Home again, home again, jiggidy jig!

Well, it's over. We made the journey home with great success. The kids slept the majority of the ride and we had smooth, safe trip (thank you God). It's 6:30 pm and we've been home almost 12 hours already. I just hit the wall... I feel like someone drugged me, I'm so tired. But, I'm so thankful for a beautiful vacation with my children, my new sister and her family and the BEST Mother in the world! What great, lasting memories we have to cherish forever!

Pictures above are of our last day (yesterday) at the beach. SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!

Surf & Turf Dinner - Lori

Last night we checked the hour by hour weather forecast and tried to plan a cook-out with every one's favorite food. We found a local fish monger and purchased crab legs (Syd Slater), Lobster Tail (Keefer), Steak (Skeet, MeMaw, Lori & Cathy), pork chops (everyone), and hot dogs & bacon (Ellie Bellie Boo Bug).

Cathy fired up the charcoal grill and she and I shared some good wine and conversation at the grill while the kids swam & MeMaw tended to the potatoes in the condo. The sky was very grey and it was windy and threatening to ruin our cook-out... Sure enough just as the meat was ready to come off the grill, it started to poor. We all ran back to the condo and ended up soaked.

The food was great (especially the crab, if you ask me)! Everyone was stuffed beyond capacity! Then around 8:30pm the kids talked us in to heading down to the pool so they could swim. They had a ball and so did we!

Cathy and I keep finding similarities that make us wonder if something fishy went on at our birth. We think we might be blood sisters some how! We discovered that a few years ago she went to a Halloween party as the "Snow Miser" and I went to a different party as the "Heat Miser". Trust me, it was a great discovery last night.

Any who... it's our last morning (unless we completely change plans and start the drive on Saturday night). The weather is finally going to be perfect, so we're heading to the beach today. We're planning to head out around 7pm.

Oyster Adventure!

Biker Babes at Floribama!

Mom, that looks great!

Marine Biologist tries her first oyster!

Yummmmmmmm ! Slater's Rock their first oysters!

Crabs, Crabby(Boo Bug's),Dr. Phil(Keefer's),Larry(Mine),

Dolphin Cruise / Floribama

Wrote about the dolphin cruise below... After we docked from the cruise, we went across the street to the well known bar/resturaunt "Floribama". First, we tried to catch lobsters in a big tank (like the stuffed animal claw games at BW3's). For a $2 try, if you catch one they will cook it. We didn't catch one
:(

Then we all put our heads in the photo cut outs for a photo op. We signed our names on the walls and the kids got to go down to the beach for a little bit. The Slater's tried oysters for the first time and I had one too (not my first though). Yum! Then, before we left we got our picture with the kids in Alabama and the grown-ups in Florida. We all had a great time!

We came up from the pool a little bit ago. It's really storming right now. It's supposed to blow over fast and should be good until we leave. It's almost over and even though we miss our husbands/dads we're sad we have to go.

I am in HEAVEN - MeMaw

Wow, I never thought we would have such a GREAT time.It is so Beautiful here and the Kids have been totally Awesome. I now have two more little Darlin's calling me Memaw. Sure makes my heart happy.I feel like I have known them my whole life.They have had so much fun together.Thanks PawPaw Litchfield for the wonderful Dophin tour. They are such amazing animals.The kids loved it..Brittany Spears has a home on the bay ,Or did. Not sure if she still owns it.I guess the guide said there are alot of stars who do.
Well, I have felt like a star here..Start saving your Money family A three bedroom is l,800 a week. YIKE.. The Lazy River is really fun to sit in the innertube and fut float around. If ;it gets really warm the O'l Memaw might go down the slide.We will see about that. MeMaw misses the little boys in my life and my Girls and PaPaw and son-in-laws. Maybe someday we can all do something like this together.
I am not much of a Blogger but Lori made me write something. I am Thankful to God for this wonderful opportunity,to be with the Spang and Slater Family. Love to all, Memaw P.S. Lori has agreed with me that from now on I will tell her what to say like Ellie does and she will write it for me.....

