Day two at the Beach.

We are sprawled out from room to room!!  And on this particular night, it was a foursome in the master bed!!  Mary Allison is about to fall off on her side.  I was in about an 18" space on my side, and the girls in the middle... yeah... they're pretty comfortable!!

I think I pack more art supplies than clothes!  And, I have been taking an online class by one of my mentors, Paul Martinelli, who is also president of the John Maxwell Team!  It is FAB.U.LOUS!  I take notes by painting the material.  It "sticks" better that way.

And all the while the young uns were soaking up the rays and playing in the surf.

You can always tell a good babysitter by her level of involvement.  I think these two we brought with us qualify as stellar.  They have played hide and seek and made the girls into mermaids...

ANd rode trains, and made sand art... and have not missed a single poolside Beach Club activity since we've been here.

I've tried to make as many as I could too.  But understand, that this, for me, is a working vacation.  I have my idea cards, my online class I am studying, and books by the dozen.  Literally.

And in between, I go watch the baby girls jump on jumpers and slide on water slides, make snowcones, watch poolside movies,....etc.

They even made Spin Art on the first day we were here.  Have I mentioned I love the Beach Club?!  So much for my littles to do!!

As a matter of fact, after playing with this Spin Art machine last year, I immediately went home and bought my own.  I thought it was fabulous, and sure enough it has more than paid off in birthday parties, therapy projects, and activities for camps and fundraisers.

These two (Alex and Sarah) will be registering for college on Tuesday, so they'll be heading back home.  Our usual babysitter, Alex, (another one), is now home from a mission trip to Guatemala, so she will be coming down to hang out with us that same day.  Yay!  We all win.

It takes a village to raise the Groves Girls.  Especially with a busy mama.

I feel guilty when I am not with them, but I remind myself that the reason I came down here for three weeks was to get a lot of work accomplished.  I would have felt even more guilty had I left my family at home while I was here.  So, we compromised... I bring sitters to help while I work, and then I get to be with them sporadically during the day and always in the evening and at night.  Again.. we all win.

I know I'm on the right track because I get signs all day long...

All of those were in one day.  Just sayin.

Yep.  I am feeling confirmation that all this work I am doing to move toward individual and business coaching, with an emphasis in the right brained learner and artistic expression is on track. It's heavy duty stuff.  I am blending my John Maxwell coaching information with my art and, really wanting to infuse personal growth, goal setting, and living INTENTIONALLY.  How does that sound?!

And my girls are getting as much of me as I can give them at this time.  I am so happy I get to be their mama.

MO

At the beach. Day one!

Finally, I have beach pics!  And for anyone who has driven down to Gulf Shores, you know that this tunnel is the first sign that you are getting close!!

The traffic was horrible.  But the girls were so excited to almost be there that they were about to burst.

JinJin was already facetiming us by the time we were stopped at the first farmer's market.  She was cracking me up at first...

This is how she initially facetimed me... only a sliver of her sunglasses were showing. Old people and technology.  Don't mix!
(and I speak from personal experience!!)

So, this is our first stop.  It was for our fresh tomatoes, flowers, and peaches.  We always make this stop on the way down.

Mary Allison posted this picture on her instagram with the caption, "James Who?"  Get it?!

You know... cause it's a giant peach!  Duh.

Excuse that quote.  It was on my phone, and it fell naturally in the middle of these uploaded pics... sooooo.... It's good though, isn't it?!

After Todd sent me a mushy little text, MA did this, and I sent this pic back to him!  We sorta like talking all lovey dovey in front of her to make her gag and all.  We do that exact same thing to our girls.  Is that wrong?!  haha

We weren't there for more than 15 minutes, and they were already begging to go to the pool.  We let them head down to the pool with their sitters, and Mary Allison and I went to get the groceries for the week. (Oreos, Doritos, Pizza Rolls, and cereal.)  We knew Todd would redo the whole grocery trip when he arrived anyway.

Would you look at Ellie Sue's neon toes?!  She is so cute sporting that new hairdo too!!

Gabs is trying to copy her big sister's pose here.

Back in December, when I came down to the beach to recover from my hysterectomy, we took this picture with Ellie Sue wishing she could go to the beach, but it was just too cold!  She was headed down to the indoor pool... in her Uggs!

Fast forward five months... and in the same swimsuit...

Miss Prissy is now going to be able to swim her little heart out!

with shorter hair and new footwear...

And I am just going to throw it out there that we have been seeing the "11" of the hour ALL DAY LONG!!  I am now just in a habit of screenshotting it or, as in this case, taking a pic of the time on the oven.  I love it that I "feel" Jake here at the beach.  He loved it here!!  We still have a few of his things at the condo.  A Shrek frisbee, a diaper, and a cup he used to use.  I LOVE having those.

Swimming.  At last!!

Did I mention we brought new sitters this year? !  I met these girls only recently.  But after a week with them, let me tell you... I have GOOD intuition!!  They have been great.  They, not only help me with the  girls' baths and lunch, but they also go the extra mile to play hide and seek, ride up to the front of the resort for ice cream every day, and go up and down from the condo for every little thing... like, "I want my turtle float!"  or "I need my fringey, tie-dye cover up."  (Bet you can guess who that one comes from!)

So this is Alex.  And the blond is Sarah.  They just graduated from high school, and I'm telling you.. I hit the motherload with them.  My girls love them already!

Oh... AND they write their names in the sand,

make them into sand mermaids, and take them crab hunting.  

Pretty much perfect sitters.

We'll be saying bye bye to Todd and Mary Allison tomorrow.  They're heading back home.  Tomorrow is MA's birthday, and she wants to truck it on down to Baton Rouge and turn 19 with her college buds.  Todd is going to work a week, then come back in a week when our usual beachy friends, Paula and Johnnye, and Linda Lou and Emma Lou and the whole crew will be down here.

We'll be down here holding down the fort.  Making memories.

MO