Total Fail....

Well, I hate to admit that I've failed at something, but I have to do it....I totally failed at the "have a picture for every moment, document every step, and make sure you kid has a detailed picture account of everything they have ever done" kind of thing.  Yep...total fail....bummer....

This all comes from this past week.  The kids and I made the VERY long treck down to Florida to have vacation for a week.  This was not a normal vacation for me, this was one where I actually got to relax, WHAT???!!  relax on a vacation?  I know, I was surprised too!  We rented a house with a pool, and really didn't do a whole lot else!  We hit the beach twice and did some bowling and putt putt, but that was it.  And, you know what....it was glorious!!!!  It was Lainey's first trip (I assume) to the beach, so I know I should have gotten at least 100 pictures....but I got just these....

Lainey's first steps on the beach!

"Mom...we're staring at the sun!"

You know what I got instead?  I got to sit on the beach while Lainey exfoliated my legs with a sand massage, and I got to see Noah's dimples as he was riding waves in from the water, and I got to see Gavin with a bucket trying to catch fish.  We watched the tiny clams dig into the sand, we watched the birds, and we built some sandcastles.  All that I would have missed if I was trying to get those ever so important pictures!!

The kids spent most of their time in the pool so you would think I would have gotten lots of pics of that too....but again, I didn't!!  I got to relax by the pool and read and watch the kids play together without fighting, and I got to play many games of monkey in the middle, and watch Gavin throwing Lainey in the water.  We had popsicles in the hot tub, and played until our eyes were hurting from the chlorine.  I got a couple of pics....but the memories are so much better!!

We did other things and I did snap a few pictures, but mostly we just had FUN TOGETHER.  No, my kids will not have a book of pictures about the trip to the beach.  But, they had so much fun, and it was amazing to spend fun time with them without having to worry about anything or try to keep up with the other moms who were placing their perfectly matching family pictures on the beach up on FB....I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that!!  I just have realized that while I'm trying to get this "image" of this perfect family, I'm missing out on my perfect family.  My kids are awesome and fun and hilarious...and they are growing up way too fast.  One day they won't want to be thrown in the pool, and have movie night with popcorn and icecream, or snuggle next to me on the couch when they are worn out from swimming...and I think that day will come way too soon!!

She may or may not have been eating the sand...

So awesome to have gotten to meet up with another adoptive family!

FRO-YO Yo!

Yeah!!  Popsicles for breakfast!

Just a few others I managed to get...man they are awesome....

Had to share this creepy one...Lainey took a while to go to sleep the first couple of nights.  No crying or anything, just hanging out...creepily....




So, yes, I failed in the Pinterest-y world we live in...but the kids told me so many times that this was the "best vacation ever!", which means I guess I wasn't really a failure!  I need to remember now that even though we aren't on vacation, I need to enjoy them now, before they are too cool to hang out with me!!