South Padre Island vacation

Well, I loaded up my 7 kids, my sister, her two girls, and my mom for a fun-filled drive down to the tip of Texas. Nothing says fun like a 12 passenger van filled to the brim, right? Followed by a week in a hotel, I might add, and the 10 hour drive home with a bunch of sunburned kids.

Actually, it turned out to be a whole lot of fun, especially for the kids. The undertow was pretty strong for most of our time there so we weren't in the ocean as much as we had anticipated, but the pool got a good stirring from our group. We also had a great day at the Schlitterbahn water park.

Shout out to my sister, Paige, for the photos, since I managed to forget my camera every day.

What a smile, Alex!

Emma getting ready to hula.

I love this smile, too, Vera.
Yeah, and that smile, too.

Mr. Cool in the shades. Peace, bro.
Anna, before the big braiding began.

Alex and his first girlfriend...cousin Chandler.
Vera was thrilled to be on a boat...seeing dolphins later was a bonus. It's a shame he's not any cuter, isn't it?
Song and Shelby at 'their' spot in the hotel restaurant where kids eat free!
Anna and Shelby after the braiding...aren't they cute?

Let the sunburns begin!
Chandler, Luke, and Anna on the fireworks cruise.

This is a treasure; a pic of Luke without him flashing a peace sign. Do they look like trouble, or what? Actually, there was very little trouble on this trip and the kids are already hoping for a different trip next summer. Of course, we will have added Dean by then, so we can't fit in the 12 passenger van anymore. I'll bet we could have fun in two cars going to the Rockies...right guys???? Somewhere cooler?