Last days before school started

Beautiful Panama City Beach sunset

So we went on one "last hurrah" before school started- and it was so much fun!  We met PawPaw, Pam, Emby and Taylor in Panama City Beach to enjoy a few more days of the fun summer before we buckled down for the start of 1st and 5th grade this week.  We packed a lot of fun into a few short days and really enjoyed ourselves! 

The cousins enjoyed a nightly crab hunt- Harris and Taylor were fun to watch.  They really commited to tackling those crabs!

In addition to the nightly crab hunts on the beach, we also had a lot of fun in the pool, on the beach and playing in the waves.  Saturday, we rented a pontoon boat at the state park and went fishing, snorkeling, caught tons of sand dollars, sea urchins, etc.  We also got to ride go-karts which was really fun too (unfortunately I don't have those pictures- they're on Doug's phone) but the kiddos (and grown-up kids) loved it and did 6 fast laps right across the street from our condo. 

Madeleine came over to visit for the day and Wrenn had so much fun playing with her!

There was a "boys vs girls" sand castle building contest- the boys won, but mostly because the judges thought the girls could handle the loss better!!

And, of course we ate like champs!  Tons of snacks on the beach, boat and balcony obviously.  Then there was the pasta cook-off which was delicious!  Doug, Gretchen (who visited from Gulf Breeze with her daughter Madeleine for the day), the kiddos and I were the judges- and i have to say I feel somewhat guily always being the recipient of all of this delicious food while I don't contribute!  There was some stiff competition this time, but Daddy squeaked out another victory with Pam's pasta in a close 2nd place- MB only got one vote (mine) but it was delicious and I even ate it for breakfast one day too!  Then on the final night, we did "make your own sushi" which I think was a big hit - not to mention delicious also!

the boys judging the pasta cook-off

the pasts cook-off- yummy!

"Make your own sushi" night was also a lot of fun- and delicious!

Overall a wonderful get-away with family right before the craziness of school started- made some wonderful memories and had so much fun!

not the best photo- but just to prove that Doug and I were actually on the trip too!  (and had a great time)