Gulf Shores 2011

We had a great week at the beach with my mom's side of the family. I think we decided that we've been doing this for 26 years (except for last year when we had our staycation due to the oil spill). It's always great to be with family and enjoy the beach...and good cooking (thanks Ethan and Rebecca). For the last several years, we've stayed toward Fort Morgan, but we decided to get a different view than oil rigs this year and went closer to town on Orange Beach. We didn't have to look at oil rigs, but we did have to fight for the beach in front of our house since it was right next to a monstrous condo. Thankfully, the beach Nazi was renting the house next to ours and made sure everyone knew that they were to stay in front of the condos. She actually went to every tent and told them that they were going to have to move. This year, I actually played in the water. I thought I'd never get in the water again after the shark incident a couple of years ago, but the kids just made it too much fun...and I kept my eyes open for a fin to appear. It was great having the twins there, but they didn't make it to the beach that much so I didn't feel like I got to see them. I'll have to make a secret trip to Charleston without my kids so I can get some twin time. I love that Mary Kate and Ford got to spend a whole week playing with their cousins, Victoria and Gabriel. MK and Victoria got to share a room this year, which meant they talked and played more than they slept. It brought back a lot of memories of when we used to all share a room when we were little. Click on the pic if you want to see the album.