I'll start with my iphone photos because they usually turn out better anyway ;)
Charlotte checking out her room for the week where she did NOT spend much time sleeping at night.
We all loved getting lots of baby Madison snuggles :)
William was obsessed with his special loft with a little nook.
Your grandfather must be pretty cool if you dress like him!!
Always a good time on the Never Rest
William - 4 years old, Charlotte - 15 months, Ann Torrence - 11 months, Madison - 6 weeks. This picture bring me so much joy! Being an aunt to my Annie girl and baby Madison is such a gift. It's a pretty incredible experience to do parenthood with your own siblings. Sometimes it's still shocking that me, Julie and Douglas have our own children. Weren't we just small children eating ice cream sandwiches and counting stars at Jan Jan and Sam's beach house on Thomas Drive?
My whole world minus their Daddy ;)
My favorite memory/moment of the week was walking on the beach with William, just the two of us, talking about the gulf, sunsets, sea life, and anything else his curious little self wanted to discuss. He seemed so young and innocent...hope I never forget those moments with him.
William was so sweet with Madison! He protected her from the toddlers, Charbaby and AnnieT, who have no concept of personal space or the delicateness of a newborn ;)
We had a fun morning hanging out with Shaw 2nd cousins, Lula and Eden. William is majorly out numbered!!!
Seeing my baby brother become a Daddy is pretty special.
Charlotte was busy, busy, busy the entire week! She never lasted more than 30 minutes on the beach.
Now on to the pictures from my big camera...
Waking up to the gorgeous blue, sparkly gulf made these kiddos HAPPY!
Just building forts with quite the view
When we arrived at our house for the week, I spotted these beautiful shutters and knew I had to attempt to snap some photos in front of them with my sweet little subject!
We managed to squeeze in one more wear in her size 6 month bubble from last summer.
These two baby girls are hilarious together. They mostly ignore each other unless it's to fight over food or a toy.
My timid girl in the foreground and wide-open boy in the background. Charlotte likes to stick pretty close to her mommy ;)
William soaked up every bit of beach life. He woke up early ready to swim in the pool, only coming out for a meal, then he'd spend some time on the beach, and he usually ended the night with crab hunting on the beach. Any bit of inside time he had was spent cornering an adult for some quality one-on-one time. He's quite the social little guy! Speaking of meals, Juju cooked an amazing meal every single night! We all got spoiled with her good cooking.
Flying a kite
Tired beach babies
Had to include Annie sucking her thumb. Baby angel owns her Aunt Caca.
Madison got a nice first dose of Shaw family "vacations." Poor thing was probably worn out from the chaos, although she slept better at night than her big cousin Charlotte (insert eye roll).
Uncle Ahdah and his girls
Blue eyed, blonde haired salty beach boy!
He enjoyed yachting life. He recently when to Ahdah's company hunting camp. There happened to be an old fishing boat there. When William got on the boat, he quickly asked "Where's the bathroom?" Quin has set the bar high for boating experiences...hahaha!
Wish I could wake up to this gorgeous view every morning.
Jan Jan and Sam joined us for a day! We loved getting to experience babies at the beach with them. They got a taste of the chaos and had flashbacks to their own 8 grandchildren at similar ages...and I thought 4 children was tough!
Baby Katie aka Madison.
William turned into a little fish this summer! We are so proud of him for learning to swim with no floaties! He did a couple of swimming lessons before we left and figured it out on the first day there!
This boy LOVES his Daddy!!!
Jan Jan loves to swim so William soaked up the opportunity to have a new swim buddy.
Big Lee came down with Jan Jan and Sam which was a HUGE treat. I have to share her comments on an instagram photo describing William and Charlotte. "Charlotte's piercing, sweet blue gaze; her gentle, quiet, perceptive spirit; her sly smile; her long, talk drink of water frame; her winsome personality; and her love of her brother and mommy and daddy--these are things I keep returning to as I relish my time with y'all."
"And I keep thinking of games I wanted to play with the intoxicatingly ebullient Willy. He's so much fun --creative, rowdy, boyish, kind-hearted, twinkling, and delicious."
She captured my two children's personalities SO well at 4 years old and 15 months. She's pretty talented!
Juleann Flowers Torrence, Juleann Shaw Blount, and Juleann Torrence Blout (3 namesakes)
BLOUNTS
These two love their Aunt Birdie a whole lot.
The way they look at each other makes my heart flutter.
And Lee's comment about Ann Torrence..."Her sturdy little golden brown body; her smile that occupies a square mile; her robust, jolly nature; her emotional intelligence and awareness; her intense focus on tasks (ok, on eating), and her outgoing personality." She nailed it on her too.
My babies just chillin'
I was really hoping to take some family pictures on the beach but it didn't happen this time.
It was the most fun (and exhausting) Shaw family trip we've ever been on! We made some beautiful memories, and I'm already dreaming of going back! Thank you Mom and Dad!!!!
