beach babe

About two weeks ago, we took a little mini vacation with some friends to Galveston.  We got a little condo on the beach and loaded up 4 adults and 5 kids on Friday around lunch time.  After we finally all made it, a feat with 5 young children, and got settled in, we headed out to our first stop...Rainforest Cafe.

Our friends' kiddos love it, but Micah had never been.  I was just hoping she wouldn't be totally freaked out by the "storms" while we were eating. 

 When we first got there, we had to wait, so we went out on the deck and did a little dancing! 

 Micah loved dancing with her daddy!  I think the feeling was mutual :)

 I don't have a picture of this, but there were some people in animal costumes roaming the patios, store, and restaurant throughout the time we were there.  I think this was Micah's reaction every single time she saw one, and she always tried to pull on the alligator's tail as he walked by!

 The big kids did a fantastic job of helping Micah enjoy her experience!  They all acted super excited and would clap when the "storms" started during dinner.  Micah decided it must be pretty fun if they were so pumped about it.  They are so sweet to her!

 We ordered the "volcano" for dessert for all 9 {well, really 8 since the baby of the crew didn't get much} of us to share.  They bring it out with a sparkler on top, and all the waiters holler "VOLCANO." The kids thought this was pretty much the best thing ever.  I love their faces in this picture.

 After dinner and dessert, we loaded back up and headed to the house to get all the kids put to bed.  The adults enjoyed some good conversation and stayed up just a little too late for this pregnant momma :)  But, it was fun!

The next morning, we headed out to the beach.  I know that Galveston isn't the most beautiful beach, and it honestly wasn't the most beautiful day--cloudy and windy.  But, the kids knew no difference, and they had a blast!

The very first time Micah saw the ocean and a beach was last May when she was only 5 months old, so this was her first true experience.  

The waves were pretty strong, and she wasn't sure what to think at first.  She wanted to make sure she knew where her daddy was at all times!

 After a few minutes and some experience with the waves, she started to warm up to the idea.  She loves water, and she eventually decided that the ocean is no exception to this love.  She started to do the sign for "more" every time the tide would roll out!  She wanted MORE waves!!!

 She would stand ready...

 ...and got soooo excited every single time.  I loved seeing her joy and hearing her sweet giggles every time the water would rush up.

 Waiting on more waves with daddy.  She did this for a good 15-20 minutes, and when we told her it was time to go, she said in a sad voice, "no, waa waa." Silly girl.

{Feel free to scroll down if you would like.  These look similar to the ones above, but they are all just too cute to pick from!}

 Once we got her to tell the water bye, she decided that maybe playing in the sand wasn't so bad either.  Sorry Ben and Emma that she totally destroyed your sand castle that you were making.  We'll work on that for next year!

 We had fun burying friends in the sand.  All the kids were into this...

 ...except Micah who was totally oblivious and kept right along digging in the sand in her own little spot.

After the morning at the beach, we headed to the condo for lunch and naps for the kids.  That afternoon, we went swimming in the pool at the beach club where we were staying.  It had gotten even more cloudy and windy, making the water pretty much freezing.  So, I didn't take any pictures because I was too busy trying to stay warm, which is saying a lot for a 6 1/2 month pregnant lady in the summer!
We ended the evening with some yummy dinner, putting worn out kids to bed, and more great conversation.
We had such a wonderful time and are already looking forward to our next vacation with the Tillerys!