Happy 4th of July and heading home!

By this point in our vacation we were staying at Bailey and Derrick's place, which was so much fun. They cooked some yummy food for us and had all of our favorite things all ready for us to enjoy! One night they even kept the kids so Joe and I could have a date night! (Mostly Bailey's idea of course, but Derrick kindly went along with it! ;)) This was essentially our last full day in Florida because we were going to head back home the next day. I really wanted to see where Bailey and Derrick would be getting married so I could actually see for myself, this amazing place that I had heard so much about! So off we headed to Santa Rosa Beach where Gulfplace is located. :) It is such a cute little area, with shops and fun, funky restaurants, swimming, awesome lodging, etc. Something I loved about it was that we could park our vehicle and literally walk everywhere--with two young children this is a huge treat!

Little shops!

Mermaid and Merman :)

after a yummy lunch!

Bass Pro Shop

Happy 4th!

We were able to attend a fireworks show very close to where we were staying. Sydney was completely excited--Gavin wasn't so much-especially after a few went off beforehand and surprised him. About ten minutes in to the show however, he did finally remove his hands from his ears and enjoy them.

We left the next day to head home for Kansas. It was bittersweet. It was so nice to be there with Bailey and Derrick and spend time with them. Even Sydney asked me before we'd even left the parking lot in front of their house "Mommy, does it make you sad leaving your sister here?" She is so perceptive that little girl of mine--she blows me away. Yes, it made me sad, but happy too...knowing that they are happy there together and making their home there, even if it is a temporary one. Plus, we'll be back in November. ;)  Anyhow, it was an amazing trip, one that we thoroughly enjoyed and returned with so many wonderful memories. However, as usual, it was good to get home and sleep in our own beds and see Maggie again (who didn't leave our side for days!)