Yay Family Pictures

Yay for a beautiful beach and a beautiful sunset and most importantly yay for a beautiful family!!! Please enjoy and let me know what you think!!






















My momma!!



The love of my life!!








And my favorite one of all:





I hope all of you have a great 4th of July!!

Still dreaming

My grand plan of blogging every day while we were on vacation fell way short and I apologize. Who ever knew that having all 5 (really 6) of us on vacation would take up more of my energy than I ever thought I had. So in order to still keep dreaming about our wonderful Florida vacation I wanted to post some pics of our trip to the little marine park in Panama City. This place was perfect for a family with kids under the age of 4. It wasn't too big so they didn't get too tired and the shows were still small enough that even sitting in the back row meant we got to see the animal without binoculors. We saw all sorts of animals:

Dolphins that had been rescued and raised in this park.



Sea Turtles that were amazing to watch and HUGE!! I never knew they got this big.



My all time favorite animal: stingray. Look at his eyes, aren't they just gorgeous.



Chase got to pet one. Lucky guy!



Daddy and the girls waiting for a stingray to come swimming by.



This is Cosmo and I have to admit I am in love with this beautiful blue bird. He was just breathtakingly beautiful. This picture doesn't even do him justice! All the birds there were just amazing and I can't even imagine what it would be like to see these animals in the wild.



Ella and Chase watching the turtles and sharks swim.



This is what happens when you buy a certain little girl and corndog meal with cheetos.....all she eats is the tub of ketchup. By the handfuls!!


As we were leaving the marine park we saw a very long and scary looking pier. Ok maybe it was beautiful and maybe we had to stop and walk on it because really when are we ever going to see another one of those again? It was nice. I can say I did it and not have to do it again.



Hopefully tomorrow I will get some more pics posted from the rest of our trip. For now I leave you with my favorite picture of our trip to the marine park. I am a sucker for little baby toes in these precious flower shoes. I can't believe that my girls are both growing up so fast!! One turned 4 yesterday and one turns the big 2 in a week. Where does the time go?



Happy Tuesday Yall!!

Learning our lessons

Going on vacation is stressful no matter how far away you are going or for how long. Yesterday the kiddos and us adults, had a great time. Today we see that we maybe had a little too much fun at the beach. The adults are all sunburned and the kids are beyond tired. The waves and sun really take it out of ya!! That doesn't detract us from enjoying the time we are here. We enjoyed the beach again today but for far shorter time and with lots more sunscreen on!! We had a great time....ok maybe not great but needless to say we enjoyed it. Here are some pics!!




We are going sea shell hunting tonight after a great dinner of shrimp bisque and pasta and a wedge salad!! Yummo!!

Official Day One

Today marks the official day one of our vacation. We packed bags with toys and towels, sunscreen and swim diapers, sunglasses and hats, all to head to the beach. The kids played in the sand all day, and I mean all day. Chase rode the waves on his boogey board and learned just how powerful the ocean can be. I have to admit, so did I. Lots of big breakers that liked to suck you back before they let their white tops crash onto the beach. The girls enjoyed sitting on the edge of the beach letting the water hit them and letting it fill up their water pails. We all had a great time but the beach ate us alive today. Between the kids just playing for hours in the sand and sun and us keeping a close watch over their little bodies, we are exhausted. On a side note, parents if you are putting sunscreen on your kiddos, turn the spray can around and spray a little on yourself. I did spray some on, quite a bit, but not enough. The kids are fine but we are both fried to a crisp. I will be feeling the effects of this tomorrow and sitting under the umbrella ALOT tomorrow.
We came back to attempt to wash off all the sand that had accumulated in bags and in our swimsuits. I cooked a great dinner for Ryan for Father's Day and enjoyed some family time out on our deck. I told Ryan that I expected the same type of vacation for Mothers Day. I got a snicker, not sure how to take that.
I didn't take any pictures at the beach. I am saving those for later. Plus the sand is a booger and I don't really want it on my camera. But here are some pics of us enjoying some time outside after dinner.

This is what happens when you take your camera from the inside of the house to the deck...fog city!!

