We had such a grand finale to 2025! All 20 of us traveled to Destin, Florida to finish out the year, and ring in 2026!

Yes, the house was ginormous – 8 bedrooms (including two dorm type areas that contained most of the grands), 9 bathrooms, two game areas (including a pool table), great community/kitchen space and double dining tables. Every bedroom was used, and I believe that every area was enjoyed!
Oh – and did I mention a heated pool and hot tub?

There were a lot of us – 4 couples (ages 44-75) and 12 grands (ages 20 months – 22 years). My heart was overflowing with thankfulness and joy as I watched everyone playing together. The old with the young. The bigs with the littles. Cousins who don’t see each other very often became good friends. Older siblings had stories to share and us “seniors” just sat back and watched all of the beauty unfold!
You know, with 14 cell phones taking pictures, there are oodles to choose from. So in an effort to keep this to a reasonable length – here are just a few!

The weather was on the cool side – but the heated pool never failed to bring happiness!


and the hot tub

always drew a crowd! (Gary and I even indulged a couple of evenings – but no photographic proof of that!)
There were puzzles


and games



and toys for the littlest one!

We enjoyed lunch out on New Year’s Day

and a sunset bonfire on the beach earlier in the week.

(Yes – it was a chilly night, but still so very much fun!)
We had a photoshoot on the beach, too! We haven’t gotten the proofs back from that, but here’s a shot of Toby working hard to get all his kids to look at the camera!

(Another chilly day (and man, was that sand cold!), but we all just pretended it really was beach weather!)
And speaking of the beach – the weather wasn’t especially cooperative, but there were still a couple of beach-day attempts!

“Don’t go out too far – we’ll lose you in the fog!”
And finally, a beautiful clear day to play in the surf and sand.



We ended our week with our traditional “Heads in a circle” photo (or oval as it happens these days).

(All the grands, in birth order!)
Which is needing a taller and taller ladder each time!

It was a fabulous week! Oh, there were a few glitches – a bad toothache, a trip to urgent care, a delayed arrival due to some health concerns, and perhaps a few too many coughs and sneezes – but nothing that couldn’t be overcome (or at least lived with!).

Some of the sweetest words a Momma (or a Gramma) can hear are “When are we going to do this again?”  My heart is full – and the calendar is already marked:  December 27, 2028 – January 3, 2029.  (Lord willing, of course!)

Man, I love these guys!

More pictures, you ask?? Of course! You can check them out HERE if you’d like!

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