Photoshoot on the Beach

I've wanted nice pictures on the beach together since I moved here almost two years ago.  The first step was getting  my husband here too, the next was buttering him up enough to do them without too much resistance!  Well we finally had nice weather, the funds and a great photographer so we made it happen.  We just happened to have a big family shoot with my husband's side of the family a couple weeks before these were taken, so my husband gets extra points for having to endure not only one, but TWO photo-shoots in one month.

The first ones we did with his family were very classic.  We had a lot of straight-on shots, properly posed and pretty tame.  The ones we did with just us two we wanted a little different.  We asked our photographer to just have fun with us and she really wanted us to just be natural.  Throughout our shoot we acted like ourselves and just allowed the love to shine through, no-holds-barred.  What we got was amazing and purely us in every way.

The fantastic photography by: Kiersten Grant Photography

I can't get over how lucky I am for this man to have chosen me.

As you can see we couldn't keep our hands off each other.  We kiss all the time and always have to be within arms reach. We've been like that since we first met, and I don't plan for that to change.   My MIL always tells me we look so in love in all our photographs, and after being married for almost five years I take that as the sweetest compliment.  These photos mean so much to us and they really capture our short but oh-so-sweet time together in Florida.

We're the best thing we've ever had.

McFamily Reunion: 4th of July

The last time all of the McVays were under one roof was Christmas 2011...crazy right?

Christmas 2011

My FIL leads a really busy life working in education along with my BIL, husband (up until this May) and I are all in the military so trying to coordinate 4 separate schedules around TDYs and deployments can be a daunting task.  Finally we all settled on the 4th of July for a reunion.  This is the first time since our niece was born that we've all been together in one place as a family of seven.

First my husband's parents came down a couple days early to spend some one-on-one time with us.  We took them surf fishing and paddle boarding, and they were even great sports about a 9 mile bike ride!

Seaside, FL

Seaside, FL

9 mile bike ride was easy for them!

Dinner on the bay

The evening of the 3rd, the rest of the clan arrived!  The next day we all hit the beach and we couldn't have asked for better weather.  Thank you hurricane Arthur!  We all got a little pink but the day was pretty perfect.

McFamily at the Beach!

We went later that night to Mexico beach for our firework show.  I think it was the first time for all of us to see fireworks on the beach, and from now on I don't want it any other way.

We had a beautiful sunset to watch before the show started.

Waiting on the show!

The next day the in-laws had arranged a photographer to take our photos as a family for my FIL as his belated Father's Day gift.  The photos turned out great! They are the first pictures Kit and I have had since our wedding and longer than that for the in-laws!  It was definitely worth the time and money for some great shots of the family.  We highly recommend Kiersten Grant Photography if you're in the area and want some great professional memories!

We're going to make some gorgeous babes one day <3

The handsome McMen

The beautiful McWomen

Then the "kids" decided to sneak away to Seaside for a few hours and to show Josh and Bethany around.  The sun was bright, the water was blue and the tacos were tasty!

The last day we decided to hit the water again, but do a little water sports too.  Especially since we still had a couple of people who needed a go at the paddle board and kayak.  It happened to be Bethany and Elise's first time in a kayak!  I really love that we're an active family willing to venture out and try new things.

Last year I was celebrating alone with my best friend Alex, fiercely proud of what my husband was doing overseas.  I was sad, lonely and way overdue to see my husband especially since many of his comrades had already returned home at that point.  This year I had the pleasure of feeling his arms around me while watching fireworks light up the ocean, and I couldn't have been more content/happy if I tried.  It's funny how things are always exponentially better when you share the experience with others.  This man proves to me everyday that life is just so much more with him in it.

Overall all it was so great to have everyone in one place and even more so at our home.  We haven't had many visitors this year, so it was nice to have the house full for once.  We all liked this so much that we may make this a yearly reunion.  Hopefully we all won't have to wait another 2.5 years to all be under the same roof!