9th Annual Utsey Kinlaw BHI 4th of July

say that nine times fast. 

i'm sad to say another 4th of july bhi trip has come and gone. post bhi depression has kicked in and we are all feeling the effects.

to make myself feel better i uploaded all the pictures i took and i've looked through them over and over. wishing we were still there. 

the week started off a little rainy and we were getting worried. it has never rained over our 4th week before and we were not used to having to stay inside and entertain 4 kiddos.

the natives were getting a little restless until haley brought out the water park!

still cloudy with a little drizzle but happy kids to be out of the house

van was so good with all the babies

Drakers loved the water

smiley drake

sweet finley

you knew finley was tired when he drank his bottle like this! so cute.

my sweet angel boy

even cloudy and rainy our view was beautiful

of course these two brighten every day. here they are watching Cars 2 for the 18th time that rainy day!

van entertaining "the boys" as he calls them. 

father/son bonding time

as soon as the sun came out we were ready to head to the pool. taking so many littles with us was an experience but we lucked out every time we went to the pool we always managed to find enough seats for everyone! (i don't have very many pictures of us at the pool because we were so busy swimming. these kids LOVE the water).

Rory on her 11 month birthday

snack time (again) this little girl was ALWAYS eating!

enjoying some shade (and pina coladas for mama)

daddy was a favorite playmate at the pool. 

this face gets me everytime. he is so much fun!

the day of the 4th is a busy one and starts off with the annual golf cart parade (this year our float was the house from the movie UP!)

all smiles waiting on van to go by in the float

Kelly & Monty

even Roxie got dressed up

Hal & Marcia

Haley & Finley

teething babies

Grey & Drake

Rory got a new bottom tooth and the beginnings of her first year molars

word of warning: DO NOT try to negotiate with pirates

they won't spray the babies BUT they will spray you! (and thanks because it looks like i peed my shorts)

there they are!

Van & Morgan inside the float

american boy

so blessed

american babies

Rory was on the go

watching Van play hide-n-seek

a great start to the 4th

getting ready to cook out. every year we have hot dogs and lots of apps and side dishes

sweetness. thanks Hales for capturing such a sweet moment

fireworks from our back deck

Southport

you can see several shows all along the coast

family beach time was our favorite

drake & finley's first time at the beach

van always moving

uncle zach teaching van how to catch minnows with a net

american girl

van pulled us around in this tube all afternoon

all our fun in the sun called for a little downtime

Cars 2

and more snacks

Hales and Finley

Grey & Finley napping in the best spot in the house

before we knew it, it was time to pack up and head to the ferry landing. none of us are really fond of goodbyes and it was a sad day having to say good-bye to all our friends.

but, it's never good-bye for too long. thank you so much kinlaws and todds for always making our 4th of july so much fun. we can't wait to twerk with you all next year ;)

#thankyouchampagne #iwaslikehello #bubbles