cookout.
It is not often that Milla gets to have a cupcake
because she has an egg allergy and I haven't mastered
the art of making egg-less cupcakes that taste good.
Our friend that has to eat gluten-free brought some
cupcakes from a bakery that leaves out the 8 most
common allergens. They were delicious!!
http://mamabakessafecakes.com
(bakery located in Alpharetta)

Taking Hank to the vet!

Swimming with Grandpa Dunnington

*At Derrick and Adrienne's annual corn hole
tournament  *They had pools and sprinklers for the
children while the adults rotated through the
corn hole bracket

hugging on Mimi when she and Papa Ray came up

for a visit

We got to go to our first Gwinnett Braves game.

It was so easy and so much fun! It was very 

reasonably priced--the 4 of us got in for $20.

 someone gave me the tip to eat before you go because
the food is kind of expensive--there are so many
restaurants nearby it is easy to grab a sandwich and
have a little picnic/tail gait before you go in

 Things to bring---if you sit in the lawn area you can
bring a blanket to sit on.  Strollers are allowed.
You can't bring in any drinks--but the do let you
bring in empty water bottles that you can fill inside.

They have a bunch of slides, jumpy activities,

batting, throwing games for the little ones to enjoy.

Here is Milla climbing to the top.

Playing in Bubbles