Hair twisties Syd Slater

The two Syds at Alvins Island got these hair twisties. (their awesome) Syd Spang has blue,purple and green with the same color of beads. Syd Slater has orange,yellow,green and blue and has blue,orange and yellow beads. Syd and Syd love them but the first couple days you get them they give you massive headaches. Expecialy to Syd Spang. They are supposed to stay in for about 6 months or more. Thats a really long time! Well lets hope it stays in for a while.

Lizards Syd Slater

All the kids were walking back to the condo and little Ellie saw something movig in the sticks. It was a LIZARD! She sent Syd Slater to go and get it. The first time Syd Slater didn't catch it, but then Syd Spang and Keefer came and they saw another one. Which we didn't catch that one either. As we all gave up of corse Syd Slater really wanted to get one, So she stayed back and on a tree here was anothere lizard. She came up from behind the back of the lizard and CAUGHT it. (Fast Job Syd.) Once Syd caught it she got all the rest of the kids and showed them. After Syd showed them, We took it to the parents and Aunt Lori was like Get that lizard away from me. (And she screamed once or twice.) Well I don't blame her because I was acting like i was throwing it at her. We had to make a memory with the lizard and take a picture. So Aunt Lori got out her camera and took a Picture of Syd and her lizard.

Blue Dolphin Cruise - Lori

Yesterday, Wednesday, we decided to try a dolphin cruise. We haven't had any luck spotting them in the bay in front of our condo, and we have all been really anxious to see them in the wild. We found a really good deal for a two hour cruise and MeMaw & Paw Paw treated us to the adventure.

Captain Dennis briefed us about our trip and we were off... A few minutes after we left the port, we saw a couple of dophins off the left side of the boat. From that time on, there were a set of about 6 dolphins ( including a baby or two) that followed our boat the entire 2 hours. It was soo cool! They just bobbed up and down near the boat as we watched in awe. The kids and the grown ups loved it! The kids (Ellie wouldn't have anything to do with it) and Cathy & I got to drive the boat and get a picture with the captain.

The owner of the boat lives on Wolf Bay which is right next to our bay, and she confirmed that we probably did see a seal the other day. She saw one in her bay a couple days ago as well!

Above is a short clip of the dolphins as they swim by our boat. It was hard to get decent video or clips, but we managed to get a little footage.

(FYI... at this minute it is storming and the thunder over the bay is extreme and majestic - Not like an Indiana thunderstorm)

Hole to *CHINA!* Syd Spang

News Flash! Syd and Sydney dig a hole to China!


Syd Spang and Syd Slater dig a huge hole. If you ask me, they could have been in China if they dug any more. As you can see in the picture above Syd Spang, who is very short, is much taller than Syd Slater, who is very tall. Very funny! they dug for a long time by the time they were almost done Syd Spang could barley reach the bottom to dig more, because it was sooo deep.

Oh-no! They almost fell in! (The top 2 pictures.) They were digging and almost fell in, a couple of times, because it was very deep. I wish we could do it again! It was about to Syd Spang's waste, and a little over Syd Slater's knee! WOW! That's Deep! They had A LOT of fun!

Sydney M. Spang

Photo Show of the First Few Days - Lori

Click on the link "Orange Beach Photo Show" below to view our photo show.

Orange Beach Photo Show

The Dolphin Quest...- Lori

Syd will always be her baby girl!


Syd and Keefer really cut up the rug, boogying to the dancing with the stars Wii game! They were GOOD!!!!


Crabby meets his big sister!

Boo Bug builds a sand castle

Syd Slater gives Ellie a ride down the big slide while Skeeter looks on

Lazy ladies on the lazy river!

Skeet, Lori & MeMaw

DOPHIN QUEST

The maintenance men told us that the dolphins come in to the bay around 4:30am. This morning I woke to my alarm at 4:15, heated up my coffee, ventured out in to the light rain down to the bay. I must say I felt a little creeped out walking down there in the rain and dark skies. The area is very well lit, there are 911 phones along the walk-way, I took mom's cell phone and had it poised and ready to dial, plus I took Cathy's van keys and had them between my fingers-ready to poke someone in the eye... My parents taught me well.

