I never finished my posts about Florida. Basically we  hung at the beach. All week.  BEST.VACAY.EVER. Wait, no… my cruise with Sei was the best ever, but this is the best vacay with the kids.

We got to go out a couple of times sans kiddos for some adult conversation… Here we are at Pompano Joe’s with my parents…

And I still need to make a montage of Alec and Sei skimboaring…  I should have it up by next vacation.

All thru out the week Sei kept calling the hotel in Biloxi to see if they had found Livie’s missing blanket.  Then one  morning, at 6:42 am, Sei’s phone started ringing. It was Jessica from the hotel. She was getting off work at 7 am, but wanted to call to let us know she had FOUND THE BLANKET!! She had searched in the laundry and asked the head housekeeper if she had found an old blanket. The lady said, “No, but I found this…” and held up Livie’s poor, abused, but dearly loved blankie!! Jessica even took it home to wash it. You have to understand that this blanket is IMPORTANT. All thru out the week Livie cried to go home and cried for her “white blankie.” We had bought a replacement pink blanket and it worked for a lil while, but it wasn’t the same…

So, on the Friday we left to head home, top priority was going to the hotel in Biloxi to get Livie’s blanket. She was so happy. And if you look at this pic I look like I’m on drugs. I’ll never tell if I actually was on  drugs or if I was just worn out… It’s funny how on “vacation” you are so tired and worn out. Sei and I didn’t even make out the entire trip. Seriously. I wish I was kidding. 

Anyway… that’s the story. We had a great trip. Livie got her blanket back. We didn’t beat or lose any kids. We made it home safely. It was awesome and I can’t wait for next year when we go to California baby!! (We must be insane.)

….So, where was I? Ah, yes… I was at the beach. Everyday. For hours. It was so wonderful. That’s what we did the entire week. The resort was nice with a little village that had a park with swing sets and slides. We did visit the Gulfarium one day which is like a very mini-Sea World. The kids- especially Liv- loved the dolphins and petting the sting rays. We also ate great sea food, but I don’t really like fish, so I got more chicken than anything. We went to this cool restaurant called Fudpuckers. Yeah, say that fast 3 times…  They had alligators in a swamp area right there surrounding the restaurant. Taj pet an alligator and then 6/7 of my kids and 1 sister got to take a pic with an alligator with Kelsea holding the head, Taj holding the belly and Isabel with the tail. It was really neat. Later Taj and Livie fed the alligators with a fishing pole. Most of the alligators were so stuffed they ignored all the dangling meat, but Livie and Taj actually had a biter!! It was really a fun nite at Fudpuckers…

I attempted to skimboard on the beach. Yeah… I suck. I tried though, even after biffin’ it good a few times. And I pulled my groin muscle too. One time I fell so hard that all the kids came swimming towards me “Mom are you ok?!?!” Soooo embarrassing – especially since I wasn’t even hurt. They all thought I hit my head, but I only hit my shoulder blade. Then I noticed the people sitting near us on the beach were being entertained with my falls. Not cool. I should have faked like I was knocked out and floated out to sea…  I didn’t do too badly a few times.

Sei already knew how to skimboard- of course- and was bustin’ 360s. Alec was awesome too. He skimboarded all week with Sei and by the end of vacation could do a 270. I LOVE watching them interact together. They are like twins in the personality department for sure.

And Omar- I already told you on Twitter, but I had to let everyone else know that you were remembered while on vacay. Tristan bought Crocs- and we all know how much Omar LOVES Crocs.  Tristan picked some out and said, “Now I can have Crocs like Omar…” Thanks for setting such a great example Omar by wearing, to use your phrase “The Mullet of Shoes.” (*rolling eyes*)

During all this beach and skimboarding and eating Sei called the hotel Biloxi where Livie left her blanket and spoke to a few different people. Finally a girl named Jessica took an interest and said she’d check with housekeeping and search in the dirty towels… More later… I still need to tell y’all the crab leg story too…

Livie has a favorite blanket. She’s had it since birth. She sleeps with it and will not allow another blanket on her. If I try to use a different blanket or double cover her, she sits up and says, “Oh no. Oh no…” like a worried old lady, as she pushes the wrong blanket off. She only wants her what-used-to-be-white-&-plushy blanket. Now’s it dingy and gross. I try to wash it on a regular basis, because she drags it around everywhere. But it’s tricky. I have to wash it before her nap or right after nap so it’s nice and clean for bedtime. Somedays I end up having to wash it twice.
Well, I got tired of it, so I bought another blanket that is white (kinda- it’s actually an off-white…) and plush. I figured I could sneak it in at a nap or bedtime while the “real” blanket was in the wash. Yeah… nice try Tori . Today we laid her down for a nap with the fake blanket because her real blanket was washing. She cried and yelled for half an hour while her blanket finished washing and drying. Sei took her real blanket in, she threw the fake blanket out and promptly laid down to go to sleep. Weirdo.

The real one

The fake one

Can you tell them apart???