Spring Break 2014 ~ Orange Beach!!!

Spring Break 2014!!!! What a beautiful week-long vacation at Orange Beach!! We were very blessed to have the whole Nichols AND Nesbitt clans with us!! It's so much easier to vacation with all of the in-laws around (easier for us PARENTS, anyway!!) :) Have a look at our fun-filled time in the Alabaman-Paradise!!

So excited to finally be there after a long drive!!

Even though the first evening was filled with wind and clouds, it didn't stop us from doing a little fishing!!

The first few days were filled with storms, so thank goodness we could have fun inside!! The girls played a few games of racquetball:

Then, the adults joined in:

Since I take my racquetball very seriously, I bit the dust.......I don't know when I've seen Lea laugh so hard. Thanks, sis.....

.....still laughing after 15 minutes.....smh.

Awesome goggle imprints!!!

We were VERY grateful for the indoor pools/hottubs during the yucky weather:

Paw throwing Nora:

Ella was Uncle Matt's little leech. She loves her Uncle Matt:

Nice make-up, Lea....

Finally, we were able to get out on the beach and play!!

 Nora all covered up!! 

Claira's favorite thing to do on the beach was sleep. She took a 2+ hour nap on the beach every single day:

Grilling out and dancing the night away:

Josh.....after running into the screen-door. :)

Poor Matthew had to make a trip to urgent care after busting his head. Such a little trooper. :)

Nothing like a brotherly-massage....

Fun times cooking and playing....

mmmmm.....

(side note, after stuffing ourselves silly with tons of food, we attempted to cook a big breakfast the following morning, but all of our eggs were frozen!! YUCK!! Maybe that was God's way of reminding us that gluttony is a sin) :)

Next day, more fun times in the ocean!!!!!

Feeding the birdles....

Building sandcastles.....

....it never fails....

Daddy snuggles....

Dancing on the beach....

Fun and peaceful times with the fam.....

Claira needed her own personal chair for teddy....

Always a cartwheel involved.....

Miss Hollywood!!

Beach babes....

Woohoo!!!!!

Frisbee time....

Ella had the right idea...

Our groovy hats....

Lea, Josh, and the neato pirate ship!!

My whole sweet world.....one blessed woman. :)

Beach Beauty 

Sweet Matthew :)

Lea has many great qualities.....

....but GRACE is definitely not one of them!!

Grandmama promised the girls that they could bury her in the sand.....they NEVER forget a promise!! It was time for her to pay up!!

I think Josh enjoyed burying his mother-in-law with sand a bit TOOOOO much. :)

I bet Grandmama will never offer to do that again after getting the sand out of all "areas" :)

The men decided to take a fishing trip on Thursday morning. They had a blast, and did very well....fish-fry to come soon!!!

 Paw caught a starfish!! We'll eat that as an appetizer!! :) 

 We also had a slumber party one night with Lilah. After watching "Frozen" a billion times, Clairy thought that Barney would be a nice choice.....while naked, of course. :)

She also thought that picking her nose for hours would be fun, but that's a story for a different day....

Slumbering away......all 5 Nezlets!!!

Lilah checking on Matthew's boo-boo.

I'll leave you with views from our balcony....if you look closely, you can spot Ella making a sandcastle with Grandmama and Daddy. She's our little engineer. :)

One more view....

On our very last night, we took family photos on the beach, but that will get a post by itself since we looked presentable and what-not. :) So, consider this to-be-continued.....

Cheers to Spring Break '14!!

I KNOW there's a beach in Heaven!!!

Ella's 5th Birthday!!!

It is truly so hard to believe that my precious "middle" is already FIVE years old!! Ella (or E-Bobby-T, E-Bobs, Bobby, just a few of her many names) is truly the most special thing I have ever seen. Her number one priority in life is to "help out." For example, out of the blue last night when I finally got to sit down for a minute, she asked, "Can I rub your feet, Mommy?" That's just Ella, ALWAYS. I thank
God constantly for letting me be her mother. 

We celebrated her birthday Sunday at the Pine Mountain Gold Museum. We got there a few minutes early to set up and take a few pictures:

 Claira LOVES Barney. It's really an obsession right now... :) 

 Best pals (and they are beginning to look so much alike....) 

 The most precious blessings in the whole wide world: 

 Daddy fired up the grill....

 .....while Ella waited patiently for her guests.

 She was so excited to see her little friends and family:

 After eating and having a quick dance party on the stage.... 

 .....it was time for cupcakes!!! 

I think Clairy really enjoyed her cupcake!!

 I think Uncle Matt really enjoyed his, too!! :) 

 Then, it was GIFT TIME!!! 

 Love this picture.....Lilah read all of the cards to Ella. So sweet.

Ella was so thrilled with all of her presents!! 

 Daddy was also stoked about all the "Frozen" gifts she received!!

 Next, we began the tour of the museum.... 

 I caught Claira jumping in mid-air after getting excited over this "dog," and Matthew had just referred to it as a "cow." Unfortunately, it's a HORSE.....

 "Let me in!! What can I break?""

 We, then, took a groovy train ride.....

 .... and it was time to mine for gem!! Since Ella was the birthday girl, she also got to mine for GOLD. Too bad she only found one little flake. But still so much fun. :) 

 Lea helped Claira with her mining (ignore Claira's rooster-do....she won't keep a bow in her hair to save her life). 

 Lea thought that mining was GREAT.....can't you tell??? :)

 My birthday girl with all her TREASURES!!! :)

(Ella's invitation for her little friends)

It was such a beautiful day for our beautiful girl!! Even though Ella caught some birthday STREP THROAT the next day, she had a blast!! 

So extremely proud of our girl who has made these last 5 years sweet-as-pie!!

Love you, baby!! To "Jee-Jus" and back!!! xoxo