Redneck Riviera Reunion

Webbs reunite!

July marked the culmination of more than a year of planning when we boarded a plane for Panama City Beach, Florida for a Webb Family Reunion!  The first and only time I have been able to get together with all of my cousins since we've started having children was at Granny's funeral two years ago.  We loved spending time together so much that we promised to plan a reunion in the coming years, and we pulled it off!

Every member of the Webb family was in attendance for at least a few days, including 9 kids ages five and under, and three more babies on the way.  My cousins and I have clearly been busy procreating these past few years.  It was great to have so many kids around to entertain each other and a good time was definitely had by all.  We spent the week relaxing on the white sand beaches, playing in the pool, eating delicious seafood, and shopping at Pier Park.  Virginia loved her cousins so dearly and is ready to do it again in 2014!

Bedtime stories with Mimi

Our little daredevil road the bumpy banana boat in the Gulf with 5 crazy male cousins.

Virginia and her Lair cousins enjoy a family dinner.

The cousins enjoy the musical talent in the family.

The oldest cousins hit Pier Park amusement rides.

Anna and Virginia on the Pier Park carousel.

Webb women -- Janet, Suzanne, Leslie, Leesy with Virginia, Jenna & Anna.

Mom and daughter on the balcony overlooking the Gulf.

Virginia loves her Aunt Liz & Uncle Dave!

Chaos ensues when you try to photograph 9 kids under the age of 5.  We managed to squeeze 8 of them in this shot!

The moms to be were surprised with a baby shower at the beach!

Virginia Turns 4!

The Candy Man Can.

This year, Miss V turned 4!  How time has flown!  We hosted a Candyland-themed birthday party at our house in Alameda for a lot of her friends, complete with a bouncy house and a candy-themed soundtrack.  Virginia helped me prepare for the party by making lollipop bushes using hundreds of Dum Dums.  It was a surprisingly fun project.  We were thrilled that Mimi and Papa were able to make the trip this year to celebrate too.

Showing off an almost Pinterest worth table.

Princesses like candy, right?

Isabel, Johnstone & the birthday girl.

Virginia chose a Safeway cake again this year, with her favorite colors - orange, pink, & purple.

Friends ready for cake.

Blowing out the candles with friends.

Waiting for cake!

Having a blast in the bouncy house.

New bike from GayGay?  Amazing!

Post-party fun with Mimi.

Easter 2013

We spent Easter this year close to home and I'm happy to report that the Easter Bunny was very good to our little one this year.  Virginia had a blast searching for the eggs in the front room of our house, and we followed up our morning egg hunt with another egg hunt at St. Clement's Church after Easter morning services.  We also made a cameo appearance at Claremont Country Club for their Easter activities, where Virginia enjoyed a visit with the Easter Bunny and a few kid-friendly activities.  We were then treated to a wonderful brunch at the Harvey household, where Uncle Biggie and Miss V got into some typical trouble.  Happy Easter to all!

Easter loot.  The giant orange egg was a big hit.

Easter Bunny got a little tricky and hid some eggs in someone's dollhouse.

In her Easter best with Daddy at church.

Egg hunt glee!

Happy Easter family.

Looking spiffy with GayGay and PopPop.

Another family shot (and a close-up of the purple hand-smocked dress that I used to wear as a child!)

Snuggles for the Easter Bunny at Claremont Country Club.

Fairy princess making balloon animals?  Score!

Balloon animal pink & orange butterfly.  Double score!

Silliness with Uncle Biggs.

Biggie & Thomas raided the coat closet at the Harvey household in an effort to come up with the wackiest and most outdated outfits.  Time for a trip to Goodwill, we think!

Kissing Cousins!

Virginia loved spending time with her cousins Anna and Jenna last summer in Alabama, so we decided it was time to visit them again since they live relatively close in San Diego.  They've had an addition to the family since we've seen them last - little Jon David.  So, when Southwest had a fare sale, we jumped on the chance to go down to SoCal for a weekend jaunt.

By now, Virginia is a master traveler, so the 1 hour 15 minute flight to San Diego with her is just a breeze.  We grabbed a rental car and set our sights on Sea World!  We met Suzanne and Jonathan and their kids there and had so much fun.  The cousins took to each other immediately and spent the day playing, holding hands, hugging, and occasionally looking at sea life.

With SeaWorld penguins:

Riding Elmo at SeaWorld:

Spinning ride with Mommy, Anna, and Virginia:

One of many hugs with Anna:

Another hug with Jenna:

Girls dance to Sesame Street:

Fast friends Virginia and Anna:

Thomas, Anna, and Virginia pretend to be polar bears:

Showing off for the fishies:

Virginia never turns down a chance to hug a baby!

Checking out Shamu and eating an ice cream:

After SeaWorld, we took a break and then met up later in the Gaslamp District for dinner with the cousins.  With four hyper kids, our table was a handful, but we had a ton of fun:

Silly girls:

We stayed at the Omni Hotel adjacent to Petco Park.  Thanks to all of Thomas's work travels, we had free nights to burn and the hotel even upgraded us to a suite.  Virginia loved the free chips and salsa the concierge put in our room on arrival, and the milk and cookies at night were even more exciting!  Here's little V jumping on her big girl sofa bed:

Sunday was Mother's Day, so we spent a little time walking around downtown San Diego together before meeting up with the Lairs later in the day.

Thomas had to leave the trip early to get back for a trial the next morning, but Virginia and I stuck around for one more evening and went to Coronado with the Lairs for dinner.  The girls played in the sand and we all ate at a BBQ restaurant on the beach.  What a weekend!

More silly girls on the beach:

BBQ dinner with the Lairs:

Virginia had to get her hands on Jon David again!: