Florida

Loooooong overdue pictures from our lovely family trip down to Louisiana and Florida.

Swimming at the Ft. Polk pool. Can you tell which baby is from WA?

Ah, nothing says, "vacation," more than a couple puke bowls and lying on the couch all day. Clare got a nasty bug at Ft. Polk and unfortunately I think we dragged it all the way to Florida with us and poisoned the ENTIRE Herring family (there were 109 of us there!). Puking and diarrhea picked off a couple new people every day for the whole week we were there. Fortunately it was a 24-hour thing for most people. Ick.

Tom's Grandma Herring, upon seeing all the family and friends who had gathered as a surprise for her 90th birthday and celebration of her departed husband's memory. We prayed a family rosary and had a special Mass celebrated at their parish in Panama City for this occasion, then gathered for the rest of the week at the beach.

Grandma and Jamesey Boy

Clare found a hermit crab

Andrew got nicknamed the "Baby Beluga" during our week at the beach. He took many naps under the umbrella on the beach while everyone else played in the water or built sand castles.

Sunset view on the beach right outside our condo

Aunt Monique and baby Trey -- she got to be with us the WHOLE week!

Our wild woman climbing the pier

Grandma in 7th Heaven playing in the sand with her grands. The kids had SO much fun with their cousins!

Grandma and Grandpa Herring with all their grands in one place -- albeit not all happy to be there at the same time.

Taking a walk on the pier

A gator in Thomas and Mary's back yard. Just kidding. It was at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, where we stopped and played for a couple of days on our road trip back from Florida to Louisiana. What an awesome place! We decided that it is somewhere we definitely want to go back and explore more without kids someday.

Best buds Dom and Clare. We miss the Beuschels!