A Northern Belle in Boots: The Beach Trip 2020: Gulf Shores, AL

We went to yet another beach this year with The Dines and it was as big of a blast as it usually is! Despite the pandemic and wearing masks and not really knowing where this whole COVID thing was headed, we had a great time. This makes our fourth beach in four years. The jury is still out whether we might ever stop trying new ones. I think that largely depends on whether we find THE place to stay.

The weather was of course warmer than it is during spring break and we had a blast swimming and building sand castles and enjoying each other. I didn't read nearly as much this time because of a Pandemic Reading Lull as well as the fact that I spent a lot of time watching the kiddos play in the water. During spring break, there's lots of a sand play plus a little water play and this time was the opposite. I didn't want to miss a single moment of watching them in the water. Not because I was worried about them, but because they were always having such a good time, that I didn't want to miss the joy on their faces.

Every year, we do one Thing. A thing that isn't just sitting on the beach/in the condo/down at the pool. This year was a Pirate and Princess Breakfast our last morning together. It was a good time and I highly recommend it. Though, overall, I can't recommend Gulf Shores a whole lot. I liked the other three beaches we have tried more than this one. The condo building was fine, but the water was the least pretty, and the other people near us were less considerate, it seemed.

It feels like I took 1002 photos, but here are the "highlights." "" because I can't seem to pick fewer than what you're about to see, and it's still A LOT.

We buried Graham. He was the only one interested.

Kid looks good in a hat!

We built sand castles. Lots of them.

And then we knocked them down. (At least some of the time.)

We played in the waves, jumped in the waves, rode the waves, let the waves crash on us, and enjoyed floating in the waves with our bodies, the boogie board, the floatie boards, the tubes, and the Wave Rider (major points to Uncle Mike for finding and buying that gem!)

I realize Lilly Grace isn't my child,
but man is this just such a great photo.
I had to include it!

My three big boys road a "banana boat" ride that looks like a hot dog in a bun.

We worked on puzzles during down time and ate tasty treats!

My first ever Choco Taco.

Publix Cake will always be the best idea.

We lost a swim shirt to the roof of the building next door! (And then God provided us a kind gentleman in a cherry picker who got it down for us.)

We ate out at this place that serves the best fried shrimp in the civilized world (it was very very good!) and then later in the week, we dined with Pirates and Princesses!

Here are the requisite photos, so many of which turned out So Good!

One thing we did slightly different this year was read one chapter book over the course of the trip, instead of several smaller picture books each night. We would end the night with a child reader or adult reader taking turns across the chapters and read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory over the course of the week. (My first time ever to read it!) Of course, spending all day at the beach is exhausting, so we always had people asleep by the time the chapters for the night were finished.