Bruceville: Galveston, 2014

So yes, we headed back to our quiet neighborhood in the south at Pointe West Beach Club. We had such a great time. We had a bunch of family meet up with us down there too and it was great just to get away from the 'grind'. We headed down on the Monday of Labor Day and stayed until Friday. This was perfect because we still had the weekends at home to prep or unpack.

Emma and Maggie did great. That was what surprised me the most... how much easier they were this year versus last year. Billy and I think we've hit a new chapter with them (although still challenging in some ways) but not as demanding as those younger years. Or the gear that travels with them. Yes, we still needed a pack-n-play for Maggie but Emma slept in a bed at the house. No one had to be carried to/from the beach and they carried their own toys. They had such a great time and exhausted themselves everyday. I know there's plenty to do down in Galveston, but we didn't really want to sightsee. The girls loved the beach and we had to make our annual visit to Gaido's. My Dad, Stepmom, sister Meredith and her sons were there with us and it was neat to see three generations at a place I remember as a child. Meredith reminded me that she remembers going there with our Grandma on our Mom's side so its actually a 4th generation tradition!

We didn't see any jellyfish this year. Emma was not happy about that. There was way more sea weed. I wasn't a big fan but the kids didn't let it bother them. They did get the beach cleaned up on our last full day there so that was nice. Honestly, I prefer the seaweed over jellyfish any day! We had bought some beach tents for the trip but someone had left a huge canopy on the beach that we commandeered. It allowed the kids to dig while still being in the shade. We also visited one of the fresh fish shops one day and got some yummy shrimp and red fish to cook up at the house! (Thank you Patty!)

All in all it was a great time to get away. I am so grateful we got the chance to do this and that we were able to visit with family in the process. Just for future reference... I did enjoy being beachfront like we were last year versus closer to the walkover. But the house layout was way better in this house than the last one. Here's just a small sampling of the pictures I took.