The Akins: May 2010

Pier Park Candy Shop

They wanted to try everything and touch everything

They loved the rides. Callie was screaming faster, Em was trying to be brave, Cade just laughed!

St. Andrew's Beach, FL

Beach Babes!!

Em wanted to help Callie with whatever it was she was trying to accomplish but Em just doesn't listen to big mama and big mama has a problem with that.

Oh but they love each other...

Once again Cade was a wild man in and out of the water

Some of my faves...

Sand Castle Queen

Callie tells her daycare teacher everyday "I go to beach! and I go big boat!" and so she asked me if we went every weekend and I had to tell her "nope, it was just one time." She's a little like her dad with her embellishments...

It's Not Funny Cade

After playing at the beach all morning like a wild man, Cade woke up from his nap with a pretty high fever. I took him to the walk-in clinic and, 2 hours later, he was diagnosed with Strep throat. Of course I felt like the worst mom dragging him to the beach and ignoring his subtle signs that he gives me when he is sick. Until, I was checking out, writing a $234 check, he grabs my leg and I look down and he hands me his popped feeding tube that he had broken in the split second I wasn't watching him. I'm not going to lie, I wanted to punch him. But I remained calm and tried to figure out where we could find a children's hospital and fit an ER visit in our trip. I quickly decided he would have to suffer with a broken tube (he did it ya'll!) and we would get a new one when we got home. And you know he didn't mind at all... he's Cade!

Coffee Anyone?

The girls provided some cheap entertainment for each other while they waited for Cade to wake up from his nap.

Dolphin Cruise

Amy had been on this dolphin cruise before and we thought the kids would like it. You sail and search for dolphins and it wasn't long until they appeared. They gave us Cheetos to feed the seagulls and of course my kids ate the Cheetos before they could feed any seagulls.

Callie loves Mayme

Looking for dolphins. Callie was yelling "tum out dolphins!!!"

We found a couple swimming along and it was pretty cool. We had a heck of a time keeping the kids on the boat as they wanted to climb over the rail and swim with the dolphins.

Mexico Beach, Florida

Amy and Michael wanted to take a vacation before Michael had to leave. They decided to go back to Panama City where they used to live to check on their house and see some old friends. We tagged along so Em would have some playmates. The kids reactions to the beach were priceless. I loved every minute of it even though it was not relaxing. Cade was trying to drown the whole time and seemed to think that was hilarious and Callie was so fun to watch. She kept saying "I beach, I beach, sand, water, I swimming, I beach!!!" and she still does when she looks at the pictures. Em was content to just play in the sand. It has taken me so long to post because we took 400 pictures on this vacation and I had lots of sifting/deleting/editing to do (its hard work editing me in a bathing suit out of every pic!)

Cade would drop to his knees and crawl backward into the water, just like a turtle. He left distinctive tracks and he did it every time, in and out, in and out...