After what felt like an eternity during our time out in Roswell, and then coming back to SoCal and having to go straight back to work for over a month... a week-long vacation at the beach in Florida was ecstatically welcomed with massively open arms!!!
Not only did Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh invite us Californians to relax and enjoy the hot Florida sun and play in the warm Atlantic waters all week long together... but those crazy Coloradans were invited too!
Yep, that's right... one big happy family at the beach!
The sand and the waves kept Hamp & Sammy entertained all week...
but there was no way we were going to let them have all the fun!
So we helped dig, shovel, tunnel, sculpt, and mold in the sand...
And helped jump, swim, surf, and relax in the water!
This of course was the first time any of the family had seen the baby bump up close & personal. Needless to say, we had to limit how many times Moe-Joe could molest Jei & her belly!
Our little guy was kickin' & pushin' and showing off for Moe-Joe... so we called Sammy over to see if he could feel him.
When the sun wouldn't let us play out on the beach and in the ocean anymore, we had family game time... which always provides excellent entertainment and lots of laughter!
Moe-Joe & Sammy teamed up together and pretty much dominated our game of Apples to Apples!
There were some intense moments and a lot of persuasive techniques used by big brother... but Sammy stuck to his guns all game long!
According to Hampton, I was a great partner to have for the game... but apparently not good enough to win!
And the winner was... well, it certainly wasn't a secret!
Everyone was surprised when two of Moe-Joe's friends gave us extremely thoughtful gifts for the baby that week. Three months out and already have quite the collection going!
After an incredibly long day in the sand, surf, and pool... there's nothing better than a pre-bedtime book read by Moe-Joe!
And then the next day we were back at it again...
on the beach playing, tanning, and relaxing!
Here's Mandi & I playing our favorite family beach game: keep-away from Sammy! Actually, we were enjoying a nice game of 'Pro Kadima' when Sam decided to be "Monkey-in-the-Middle!"
All that playing on the beach leaves a man tired & parched...
Thank God for beer, lounge chairs, and the pool!
Speaking of which... when the sand & ocean wasn't providing the entertainment, the community pool stepped in and did a fabulous job!
A certain little somebody even learned how to snorkel!
It's a fish!
No, it's a shark!!
Actually, it's just Sammy exploring the great barrier pool
with his new found snorkeling skills. Way to go Sammy!!!
One of our favorite evenings came when Dad-Oh treated all of us out to dinner at 'The Garlic' one night!
The scenery, atmosphere, weather, and of course the food was nothing short of spectacular!
The company wasn't too bad either... but awfully friendly!
Did I mention the food??? ...and how amazing it was? I tell ya what, if you ever find yourself in New Smyrna Beach, Florida... you've got to go! Naturally, we couldn't let dinner proceed without taking a picture of Dad-Oh and his enormously and abnormally large "Bocce Ball"!!!
With all the delicious and abundant food and the tasty adult beverages around the table... it was hard not to smile and have a good time! (Sammy had plain ole' chicken strips and french fries, with no tasty adult beverage... hence, no smile!)
On the other hand... the men of the family had quite the opposite!
We literally almost shut the place down (thanks to me & my heavenly chocolate cake!), so by the time we finished up with all our drinks & desserts... it was quite obviously time to go!
Thank you Moe-Joe for the wonderful dinner idea...
and thank you Dad-Oh for paying for it!
It's going to be hard to forget that night!
Our family beach week finally came to an end... and although we really didn't want to leave and have to say goodbye to both the beautiful beach and the wonderful family... it felt good knowing that we had as much fun as we possibly could have had, and I don't think we would've changed a single thing! Thank you Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh for such an incredibly fun and relaxing week!!!
For more great pics from our week at the beach, click here!
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