Ft. Walton Beach 2023, Part 1

We spent the second week of August at one of our very favorite places, Fort Walton Beach! We left early Saturday morning to make the 13 hour drive. 

We thought it would be fun to stop at Buccees on the way, since the kids had never been to one before. That ended up being a mistake because the place was insanely crowded- so stressful and took up so much time. Oh well, at least they got a picture with the beaver. 

The kids did awesome on the drive, as usual. 

We made it!

We unloaded, changed, and played at the beach for a bit that evening. 

The next morning, the kids were ready for a beach day!

We spent the morning playing in the sand and the waves. A perfect morning- except we had a grocery delivery debacle so I spent a lot of time on the phone, We got it all figured out though, and it's hard to be stressed with this view. 

The kids played for several hours, we breaked for lunch and then headed back to the beach for a little bit that afternoon. 

We enjoyed a seafood dinner at Floyds, a long standing tradition. 

The wiki sticks are the kids favorite part. The all you can eat shrimp is the adults' favorite part. 

Afterward, we played a round of Goofy Golf. 

It's still crazy to me remembering back to thirteen years ago, when I visited Matt while he was working on site, and we played Goofy Golf for the first time. It felt like a far off dream to bring our future kids there, and now we've done it countless times. 

The next morning we ate breakfast on the balcony and headed back down for another morning at the beach. 

The girls competed in a sand baking competition. 

Samuel worked on a sand castle, and Nathan spent most of the morning riding the waves. 

 

Samuel and Elisabeth worked for hours on digging a swimming pool. 

After lunch, we took a break from the beach and visited the Gulfarium. We've been coming to Fort Walton Beach for years, and had never visited. It was fun to do once. 

The dolphin show was a highlight. 

The Sea Lion show was cute too. 

This girl was in heaven getting to spend a whole week with her Daddy. They're obsessed with each other. 

Nap time for the otters!

These two got to see their favorite animal. 

After the Gulfarium, we ate a delicious seafood dinner at Stewbys. Then we changed and took our annual beach pictures. 

NINE Years Old

 Elisabeth Kae,

 You are nine years old! You are growing and maturing into a strong young woman right before our eyes. At nine years old you are confident, bright, thoughtful, opinionated, encouraging, outgoing, and a leader. You are continually learning how to use your leadership and confidence in a positive way.

I'm continually amazed at how easy it is for you to talk to strangers, make phone calls, meet new friends, and try adventurous things. I've rarely seen you nervous or scared of anything. You face life head on. It's one of your greatest strengths. You also love to argue and persuade others. You push our boundaries, but even though it can be challenging to discipline and train you, I can already see the asset your strong will and perseverance will be to you as you grow up. 

You consistently look for ways to serve and help others by cooking a meal, baking a treat, serving with preschoolers, making get well cards, and helping your siblings. You're not a huge fan of daily chores, but if there's a need in your friend circle, you jump right on it. Anytime anyone in our family is sick, you think of the sweetest ways to serve them- making them a card or craft to tell them you love them, bringing them their favorite food, etc. 

You have remained consistent in your gymnastics and are continuing that this year. You're also a member of American Heritage Girls, participate in AWANA and are looking forward to playing basketball this winter. You thrive on competition and growth and turn everything into a competition. You like to win!

Your best friends are Sarah, Elise, Ilona, Nora, Audrey, and Kaydence. It's interesting to me how you play with each of your friends in unique ways. You can flex the way you play based on the personality of the friend you're with. 

Your favorite things to play are putting on shows and concerts. You also have gone through a Calico Critters phase (especially when you're with Kaydence). You'll pull out Legos pretty frequently also. Occasionally you still play with the play kitchen and make elaborate restaurants- same with kinetic sand and play doh.

 Another favorite thing of yours is listening to audio books on your kindle. You are always listening to a book (usually a repeat). Your favorites are Land of Stories, Vanderbeekers, Penderwicks, Percy Jackson, and anything by Beverly Cleary. 

Your favorite foods are spaghetti carbonara, popcorn, and french fries. You are a fry stealer and would prefer fries over most sweet treats. 

Elisabeth Kae, it is an honor to call you my daughter and an absolute joy to watch you grow, learn and mature each year. I'm proud to be your mom and so grateful for the front row seat I get to watch you flourish.