Ormond Beach

We took our first family vacation as a family of six!  There was a lot of luggage, a long drive, but SO worth it!  
We decided to go to Ormond Beach in Florida.  Colten really wanted to go to the ocean again, and Onah and Marie had only been to the ocean once in Liberia and Izzy never had, so it was the perfect choice!
It was a week of no expectations, no stress, no agenda, lots of rest and relaxation...then reality hit...WE HAD TO GO HOME!  haha  Every good thing must come to an end right?!
My favorite quote from Matt was on the way down, I believe we were in 3 hours of our vacation and Colten had asked if he could have some kind of candy or something and Matt said, "We are on vacation, the answer is YES!  All week YES"  I think he wanted to eat his words the next day!  There were lots of 'wants'.
A few highlights from our trip...
--All the kids were buried in the sand at one point and could not move.
--Colten learned how to body surf and skim board.
--A new family member...Ormond Slider Lee...the turtle
--Betty's pies...yummmmm
--Hershey's Ice Cream...double yummmm
--Discovery Center Marina and seeing the dolphins
--Cable...the kids were excited to watch 'real cartoons' in the hotel
--New friends...one couple found a sand dollar for our kids on the beach, and one of the hotel employees "Nancy" was our adopted Grandma for the week!
--Herding Onah into the hotel while he's sleep-walking (I've never laughed so hard!)
--Putt-Putt with the pirates!
--Walks on the beach collecting shells
--The kids loved sitting in the hot tub like all the 'old people' :)
--Izzy learned if she flashed a smile at the lady working the front desk she'd get a sucker!
--Catching fish for the pelicans with a net
--naps on the beach
--football in the pool

So many more things to mention, but let's face it...you've stopped reading and have scrolled down to find the pictures :) haha  So here they are....

And here is why Matt drives during the day and I take the night shift!...

All week while on vacation Marie says at least twice a day, "Mommy, I wanna go home!"  
When we finally pull into the drive I say, "Marie...we're home!"  She says..."That was fun!  Mommy I wanna go to the beach!"  ugh, such a girl! :)

Izzy...Spoiled?...Yep!

Now that Onah and Marie are in school part of the day Izzy and I have alot of time together just the two of us.  I enjoy the time with her so much but I must admit she's getting a bit spoiled by all the attention!

 We visit daddy often for lunch...

 No having to 'share' mommy with Marie...I think this is what she loves the best :)

 I did make her pick up a part time job!  You have to earn your way around this house!

 Of course she likes to play with Marie's toys while she's at school...no one to stop her :)

Oh and then there's the shopping!  She tried on these boots and said, "I sparkle mommy" haha!  Telling her we weren't buying them and making her put them back about broke her heart!

Fire, Smores, Night Sounds

Cooler weather means campfires!  Oh how we love a good campfire.  There's nothing like sitting in the dark staring into a fire, eating gooey marshmallows surrounded by chocolate and grahm crackers (better known as smores), talking with the ones you love, and listening to the sounds of nature...need I go on?

Here are a few photos of our first campfire of this season...

 All my kids like their marshmallows burnt, black!  Just like their daddy...me golden brown all the way!

 Marie enjoying her smore, and yes she is in a tumbling outfit, it's her usual attire these days!  She thinks she's the American gymnast Gabby :)

 Izzy loves her some chocolate!

 All that chocolate wears a girl out!

 Snuggle with the one you love and enjoy...

How did he grow up so fast?!

Superhero Night

So the kids filled the marble jar...again.  This time their reward was "superhero night" (Onah's suggestion)
We all had to come up with our own costumes and super hero names.  I must admit I was dreading it because there was a stipulation that I would have to wear tights, but I must admit it was a pretty fun night.  We laughed alot! (And NO you will not be viewing any photos of me in tights!...sorry, no laughs today!)
Here are the kids in disguise....

 The "Izzinator"  She was fierce!

 "Cheetah Ninja" Glad I didn't have to fight him!

 "The Princess" Don't let her beauty fool you!

"The Hulk"...Yes he was original!

We had several battle rounds but the championship round came down to "The Princess" and "Cheetah Ninja"...

Look at that stare down!  This was no joking matter...the winner was (drum roll) Cheetah Ninja!

But of course his father "the mattinator" had something to prove and took the title away form his 7 year old son.  So the reigning hero in the Lee house is the "Mattinator"

Creation Museum

We had a nice adventure with Grandma and Grandpa Huff to the creation museum!  My favorite thing about the museum is the gardens!!! 
Wow they were beautiful!  Wish it was my backyard :)  The kids loved the petting zoo the best.  The actual museum part was a bit over Onah, Marie, and Izzy's head.  Colten was able to learn a bit from the experience but it was hard to corral 3 other little ones while trying to explain things to Colten.
It was a great trip though and I loved spending time with my parents!  We had a great little picnic and were able to spend most of the day together...and my sis came along too, so that was a treat as well!

 Matt was loving the dramatic poses...Love dad's face :) haha

...and we rode dinosaurs!