Most years we go to Fripp Island, SC in June with the Dupree family for a little beach vacation. It started off as something fun and different to do, and it's turned into a summer tradition! The kids love "souf carowina" :) This year we went June 15-22, 2013 and we always stay at the same house on the beach...Rock Beauty Rd.
Our view from the porch. The tides in SC are a little extreme, so it's fun to figure out when high tide and low tide are each day!
The deer at Fripp Island are so awesome. They just come right up to you and they are EVERYWHERE! They boys love seeing and feeding them!
Mike feeding a deer on the porch. We had a few that were our "regulars."
Grandpa and his grandsons
And Grandpa with his granddaughter :) Aidan was 4 1/2 yrs on this trip, Roman was 3 and Saylor was 16 months. I was 5 months pregnant with baby #4 :)
Golf cart rides...we did this 50% of the day
One of the parks the kids love! I love this series of pictures: the boys do this thing they call, "teamwork together" where they put their hands together and then throw them up in the air and then hug. It's so cute!
"Teamwork...
together!"
They're best friends (even if I have to remind them of this fact every now and then!)
Everyone looking for alligators in one of the ponds
This kid...too cute
Roman has figured out that since he's a boy, he can pee anywhere at anytime. This poses a problem when in public. Grandma is helping explain to him why boys can't just pull down their pants and pee at the park ;)
Saylor in the very swing where she had her first swing ride a year ago :)
Aidan swinging
I love that smile and those cute teeth!
Roman, looking extremely uncomfortable lol!
I make the boys take a picture with me like this because we have one of us for every year that we've come, so in my mind we have to reenact it! Roman is having the time of his life :)
Say taking a stroll with her Grandma
My true love. Sounds cheesy, but it's so true. Blessed to call him my husband :)
Can she get any cuter? I love, love, love having a girl!
Saylor is like Aidan when it comes to water...no fear and she's obsessed with it
I wish I could freeze time...
My handsome Romie...he's my "all-in" or "all-out" baby, and his personality is as big as the ocean!
He loved the waves!
Aidan is a fish...
a cute fish :)
Aidan is my water baby! He wanted to be in the ocean or the pool 100% of the time!
These next few pictures show why girls with big brothers grow up to be strong. Take 1: trying to get all 3 of them to sit for a picture (this was impossible...I'm pregnant and had a lapse in memory!)
Take 2: Roman has a stronghold on Saylor, who is dunked when the wave came. Roman looks un-phased while Saylor is...
mad. At this point she's probably thinking, "I no longer need y'alls help!"
But they are such awesome big brothers that they will always help Say :)
Saylor recovering with Grandma after her traumatic dunking :)
D-I-V-A
All boy...sand isn't the same without cars to play on it!
Boys love to dig holes
My hubby and my 5 month pregnant self
Mike drew the state of GA and marked Powder Springs in the sand. Majorly talented :)
"Teamwork...
together!"
This picture makes my heart smile
My boys
Take 1: the prep
Take 2: take-off
Take 3: flying
Take 89: flying...again...daddy got a workout that day :)
Hey little stud
I can't express how much I love these boys the Lord has blessed us with! They are a handful and crazy, but it's SO fun being a "boy mom!"
And I've learned that it's also super fun being a "girl mom" too! Thankful I got the opportunity to raise both.
Ice cream...this was a daily adventure also
Saylor takes after her mama...sweets lover
This picture is hard to see, but it's daddy and Say on the back of the golfcart waiting while we look for alligators
And we actually found one!! This one was huge. It was so cool.
The boys looking at the alligator
Hello mini-Josh...mini-Josh #3 that is. I have discovered after having 3 kids that my husband's genes are EXTREMELY strong and all 3 kids look identical to him! However, I do have one claim to fame with our kids: the Rogers' toes live on. Yes, my extremely long feet and even longer toes are equally as strong as Josh's "everything else" gene...so he may have their whole body, but I got their feet :) Maybe, just maybe, #4 will look like me lol!
Romie feeding the deer
Another park we went to a lot!
This must have been after dinner because Say looks done haha!
When we need a moment, we let the boys watch a show on the iPhones (no judging...you moms out there know you do this too!! jk :)
Relaxing
Haha, this picture looks fake! It's real :)
This huge buck was one of our "regulars!"
Mike feeding it from his mouth...he can now check that off his bucket list :)
I obviously just got out of the shower and ran down to pet the buck...but it was really neat! Aidan loved it :)
Dupree Family at Fripp Island, SC 2013:
Mike, Josh, Emily, Aidan, Cathy, Roman (I love that he's wearing his doggy slippers!), me and Saylor (not pictured baby #4!)
Our sweet family of 6 (it's funny, when Josh and I got married 7 years ago we never would have thought we'd have 4 kids! Glad we trusted God's plan and not our own ;)
You can't go on a beach trip without an appearance of MONSTER BABY!
Monster Baby is chasing the boys!
Say relaxing next to Grandma. Girls are so easy...they just sit. They actually SIT STILL. It's a nice change of pace when I'm used to constant motion :)
This guy is too cute
Brothers: built-in best buds
Siblings!
Our fam
I love this picture. She's exploring God's amazing creation.
Daddy's girl
Pool time. Another series of pics :) The kids loved having the pool in our backyard because we went from the beach, to the pool, to the golfcart, to the park, then to the icecream shop :)
Where's Say's head? She went through a phase of sleeping like this. Freaked me out the first time I discovered her!
Watermelon time! Another tradition. Can't go to Fripp Island without watermelon.
I love when they all play nice together (in reality, this is rare lol!)
Biggest brother helping Say out!
This is a face we see all the time...Say sucking her fingers :)
And here's another one...Say smiling :)
Our Fripp Island trip was so much fun! We went to the beach everyday, then we hung out at the pool. We went on tons of golfcart rides to see all the wildlife there (alligators, birds, crabs and the crab dock, tons of deer, etc.), and we took the kids to the parks pretty much everyday too. Ice cream trips became a daily thing and we ate an insane amount of food while we were there! From lobster nights to steaks, watermelon and tons of fruit, cakes and pie, ice cream, etc...it was so good! One day the girls (minus Say...sorry Say!) went to Beaufort to go shopping and eat lunch, which was a lot of fun and a nice break, and then the next day the guys went golfing. Overall, it is a really fun week to just relax and play and make memories. The kids LOVE it there (Aidan had his entire room packed up 2 weeks before we left!) and they really look forward to it every year. We are beyond blessed to be able to go on a fun trip like this and we're even more blessed with a wonderful family (on both sides!).
Next year will be fun if we get to go again because we'll have a new addition joining us!! Boy or girl? We'll find out November :)
God is so good. All the time. Even in the struggles and the valleys. And also in the abundance and mountain tops. Always. Always good. Always loving. Always faithful. And for that we will forever praise Him.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." Psalm 136:1
