Vacation With the Howells

Tired and yet somehow refreshed, we have returned from vacation in Mississippi and Alabama with the Howell side of our family. It was a great trip, the kind where you wear yourself out and sleep well. 

First, Emily and the kids flew down to spend some time in Hattiesburg while I stayed behind. I made myself useful caring for our lawn and tackling our upstairs wallpaper/paint project. I didn't tell Emily about it until I got there, but I knew she had been wanting to do it for a while. Every since we had taken down the wallpaper and painted our downstairs, we both wanted to finish the job upstairs. But there never seems to be a good time to get out a ladder and paint bucket when you have small children to play with. When they left for a few days, I saw the opportunity. 

Goodbye, last of the wallpaper.

Hello, paint!

Then I flew down South and Emily picked me up to take me to Dauphin Island, AL. Emily's parents and cousins had all rented a house on the beach, where we would spend most of our vacation. We fished, kayaked, swam, played on the beach, and played board games until we wore ourselves out. Then we took a nap and did it all some more. 

Sarah putting sprinkles on some cupcakes under the supervision of her cousin Maddy.

Yay for the beach!

Baxter and JT flounder gigging under the Milky Way

Josiah swinging like a big boy.

Sarah is loving the swing more and more now.

Josiah's first snow cone.

It was cold, but then he asked for more.

The kids loved swimming. 

Sarah even let us let go of her some so she could float. 

After a few days together in Hattiesburg with Goggin and Papa, we flew home to Cape Cod and settled back in. Then everyone got some much needed sleep!