Laura Dawn and Andrew's visit & our trip to Savannah and Hilton Head

Two weeks ago my sister and brother came to town for a visit. They were both able to get work off for a whole week, so we had lots of days to play. Neither one of them have been to Savannah and living in Utah there really isn't much of a chance to see the beach, so I decided we would make a quick overnight trip to Savannah and the beach. Matt had to stay home this time since we went during the week- we missed him!

We left for Savannah early in the morning so we could get a few hours of window shopping/walking in before heading to Hilton Head for the night. We parked right by the outdoor water park and so the kids had the chance to get wet right away. It didn't last long enough though!
We walked up and down River Street, checking out the monuments, boats and shops.


We also spent some time walking through Savannah. The first time I ever went to Savannah it reminded me of Estonia, with it's lush gardens and how the city is made for walking. I love it. It is just so very beautiful. Plus, it includes lots of very interesting history.



After walking for quite some time- everyone was very HOT! and slightly tired. I had to capture some of the expressions and red faces.

All the walking and sweat paid off later that night when we made it to Hilton Head, checked into our hotel and then we walked across the street to the....
....Beach!!! Yay! the Happy Faces return!!
well, except Andrew. He is making weird faces. But, trust me, we were all very happy to be in the water. Notice how quickly Jonah disappears from the pictures.




This time the kids wanted to take their goggles to the beach



It was the perfect time to play at the beach. Still warm, with the sun going down and no crowds.




The next day we went back to the beach and on the way there, we found this nice little water/splash park. This got the kids ready for another fun beach day. I didn't take any pictures of our day adventures on the beach, but it was really fun. Very crowded, but very fun.



After all that beach and water time, we headed back home.

It was so nice to have my siblings visit. We had lots of fun here too, swimming in grandma's pool, going to the library, watching movies, playing at the park, eating yummy food and enjoying each other's company. I really love my family!

Goodness Gracious!

I can't believe that we just picked over 15 cups of grape tomatoes from the garden. There were about 4 cups of them that had been eaten by bugs or something, which we were able to feed to the neighbors chickens, but still- that is 11 cups of grape tomatoes for us to eat! I am not complaining though- they are so much better than any from the store.

Summertime Fun at the Beach

About a month ago, my brother Jacob told me that he was going to be visiting Sarasota, Florida for a beach vacation. Since we live only 8 hours away, he invited us to join him at the beach. We decided to leave on Friday after Matt got off work and drive until we got there in the am sometime. We reached the hotel around 3 am and crashed. The next morning we headed to the beach!
We went to Siesta Beach, which I later found out is the #1 rated beach in the US. When I found that out, it didn't surprise me at all because the water is blue and crystal clear and the sand is white and as fine as anything. It was heavenly.



Jacob goofing off

Ryanne collected a HUGE amount of shells.



Matt goofing off





We spent a lot of time at the beach, but always had to spend a few hours at the hotel pool after we went to the beach, because you just can't ever get enough water or sun.

The kids made some friends and Ryanne wanted to take a picture with her friends. Jonah had to get in there too



We had lots of fun. Jacob had scoped out a couple of restaurants he wanted to try and also found a church for us to attend on Sunday.
The morning that we had to leave, we went to another beach and collected more shells. Jonah thought that he didn't want to get in the water, but he quickly changed his mind.








I did my fair share of swimming in the ocean, but this morning I just got my feet wet.







We had a great time and really enjoyed being able to meet up with Uncle Jacob and Maren.

I love the beach!!