The house...was great, really! Our bigs enjoyed having a big, soft bed to sleep in and a room to share, just the two of them. Genna & Jake loved having a nightly slumber party with their cousins -- 4 bunk beds shared amongst 5 kids, with a different combination sleeping together each night and more often than not, one bed completely unoccupied! The huge master shower with two shower heads was a unique experience, too!
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| The house was called Cabana Blu |
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| The beach here was just OK, not near as nice as Navarre |
The beach...not as awesome as what we've experienced for the most part around here. It was okay, but the sand was not nearly so fine & white, and the water not as clear blue & green, although the water color may have been due to the time of year. The beach was a solid 5-10 minute walk (depending on the eagerness & energy levels of the little people in tow) from the house. The kids still had lots of fun playing in the sand & at the edge of the surf on the tolerably warm day(s).
Cousin time...was definitely a win! I love watching my kids enjoy their cousins; there's something heartwarming about watching family bonds grow & strengthen. The most hilarious interaction would have to be between Thavyn & Genna. It all started when Thavyn asked Genna to sit next to him at mealtime. In Genna's words, "I had no idea that everything Thavyn says would be sooooo funny! I can't stop laughing!" There were endless giggles & merriment. I think it was a classic case of a cousin crush! ;) Shanan got some new subjects for practicing her hair braiding, and Alyssa rounded up Aunt Wanda for a makeover. Fortunately, those took place before the yuckies surfaced in full force!
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| These three couldn't resist getting in the cold water |
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| Might as well jump |
The hiking trails...on Thanksgiving Day, I did manage to go on a short little jaunt on a hiking trail "through the fawrest," just along the edge of the subdivision with the well, or mostly well people. It was a fun little diversion!
Grayton Beach State Park...on our last full day, we visited and had good times...in spite of my less than stellar condition. The kids had a blast playing along the hiking trails, & there was also much fun to be had on the beach. The ocean was literally like glass here! Jake had so much fun trying to catch seagulls, of which he informed me, "We don't eat seagulls." True that!!
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| Group photo at Grayton Beach State Park |
 The nature trail was fun for all |
Wednesday morning, Katie woke with a bit of crud in the corners of her eyes. I didn't think much of it because she'd had cold symptoms & occasionally, those go hand in hand. By evening, however, it was starting to look like a classic case of pink eye. Hmm...lovely, really. Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, dawned with Thavyn & Genna looking slightly pink in one eye, & Katie looking altogether miserable. Having used eye drops for pink eye with the bigs when they were little, I wasn't anxious to do so again. Shanan fought the drops so badly she burst a blood vessel in her eye which looked worse & took longer to recover from than the pink eye itself, so this time I used some remedies I have since used with success--tea bags & breastmilk (benefits of not having weaned yet!). Alyssa also woke with the same headache, body ache crud that I'd had on Monday, so she was out of commission for most of the day. Sharing is caring, right??!
Despite all the yuckies, we managed to pull together a yummy Thanksgiving meal--Turkey & stuffing, grilled lamb, mashed potatoes & gravy, roasted cauliflower, carrots, cranberry chutney, brandied cranberries, beet casserole, sweet potato casserole, & pumpin pie, pecan pie, & one of Tracy's famous cakes! Even Alyssa was feeling better by the time dinner was served & was able to be up & enjoy it! Definitely a win!
With one full, sunny day remaining, we had high hopes of all being well & enjoying some activity together before the pack up/clean up that was looming! Friday morning, Katie was looking better, though still pretty rough, but Thavyn & Genna were looking better! I awoke with a bit of crud in the corners of my eyes, but I was optimistic. We began the process of packing & cleaning & by late in the afternoon finally made it out the door to go explore Grayton Beach State Park. My eyes were continuing to bother me, but again, I was hanging in there. The state park was such a great outing, the kind of the thing we had all hoped we would be doing most days while we were "on vacation." But...it was becoming clear that I was definitely getting pink eye...and a pretty rotten case at that. Lovely, so lovely. I'm sure you're all grateful that I'm wearing sunglasses in all the pictures; I know I sure am!
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| Sisters-good thing she loves me through thick & thin! |
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| Steve and I on the last full day |
The good news...we survived *and* we made memories! :) I was pretty sure that the accompanying symptoms indicated our pink eye was probably viral, so we didn't rush off to get prescription drops. Somehow, we did indeed make it out by our checkout time. So grateful that we don't typically get slammed with sickness like we did this time! Upon arriving home, the pink eye continued to spread throughout until the all the Zavockis got it, some very mild cases with mine & Katie's being the worst. A few Bradfords got it, too, but since they're family, they still love us anyway! :) Ahhhh...it's good to vacation...but sometimes you need a vacation from your vacation, lol! :)
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| The night the Bradford's arrived, Steve took the girls to see the Christian band Third Day in concert |
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| The concert was awesome, we highly recommend see Third Day in concert |
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