arriving

this isn't my favorite day of vacation. but it has to be done. we always leave at 5:30 am. traffic out of NOVA is insane in the summer and we (pat) can't handle it.  so we leave before it can get bad. and we have a funny rule - there is NO talking until breakfast. we hit a chick fil a about 2 hours into the trip. it's nice to get that solid 2 hour chunk under our belts in silence!

this was the first year we TRULY combined all the kids. there was a "girls" room (we have SO many boys...and just a few girls!), a small boys room, a middle boys room and an older boys room! we were all pretty nervous about how this would shake out, but it was GREAT!

the girls getting their room *set up* :-)

last year we did oceanfront for the first time. we can't ever go back. it's SO awesome to not have to lug all the stuff back and forth!! AND to SEE the ocean all the time and hear those waves! i took this standing on the back porch the afternoon we arrived.

and then there's unpacking and grocery shopping. blah. but once we are set up, it feels so good!!!

i made and brought pork bbq for the first night, which worked out well! (usually ali makes her AMAZING enchiladas and brings them - but they came the next day, so we had to go with a substitute ;-)) AND we got to celebrate cary's birthday that night!!