Hey there, friends! Happy Friday to you! You know what's funny? It just dawned on me that today is Friday. Most everyone probably spends all week counting down to Friday, and here I am, not even knowing for certain what day it is. It's been a bit crazy for our family lately, so I'm hoping that my disorganization is justified. If today is Friday, that means that it's the freakin' weekend (as they say), and we're about to have (us) some fun!

Since this has been the summer of buying and renovating a new-to-us house (which we're yet to be living in), I have been looking forward to a vacation like you wouldn't believe! Last year, I was so pregnant with Baby C that being on the beach in a swimsuit was the last thing I wanted to do. This summer, I need a darn break. I need to see the ocean. I need to feel the water lapping my toes while I nurse a baby in my beach chair. I need to wipe the sand from my ten-month-old's curious mouth. I need to go to the aquarium for the 20th time, ride the ferry (rushing to catch it in time), play mini golf, make a run for donuts, hit the local bakery and coffee shop, buy Christmas ornaments in July, and do all of the mundane things we normally do on vacation which have become special to us.

My kids are going to whine that they're bored no matter what we do or don't do. We're going to fight crowds for groceries and a spot on the beach to plop our stuff. We'll bring too many sand toys, my husband will lose his sunglasses in the surf, we'll get wet in regular clothes when taking a sunset beach stroll past the baby's bedtime... and we'll make memories. It's a lot of work to take a family vacation, especially with kids (and a baby), but I would do it all over again every single time because the memories we make are priceless.

I'll take all the photos, and they'll be all the same ones from the year before- but everyone will be a year older, and we've added a new family member to our brood. Old vacations are made new again. Golly, I'm grateful. I hope your weekend is shaping up to be a nice one!