Early this year, we were at the Sturgill's house for dinner with the Myers, and somehow we got on the topic of a friend trip. When we all expressed an interest, Danielle grabbed her computer and we seriously started looking into it. We had a rough plan of when we would go (end of June), and a basic idea of the type of house we would rent. We eventually needed to get the kids home, but later that night, we were all texting each other listings of rental homes and we found one that would be perfect for our party of 16! But I felt bad that we hadn't included the Crumptons in any of the plans. I was pretty sure they wouldn't come, but I wanted them to be included in the off chance that they would say yes. I texted Andreia that same night, and she yes! I was pretty surprised, but super excited. That meant that we needed to find a bigger house, but that was a great problem to have :)
Long story, short...Andreia thought I meant a girl's trip, and their family already had summer plans, so they couldn't make it after all. So, it was back to a house for our party of 16. We found a great place right on the beach, and were looking forward to it all Spring.
On Friday evening, we loaded up the car, put on our pajamas, and started the 4 hour drive down to Houston. It was nearly midnight when we pulled up the hotel, and poor Colby had fallen asleep maybe 20 minutes before we arrived. His hair was pretty epic, so I was attempting to take a picture...
They were exhausted the next morning, but we were supposed to meet everyone in the lobby for breakfast, so we had to wake these sweet babies up!
We filled our bellies at the breakfast buffet, then made the hour drive out to the beach. Brooke thought she was funny hiding from me in the back :)
Danielle had mentioned that you can drive right out onto the beach, but I wasn't sure what to expect because this is SO different from California beaches. I was envisioning a car here and there, so I was shocked when we paid for the parking, got to the beach, and the entire beach filled with cars! Like rows of cars on both the dune side and the water side. It was like a narrow alley between the two rows of cars, and in front of the water side cars there was not even 10 feet of sand between the cars and the water. It was honestly terrible and I was immediately pretty bummed. Danielle had been to this beach before and loved it, but I wasn't sure what there was to love, haha. It wasn't peaceful at all with all the rows of cars and lack of sand to play in, but we just kept driving. Kevin mentioned that maybe it would be less crowded further on. Danielle started texting that we had probably arrived too late and we might not even get a spot, so I was a bit concerned.
Kevin quickly looked up the address to our rental house and it was several miles up the beach...so we kept driving. It definitely was less crowded the further we drove, and at one point, it switched to only water side parking instead of dune side as well. When we were pretty close to the house, we pulled over and set up camp. There was definitely more space between the cars and the water and it looked like a great place to hang out. I was seriously relieved after my initial shock at the situation.
The kids immediately went to check out this little teepee. I have no idea what the purpose of these was, but they were located every few hundred yards (maybe?) up the whole beachfront.
So many fun memories of playing in the sand together, boogie boarding, and relaxing!! We couldn't have asked for a better Day One. The weather was beautiful, the kids all played together beautifully, and I was even able to sit in the sand and chat with my friends.
The kids played with Maddy forever! She's 13, but is the sweetest girl to my kids.
They loved the feeling of the wet sand on their bodies...
Doug got in on the action and helped bury Colby...
Doug and Finley...
Then it was finally time for lunch! Cooper and Tracy...
More playtime...
Colby, Britton, and Hudson...
Mike, Brooke, and Brandt...
I tried to take a picture with Kevin and this is what he did...
Such a goof :)
Kevin got to work building a mountain with the kids...
Brooke was made for the beach...
So was this kid...
He was loving his new boogie board...
They weren't interested in taking family pics when they were so busy with their friends, but I managed to get a few :)
I tasked Kevin with the reapplication of sunscreen and I watched as he squirted a TON into his hand. I didn't want to micromanage him, so I just figured I would let him figure it out. Well, he rubbed and rubbed, then told Brooke she was done. I was cracking up and took her aside to help her rub it in a bit more. She was sort of grouchy about it and made a comment about how "Daddy didn't rub this hard", and I explained that it was because he didn't actually rub it all in! He did the same with Colby, so I had to do a little rubbing on his face as well.
Then it was back in the sand for some more fun...
Brooke and Camden...
Kevin and Mike were just standing here chatting, but when I went for the picture they had to be all tough, haha...
This was one of my favorite memories from the trip! The Myers brought these chairs and they were absolute perfection. (And major props to Doug for thinking to take the picture!)
We eventually headed back to the house to make some dinner. Kevin and Mike were in charge of grilling the chicken while the girls prepped the rest of the ingredients for dinner. We were having pesto chicken pasta with marinated tomatoes/onions and a yummy balsamic glaze (a new obsession from Costco). The grilling took a ridiculously long time, and I'm still unsure if it was a grill issue or due to the crazy amount of chicken I was having them grill, haha. It's hard to know how much to cook for 16 people! We most definitely had leftovers, but it made the perfect lunch the next day, so it all worked out. (Cooper even said, "This is the best beach food we've ever had!")
The kids kept themselves entertained while we waited for the food to cook. Just over those grassy dunes was the beach.
The kids dined al fresco while the adults ate in peace in the house. My kids were loving every minute of this never-ending friend time.
The house had one bunk room, but we opted to have the kids stay in our room with us. I knew they would sleep better and I didn't want to deal with tired kids at the beach. We borrowed these little air mattresses from Grandma and it worked out perfectly.
Day Two was pretty amazing as well. And since I learned my lesson on Day One that nobody wants to stop for a picture, we got it out of the way first thing!
Within 10 minutes, Colby sliced the bottom of his foot on something in the ocean. He claims that a crab pinched him, but it most definitely looked like a deep cut from a piece of glass or a shell. Luckily, Tracy had a first aid kit in her car and I ran back to the house for a sock and his water shoes to protect his little feet.
The sand is covering most of the cut in the pic, but it's right near his toes...
The kids were nonstop boogie boarding and playing in the sand. They hardly wanted to stop for food!
The dads were chatting...
The moms were sittervising...
Kevin taught the big kids how to play Spikeball..
Then we hit the waves...
Friends for 14 years and this is the first official vacation we've all taken together. Something we'll definitely repeat. This picture was taken moments before the wind changed and a heavy rainstorm started. Nothing like packing up ALL THE THINGS while being pelted with tiny raindrops!
Beach house fun while the storm raged on. I especially loved seeing Colby snuggled up to Maddy during movie time. My kids both adore her.
So thankful that the rain stopped and we were able to hang out on the deck for a few hours... Nothing beats dinner al fresco, especially when the kids are big enough to play on their own. We had the yummiest shredded beef tacos, homemade salsa, corn salsa, black beans, and queso (from Costco). It just felt good to sit around with friends and chat about life. We also learned that Doug is totally freaked out by seagulls, so it became sort of a joke the rest of the trip.
That evening, we headed back out to the beach for s'mores...
Everything was just so incredibly beautiful! The sky, the reflection of the sun on the water, feeling our toes in the sand, watching the kids help dig the fire pit, laughing around the campfire, playing mafia (not actually my favorite game, but the kids like it), and of course, the s'mores.
Here we go again with the Kevin pictures, haha...
We finally managed to get a "normal" one, even though I sort of hate this pose...
These kids have been the best. I was so impressed that they all just got along for days on end. The bigger kids were not only helpful with the littler ones, but made them feel included. Ahh, I just love them all.
Moments to remember...
Colby is all about the fire, which is equal parts fun and terrifying!
The perfect ending to another great day!
We were supposed to check out by 10 AM on Monday, but since our check-in was delayed a few hours on Saturday, the owner let us stay until 2 PM. Unfortunately, the Sturgills still had to leave early to drop Maddy off for Girl's Camp, but we stayed with the Myers until 2.
Enjoying their last few minutes together before the Sturgills left...
A little game of Hand & Foot with Cooper while we waited for the rain to let up...
(I used to play this game in Wyoming with Nana and Grandpa, so it was totally nostalgic to play it again.)
The rain finally stopped and we quickly thew on our swimsuits and headed out to the beach. Brooke and Nora were best buddies...
Final family picture...
Being able to just walk out of the house and along this boardwalk to the beach was amazing. We were feeling pretty spoiled after this trip!
Kevin and Doug...
We only had about 45 minutes at the beach, but we sure made the most out of it.
Tracy wasn't wearing her swimsuit, but as soon as she saw the kids having fun in the waves, she made the decision to run back to the house and change. She really is such a fun mom and we loved those last few minutes with the kids.
It started to drizzle, which meant that our beach time was officially done. But I think we made the most of it!
We showered up, finished packing all our bags, and then Kevin began loading everything into the car while I fed the kids some lunch. He was using a towel to stay somewhat dry, but when we had to leave all the towels in the house to lock up, we improvised with trash bags since it was a total downpour. Everyone was cracking up as we came down the stairs in our trash bag ensembles, haha.
But I really love this guy! He's a great helper, game starter, fire captain, car packer (in a total downpour), and road trip driver.
Until next time...
Katie and Katie...
Sweet boys...
The Peacocks were out of town, but made it home in time to stop by for dessert. 
Lifelong friends...
And friends for 14 years!! Just missing Andreia :(
After our pool time, I decided to just get the yard work done. I asked Brooke to practice piano and then help Colby. I came inside to this adorable sight. She is way more patient than me and I was so grateful for her willingness to help me AND her little brother!
They hug each other like it's been ages EVERY time they see each other. Thankfully, Auntie Mel Mel caught a picture of it.
We still had fun, but I am gonna need a redo on this anniversary date. 
At the end of the month we went on a beach trip with friends, but I'll save those details for another post!
