siesta key

first of all, this place is beautiful! the sand is cool and has the texture of flour. we arrived yesterday and were able to get in some time on the beach. austin wasn't so sure of walking in the sand at first, but as he got used to it, he had a good time. caitlin was fearless...she just marched right up the beach like she had done this her entire life. the same went for the water...she loved the waves and kept asking to go further and further out. to which we replied, NO WAY. they were both very good and stayed close to us...mom's recurring nightmare is one of them getting swept out to sea!

we all had an early bedtime last night (maybe we had "van lag"?!)...ryan and i didn't even make it to see michael phelps' last swim and that's what our goal was! sad!!! but after we put the kids to bed we sat out on our balcony, ate pizza, and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the gulf.

it is hot as blazes here! the water is perfect though & even when we're cooling off inside, the view from our condo is spectacular. ryan made a great selection...tons of windows and 3 balconies overlooking the gulf with no obstructions. we took some good sunset photos last night.

austin and caitlin built their first sandcastle yesterday. they were so cute!!! this morning we all took a walk along the beach and looked for seashells. they had a ton of fun. austin thinks every tall building in "the big city" is "daddy's work" which is pretty funny!

well, gonna get out and enjoy some more sun...hope the hurricane doesn't get us on monday/tuesday. they named it "fay" and they aren't certain of the course yet...stay tuned!!!!