Our first official vacation

Sadly the headline is true, this was our first family vacation that included all of us and wasn't us just moving across the country.

After picking up Eric's kids on July 23rd and staying the night in a local hotel, we took a vote on whether or not to stay in our current hotel or spend a little extra money and get a condo on the beach in Bon Secour, AL. The kids first vote was to stay in our current hotel as we were just minutes away from anything and everything (shopping, beach, water, activities)...and they could use the extra money to do one paying event. And because I am a tight wad with money my initial vote was to stay in our current hotel too. But after a long drawn out debate we decided to go to the condo on the beach.

The black triangle at the bottom of the map is where we stayed

We stayed at the Gulf Shores Plantation which is located directly on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico just eight miles from Alabama's historic Fort Morgan. The amenities at our Gulf Shores resort include one indoor pool and six outdoor pools along with whirlpools and saunas. If you are looking to stay active we have lighted tennis, basketball, and shuffleboard courts, and an exercise room. For the golf enthusiasts there is a putting green to sharpen your skills for one of the ten nearby courses. Enjoy a BBQ with the family at our outdoor charcoal grills and nearby horseshoe pits. We also offer unlimited free wireless Internet access and a gated entrance with 24-hour security.(above description copied from their website)

Our unit was in the best location on the property (my opinion of course) and was a two bedroom, two bathroom unit that slept 6....of course we are a family of 8 but came up with some pretty creative and comfortable sleeping arrangements! We sat in between two outdoor pools and close to the indoor pool/ sauna/ game room. The basketball courts, volleyball courts, and cafe were extremely close as well, not to mention it took us about 2 minutes to walk to the beach.

The first full day we were at the condo (Day 2) we decided to have a beach day. The night before I had stocked up on tons of sunscreen varying from spf 30 to 110 and stated multiple times to everyone to make sure they apply sunscreen on OFTEN as they didn't want to get burnt the first full day and then have the rest of their vacation ruined. Thankfully I was smart enough to also purchase Aloe because all the boys, minus Joey, came back fried! The common theme of all the burnt boys was that they trusted Joey to apply their sunscreen. I wish I had gotten pictures of all of them because they each had various burn patterns. I do have a picture of all of them, shirtless, playing video games, but lets be honest...if I post it, you will no longer have any posts to read! We later discovered that the sunscreen we had purchased would force air out but no sunscreen, so those who were applying the sunscreen to others truly believed they were fully coating them from head to toe.

Our view

Day 1: Playing volleyball in the deep pool

Day 2: I don't want to get up!!!

Day 2: Beach day

Day 2: Jordyn

Day 2: We must swim after a morning at the beach (deep pool)

Day 2: And don't forget night swimming!

Day 3: Good bye Bon Secour!