Anyway, it was so peaceful and beautiful. The water was like glass and the lights reflected so that it looked like a painting. There were no dolphins though, so I came back up to the condo. As soon as the sun starts to come out, I'm heading back. Guess I'll need a nap today!

We are having such a wonderful time! Cathy and her kids are THE BEST! It has been a priceless bonding experience that I'll remember forever and I feel like our friendship has blossomed into a sisterhood. Of course there are still a few days left, and plenty of time for everything to go south- hee, hee! Our kids are getting a long really well and I couldn't ask for anything better (except if our husbands were here bonding with us :)

MeMaw is AMAZING! I think she is truly relaxed and in heaven like the rest of us. She has been a mother to us all this week! She is doing her thing...laundry, cleaning, keeping things in order and taking care of us, but not to the point of exhaustion like usual. Just enough care giving to make her most happy.

Yesterday was cloudy and cooler but we were still able to swim and play outside enough to make the kids happy. We were all a little burnt so we needed a day to recoup. Last night it stormed for a few minutes and has been steady raining overnight, but it's warm this morning. I think we're supposed to have a mix of coulds, sun and scattered thunder storms today. Hopefully we can lay out and swim most of the day again.

Someone needs to blog more about the "seal spotting", the treasure (pearl) discovery, the hole to China, etc... later.

To our family and friends reading this, we love you all and miss you and wish you were ALL here with us!

Pool and waxing and locked out- Syd Slater

The two Syd's waxing the skim board and mowing down on some Oreos!


Syd slater, Syd spang and Ellie are taking a pose in the pool.

We got locked out and we were having some fun telling (to the camera) what was going on. Some of us got so board, we just did some random things. (Well mostly keefer.) He didn't care what he did in front of the camera. Syd Spang on the other hand was doing the "Candy Cane dance" back and forth. Which surprised me a little because she was doing that a lot that day and was trying get others to follow along. (no one really did, I don't think they would want to make a FOOL out of there selves like Syd did.)

BEACH FUN - Cathy Slater

Syd Slater riding in the waves...she did great! It was seriously cold!

Syd trying out her skim board...nice job

Syd & Keefer jumping in the waves! Have I mentioned how much I love the beach?

Fun, Fun, Fun! - Lori

A day on the beach. The big kids had a blast jumping the waves.

Skeeter found what we think could be a pearl buried in the sand along the bay. We can't wait to see what it is. Her birthstone is pearl and it sure would be cool if it were real!

Syd and Ellie hangin' at the beach.


The Slater's pose for a beach shot. Too cute!


Skeet with 3 hats on... why???? No clue!

Checking out the boats on the bay. We're soooo hoping to see a dolphin. We did see what looked like a seal swimming under the docks at the bay. It may have been a sea lion or a seal. It was really cool! We were all screaming and running on the dock when we saw it. Cathy is the one that spotted it first.

Cathy bought Ellie a pet hermit crab (without asking her mother). Ellie named him "Crabby" and she LOVES it! Crabby is a tough little guy... Ellie loves it to death and we're afraid that she literally will... If I would have known a $5 crab was the key to her happiness I would have got one a long time ago! Today we got one for Keefer and Syd Spang. Syd Slater didn't want one. The big girls got a cool hair thingy. We'll post the pics of that later.

Keefer lookin' cool on the water slide!

Lovin' life!

We got locked out of our condo for an hour (or maybe 2). It seemed very long. The lock broke and we had to hang in the hall. Poor Syd Slater was soaking wet and freezing the hole time and she had 2 cuts on her finger from finding sea creatures in the bay.

More Pics - Lori

MeMaw's new friend, Sheryl (aka Dorothy) helps her in to the lazy river.


Ellie Boo Bug made a new friend named Reagan. They played and played in the pool. I was so tickled to see her come out of her shell.



Syd Spang, Syd Slater and Keefer take a drip down the lazy river.



Boy, we have a cute group of kids! They are being sooooo good, helpful, polite and fun! The big kids have been great with Ellie. They are keeping her entertained and I've never had such a relaxing time. Ellie LOVES the Slater's... she will even go with Cathy by herself. I am in Mom heaven!

The kids are playing in the indoor pool while we relaxed in the hot tub.