Unforgettable...

Every year since I can remember I have spent my summer vacations at Panama City Beach. It has been a family tradition to go to Big Grandma's condo and enjoy the sugar white sands of the panhandle. Now that she is gone my parents have kept her condo and my children get to enjoy going to Grandma & Papa's beach.

The anticipation usually builds about six weeks out. My Nathan's smile is a little bigger and he starts announcing "Only____more weeks until we go to the beach!" Now as for me, my anticipation usually begins about two weeks out. I start pulling outfits from the laundry and making my to do list, always checking it twice!

Nothing was different about this year. Well, that was until we actually got to the beach. It started with Taylor and ended with Nathan. Fortunately, I escaped without injury! You see we made the six plus hour trip to the condo. Spent Saturday afternoon at the pool, went grocery shopping and couldn't stop talking about how none of us could believe we were actually there.

Sunday was spent as usual. We piled in the van and headed to church. After church we took a ride up the coast, spent the afternoon napping and then watching the sunset as we walked on the beach. Ah, this is the life and vacation was finally here!

That is when it happened...it was just after midnight when I heard my Taylor call my name. "Mommy, I NEED you, Mommy!" she said. Then the words no mom wants to hear, especially not on vacation! "I'm gonna be sick! HELP me MOMMY!" she screamed.

Why is it that little ones always want their mommy when they are sick? Is it the way we pin their hair back in a ponytail to keep it out of their faces? Or could it be the way we rub their backs as they are worshipping the porcelain throne? Maybe it is just knowing that there is no other person (well maybe Daddy) in the entire world who would literally take away all their pain and experience it them self if it meant that their baby wouldn't have to suffer! To this day I still want my mama whenever I am getting sick.

Kaitlyn followed around 2:00 a.m. Taylor spent the rest of the night and all of the next day not feeling well. With dry clean only comforters on my mom's beds I made sure the girls stayed clear of them. I didn't want any accidents. Kaitlyn got sick that once and we thought she was fine! A couple days had passed so when she asked to take her nap on "Papa's Bed" I said sure. Taylor was still recuperating and Nathan was being such a sport and offered to stay in the condo while I laid out by the pool that afternoon.

Two turned into three and three into four. "Surely they can't be still sleeping." I thought to myself. Four turned into five and so I decided I better head upstairs and relieve Nathan. Our condo is on the second floor right next to the stairs so it is faster to take the stairs. As I was walking up I heard my Kaitlyn-Baby crying. I assumed that one of the following had happened: 1-Taylor took something away from her 2-Nathan had gotten on to her or 3-She didn't get her way.

So you can imagine my surprise when I walked into the condo bedroom to find her sitting on her "Papa's Bed" covered in her own vomit. Yes she had gotten sick all over her Grandma's dry clean only bed spread. The next 24 hours were spent with trips to the dry cleaners, spray-n-wash and then the laundry mat all along worrying about how the heck I was going to clean this mess.

Thank heaven for my mama! She always knows what to do and even more importantly...what to say when I'm at my wits end. I couldn't have done it without my daddy either...he is always there when I need someone to cry with!

Thanks to my wonderful husband my days were spent by the pool and do to my motherly instincts my nights were spent pulling up ponytails, rubbing backs and wishing I could take away all their pain.

My little sister, Jamie came to visit with her husband, Jeremy and children Ashley, Ethan, Hayden and baby Brice. They joined us on Friday. The cousins had a blast swimming and playing with each other. Nathan and I enjoyed a date night and I thoroughly enjoyed just being around my sister! I cherish the time I am able to spend with all of my brothers and sisters! Especially at the beach where it brings back so many memories! No tears were shed when we had to leave even though at that point everyone (well everyone in my little family) was feeling better. It was time to get back to life and back to reality!

So vacations are supposed to be unforgettable well that is exactly what this vacation was...unforgettable!!!!