day 4 [destin 2012]...

we started off day for at the beach again.  it was overcast, but that didn't stop us!

with our vacation coming to an end, sarah and i opted to spend nap time at the beach.  it was SO relaxing!

after nap we all headed went to the beach.  sarah and the kids fed the seagulls, and i got some cute photos.  i couldn't believe they ate right out of sarah's hand!

after our beach day, we got dressed and headed to harborwalk village for dinner and a dolphin boat tour.  this dinner was definitely the worst we had, but seriously one bad meal out of all of them?  i'd say we did pretty good!  we made the best of it!

after dinner we walked around the village before getting on board the southern star!

heading out was a bit rocky [literally] but once we made it out of the port, it was smooth sailing.  we got to see several dolphins, and the kids loved feeding the seagulls from the back of the boat and spotting the dolphins.

the kids also got to drive the boat :)

another day down, and only one more to go before we wrap up our first family vacation!

day 3 [destin 2012]...

day 3 was the worst weather day we had.  it pretty much rained all day long.  we wanted to get out of the condo, so while justin slept the morning away we headed to the bass pro shop. 



it finally stopped raining after nap time, so we walked to dinner at the crab trap.  we got a great table right next to the ocean.  perfection!

we headed down to the beach afterwards for a few pictures in the sand.

from this post you'd think that day 3 was a bust, but it was still so relaxing.  best.vacation.ever!

destin 2012 [ day 2]...

day 2 started out a lot like day 1...at the beach!  no complaints here :) sarah & brad got the kids boogie boards, and sarah and ava took turns on them.  preston loved the water and the sand.  the boys joined us for some swimming an football.

one of my favorite pictures from vacation!

after nap time we got cleaned up and headed to seaside.  oh.my.word.  seaside is the most postcard perfect town i've ever been to.  seriously, so cute! 

we took the kids down to the beach for some photos before dinner.  gorgeous water. gorgeous sand. two gorgeous kiddos.

we had dinner at a pizza/italian place on the water.  it was really good!

we walked around a bit after dinner, and the kids danced and played before getting some ice cream.

then it was time to change in to comfy clothes and go crabbing!  i have to admit, i was a little nervous about having to catch crabs, but we had a great time. 

a great day!

[day one] 3 emersons + 3 emersons = ...

an awesome first family vacation!!!  sarah and i have been planning a beach vacation for years and years.  finally, way back in december of last year, we decided that we needed to stop talking about it and just do it.  sarah went to destin when she was in 8th grade, and remembered where they stayed [after some serious internet stalking searching], and we got our place booked.  it seemed like it would never happen, but before we knew it, we were packing our bags for destin!

my road-trip trooper!  she really did a great job!

sarah and preston flew and left a few days before us, so ava and i braved the 12 hour drive with the boys.  it really wasn't too bad.  if only i'd been paying better attention, we wouldn't have driven a little out of the way, resulting in a hour detour.  sarah also had some trouble renting her car [you don't want the details, but just remember: say no to hertz!] but we finally all met up in mobile  by late afternoon.  at that point, we ditched the kids with the boys, and drove together the rest of the way to destin.  we arrived just after dark, but were so excited to be there!

we were up bright and early the next morning to hit the beach!  it was cloudy, but we were determined to have our toes in the sand.

cute little beach bum

i love these pictures of sarah and preston.  so sweet!

after beaching it up, it was time to get cleaned up and head to our evening outing.  [side bar: thanks to sarah, we had a itinerary with restaurants, events, maps, etc, so that we always had a tentative plan.  i recommend doing this kind of research, especially when traveling with kiddos so that you are somewhat prepared!]  

the village of baytowne warf was so fun.  we walked the pier before dinner and got some cute family / cousin photos there too.

  the kids rode the carousel a few times before driving little boats on the water.

  ava was also super pumped to "fly" on the trampolines.  preston had to "jump" just like ava.  it was pretty cute!

the kids did a little lot of dancing before we called it a night. 

a great night at baytowne!

ava turns 7...

i'm not sure exactly how it happened, but one morning i woke up and ava was 7!  seriously.  time.stop.now.

 i took the day off of work so we could spend her birthday together.  she woke up and said she couldn't wait to see what her "special birthday breakfast" was. um, what? she proceeded to tell me that every year she has a special birthday breakfast. um, okay, sister. so donuts it was! ha! we went shopping and had lunch, and then came home to get ready for her little birthday party.  we kept it really simple this year with a family-only gathering because we were leaving for destin the next week, and wanted to keep it small. 

the birthday girl.  she woke up and said she couldn't wait to see what her "special birthday breakfast" was.  um, what?  she proceeded to tell me that every year she has a special birthday breakfast. um, okay, sister.  so donuts it was! ha!

she got some great presents.  favorite this year was hands down the ben 10 ds game from her aunt sarah, uncle brad, and preston.  she was super excited because we had told her that it was sold out everywhere, and that she shouldn't be disappointed when she opened her presents and didn't get it.  priceless :)

then it was time to sing happy birthday and make a little wish...



and of course, eat some cupcakes!

no emerson gathering would be complete without the mandatory family photos.  this first photo definitely captures what really goes on behind the lens, followed by the picture that would normally be posted.  gotta love reality :)

happy 7th birthday, ava!