Fun on St. Simons Island

I love visiting St. Simons Island which is about an hour drive south of us.  It has that sweet beach town feel with shopping and dining, and it has a nice park and board walk area for a nice evening stroll by the seashore.  It also has a pretty lighthouse.  To top it off, it also has one of our favorite dining establishments, Mellow Mushroom.  So when I was picking a location for our family pictures to announce the coming arrival of baby number six, is it any wonder I chose SSI?  It was a lovely day in late September so the crowds were pretty light too.  If you are ever visiting southern coastal Georgia or just passing through on the way to Florida, SSI is worth a stop.

Evan posing for a picture in front of the pretty lighthouse. 

An evening beach stroll in the setting sun. 

These kids love the beach. 

Brody loved this whale sculpture.  He was holding the baby doll we use to introduce our younger kids to their new baby sister. 

No, they aren't supposed to climb on the whale, but who can resist?  

This Mellow Mushroom is fun for the kids as it has some neat sculptures from their favorite movies.  Nemo was a hit! 

And so was a cool Kung Fu Panda.  That used to be Evan's favorite movie when he was a toddler. 

Labor Day Weekend {St. Simon's Island, GA}

For Labor Day Weekend, Grandma, Aunt Naomi, "Uncle Scott", and cousin Grady made another visit for the long holiday weekend.  Although the skies were cloudy, the rain held off so we could enjoy a little trip to the beach.  We decided to try St. Simon's Island this time, and after all of our beach trials this summer, I do think this one will be our new favorite.  It is an island next to Jekyll Island right off the coast from Brunswick, GA about an hour south of us and has all the charm and amenities of a little beach town with shops and restaurants and some nice beachfront parks.  Even on a busy holiday weekend, it was still very enjoyable.  It definitely has more amenities than nearby Jekyll Island which is mostly a state park and private owned community.  I foresee us spending many more summer days here.  The boys had a great time playing with their cousin and Grandma all weekend and were sad to see them leave. 

When the family arrived, these boys just immediately started an epic pirate battle and enjoyed lots of play time together.  I love little boy dress play. Grady was Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates battling the mean old Captain Hook (Brody).  

The trapped Captain Hook on his "ship." 

The drive to St. Simon's Island is an easy drive south on I-95.  If you are ever passing through and see this exit for Townsend Road about 45 miles south of Savannah, you can remember that this is where Eddie works.  The Marine Corps' Townsend Bombrange is located down that road to the west of I-95 pretty much in the middle of nowhere.  I do appreciate the beauty of the marsh now with its tall green grasses and winding waterways stretching for miles.  The only "downside" is that sometimes it smells bad at night, but I am not often in these areas at night.  The coast tends to have more of a "fishy" smell in the evening at high tide. 

I love the twisty old Live Oaks that cover the road and island.  

We walked along the main street and looked at some of the shops on the way to eat lunch before we hit the beach.  Mattox and Brody were just loving these bubbles one of the shops had put out for the kids. 

Bubbles are definitely one of Mattox's favorite things right now...and one of his favorite words. 

Soccer on the beach is also a favorite with these boys. 

Cousin Grady and his mom build a sandcastle. 

I just love this sweet boy!  He looks so much like big brother Evan here. 

And this sweet faced baby too.  

I love watching my boys play together. 

Sometimes selfies are the only way I am in any of the pictures.  

Evan is just the best big brother in the world! 

Mattox enjoyed some bird chasing.  He was so cute sneaking up on them, waving at them, and calling them excitedly. 

These two are quickly becoming the best of friends. 

Grady wanted to boogey board like the big boys. 

Watching and learning from big cousins. 

Evan and Brody caught some good waves. 

Just hanging out in the water with my boys.  Grandma preferred sitting on the beach under a blanket mostly to avoid the sun. 

Trying to get a picture with all the boys isn't easy.  Grayson was missing from these.  

I was happy there was a Pelican Snoballs (a NC favorite) set up in the beach parking lot, and they had snowcream flavor!  Yay!   The next day, we ate lunch for my birthday before Grandma and the family had to leave.  Grady and Brody enjoyed playing together while Evan acted exhausted. 

Daddy got me a huge pink cupcake for my birthday and regular cupcakes for everyone else.  Brody was super jealous. 

Had to try for one more picture of all the boys with Grandma before she left.  Mattox was not being cooperative.