We got home on Sunday from our annual trip to Matagorda with our friends, Johnny and Brandi. We had such a great time, and Eden and Ila were SO BUMMED when we had to leave. There were tears!
It's so nice to go down there and relax, and I tell Dustin every time we're there how much nicer he is when he's in Matagorda versus home! Haha! But he is... he's so relaxed and in his element surrounded by water, boats, and fishing!
And Eden is definitely in her element down there too! She is a SALT WATER BABY, for sure! Most of the time, she's a mama's girl, but when we are in Matagorda, she forgets I'm alive, and all she wants is her daddy, to be on the boat, and to go fishing!
Our little family made the two hour drive down on Thursday afternoon, and Johnny and Brandi and their kids came on Friday.
(We stopped at an HEB on our drive down to load up on groceries, and there was a pink race cart. We've never seen a pink one at any other HEB before, and Ila started yelling and squealing as soon as she spotted it!)
Anyways, we got to Matagorda on Thursday afternoon, unloaded our stuff, and decided to go for a boat ride. Since our friends hadn't arrived yet, Dustin had to put the boat in the water by himself. I am of ZERO help to him when it comes to that, and he keeps saying he'll teach me, but I'm too nervous to back a truck and trailer into the water!!! EEK! I also have no idea how to drive a boat! So he drove the truck, trailer, and boat from the house to the boat ramp, unloaded the boat, tied it up, got back in his truck and parked the truck and trailer, then got back in the boat and drove it to the house, tied it to the dock, and then I drove him back to the boat ramp so he could get his truck and trailer. He says he can't wait until Eden is old enough to help him since I don't! Haha!
We cruised the river and went out into the gulf.
We went back to the house, Dustin made steaks for dinner, and we all went to bed early because Dustin and Eden had to wake up bright and early to go offshore the next day!
This was Eden's second year to go offshore, and she amazed me once again! When I crept in to wake her up at 6, she popped right out of bed and couldn't wait to get on the boat! But first I made her sit patiently while I put nearly an entire bottle of sunblock on her little body!
Johnny and Adrianna arrived, and they all set off for a day of fishing!
Meanwhile, I waited for Ila and James to wake up, and then we spent our morning playing in water, drawing with chalk, and watching boats go by on the river.
I think the first time we went down to Matagorda for an overnight stay was when Eden was two and I was pregnant with Ila. I've sat in the same chair and turned on the same sprinkler and taken the same pictures for five summers now. It's just that the kids get bigger and every couple of years we add another one! :)
Ila played well all morning, but around lunchtime she kept asking "When's Eden coming back? When are we going to the beach? When's Eden coming back? When are we going to the beach? When's Eden coming back? When are we going to the beach?" We went inside for lunch and TV and for James to take nap, and a little before 2, the fishermen (and fisherwomen) arrived back!
She spent seven hours out on the water, and she was good to go! I would've needed to go take a nap, but not her!
Brandi arrived during the fish-cleaning, and once they were all done with that, we got in the boat and went to the mouth of the river and let the kids play on the bank.
Ila and her amazing Godmother, Brandi
The kids fell into bed exhausted that night! Success!
Saturday was our beach day! Dustin is the best person ever to take with you to the beach because he goes all out! Giant speakers for music, tents, a grill so he can cook, etc. He also made ceviche the night before, and let me tell you... I was in heaven that afternoon as I sat on the beach watching my children play while eating ceviche and drinking champagne!
But poor Ila, man... She was more excited than anyone to go to the beach, but she had forgotten one important thing about the beach from last year. It's salty. As soon as the first wave splashed into her face, she was done! She freaked, she cried, she complained. There's a reason why most of the pictures of her are of her ON THE SAND, because that's where she was happy. She tried a few more times to get back into the water because she wanted to be with Eden, but every time water got anywhere near her face, she started screaming and crying again and insisted on being carried to shore! Like, very dramatic, she absolutely insisted on being carried.
All in all, a very fun morning and afternoon though!
We headed back to the house around 4:30, quickly got cleaned up, and then went by boat to dinner.
After dinner, Dustin took the boat out into the bay. We were in Matagorda during the whole "Mars will be gigantic this weekend" thing, and the bay gave us the best views of the full moon and Mars.
post dinner sno cone
Both Ila and James fell asleep on the boat on the way back to the house. Ila on my lap, James in Adrianna's arms. :) :) :)
We left on Sunday, but both girls wanted to play outside and fish one more time first!
And thus concludes another amazing weekend in Matagorda! It is our dream to own our own house down there one day so we can go ALL THE TIME, and I really hope we can make it happen!
