Day 5

(Two stingrays....one is just under the white cap of the wave.)

(Samantha shopping at the outlet mall.)

(The alligators at Fudpuckers!)

(Nana farming her Farm Town...her favorite thing to do!)

(Sunset from our condo after it stopped raining.)

Last night and this morning there were some really bad thunder/rain storms. When Jeff and I got up this morning we sat out on the porch since some of the kids were sleeping on the couch. The storm brought in some sea turtles and sting rays! I was able to get a picture but they are kind of hard to make out from the distance. It was really cool to look at them through the binoculars.

Since the weather was bad we all went to the outlet mall in Destin. All the kids got new shoes from Mawmaw and Pawpaw. Most of the kids picked out shoes at the Nike outlet, Joe got his at Famous Footwear, and Samantha got a pair from Stride Rite. They also had a Ralph Lauren Children's store and I got Samantha a track suit. Jeff, Samantha and I all had a budget to spend at the mall and I did not find a single thing for myself, but Samantha managed to spend her whole budget!!!

We had lunch at Fudpuckers. It is a special treat for the kids because they have a huge alligator enclosure. They are only about 3-4 feet in length but it is neat to see them up close. Samantha was only able to take short cat-naps the whole morning and started to melt down towards the end of lunch. So we took her back to lay her down for a nap.

With all the storms, we had to bring the fun inside. So the kids, Jeff and I played a game called Fact or Crap. Joe killed all of us, by a lot! We had some left over lasagna for dinner that Tonia made for us...it was the best lasagna EVER!

Katie's birthday is next week so Jeff, Samantha, Jessica and Katie and I all went to the beach style souvenir stores. We ended up going to 3 stores to find all the goodies. Katie got 3 t-shirts and a necklace. We also got a t-shirt for Jessica since she has helped out with Samantha so much this week. And Jeff and I got new sweat-shirts...buy one get one free!

On the way back we stopped at the gas station to get me some ice cream...no reason for the cravings I promise...just a vacation treat! Then when we got back we found out everyone ordered a bunch of pizza so I will have to save my ice cream for later.

Bathing Samantha while on vacation and without a baby bathtub is beyond hard. We have tried bathing her in the bathroom sink, kitchen sink and tonight I just got her in the shower with me. All three are really hard but it is especially hard to shower with her when she turns into a slippery thing!

She is now sleeping peacefully and I think she will sleep a long time since she has not had any good naps. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a good night sleep!