Hello my friend, I have missed you!! Celebrating our first day at the beach in style!

Check out the tan sunburn he is sportin' after today

Playing with some fishies that we caught...from Target


Tomorrow is back to the beach for a little while and then some pool time. We are hoping that we can sleep off our sunburns.....I'm not so sure that is going to work.  Happy Monday to you all!!

Upon Arrival

I wanted to blog every day of our great trip to Florida to ensure those memories are not lost in time. I want to recall them with the kids years later and still have those stories fresh in our minds. As well as allow myself a small sliver of every day to reflect.
We have made it to sunny Florida. It took us about 17 hours to drive in our minivan packed with every bit of belongings we would need for 10 days. The kids did amazing!! I really thought that they would fuss, not sleep, be wide awake, drive all of us crazy but they didn't. They slept and were calm. The roads to get here were fantastic and we had only one problem. One rolly polly of a problem that stepped out in front of our van with a semi behind us and one approaching us, we couldn't swirve. I have never hit an animal before so this was traumatic and thank goodness I wasn't driving. We said a prayer for the little Aramadillo that met God last night. It was hard to take his life, even if it was an armadillo. Other than that we had a great drive. I even got to see a Luna moth in action. If you have never seen these gorgeous moths, look it up. They are beautiful. I had no idea how many trees there are in Alabama. Once the sun came up, it was apparent that we had entered a gorgeously green forest. I have never seen so many trees on either side of me.



We stopped and ate in Birmingham. Which on a side note had a tornado that went through part of the city earlier this spring. We drove through that part of the city. If you have never seen what a tornado does it is the most gut wrenching, heart stopping sight you will ever see. Trees being twisted and houses completely demonlished, pictures don't even begin to describe what you see. It was the worst sight I have seen. I said lots of prayers last night for those who have been affected by all of them this spring. So sad.
We made it to Florida and drove over this gorgeous bridge to our little island paradise. Our pad for the week is not too shabby, ok its just drop dead gorgeous!! It is in this adorably cute, Floridian neighborhood. It is well...just take a look yourself.

Hello can you say this is the biggest bathtub you have ever seen!!



Look at this kitchen and all the open air!!



And the backyard, come on now!! A girl could get used to this.

We are in for a real treat!! Not taking a vacation last year makes this one so worth it!!
After we got all unpacked and discovered our new home, we all took so much deserved naps!! We went out to eat at a fantastic italian restaurant and headed on over to the beach. I wanted the kids to see it tonight. I wanted them to dream about their day tomorrow knowing exactly what it was like. My babies running into the ocean was just beautiful. Their childhood behaviors of running and screaming as the waves hit them, was joyous! They loved the ocean and its ginormous sandbox. We collected shells and wrote our names in the sand. We watched as tiny fish swam near our feet and were very careful when a tiny crab was washed ashore. My girls are in heaven and my boy, well, heaven isn't even close to how much fun he is having. He can't wait to dig and create and sculpt. As for my husband, my mom, and I, the ocean brings back those childhood feelings for us all. We all at one point were just letting the waves wash our feet and carry all the stress of our lives back out to sea. It was a beautiful moment.
I didn't take the camera so that I could enjoy without feeling like I had to document but let me tell you it was a beautiful sight. Now we're all off to bed to dream of our fun beach day tomorrow.

Summer Fun

We are on the official vacation count down and everywhere I look it shows!! our house has become the throw it where you want to because NOTHING is getting cleaned until Friday. Friday we get to finish packing, get in some tire-them-out-completely-so-they'll-sleep-for-15-hours swimming, grab a bite to eat, and head on down the road to our beach house!! We are so excited. So excited that Ryan is already packed. It is so much fun to get ready for vacation, especially a big one like this. All of the planning and shopping for items we probably won't use at all but MIGHT need. All of the dreaming of sand, shells, and suntans. All of the restaurant reservations that get made and dog kennel reservations for our babes staying at home. And of course there is the beauty appointments because who can go to the beach without a new hair do, some new toes, and of course, some new fingernails. Even the males in the house are getting in on the primping routine. Again, it is so fun!!

We took some time off last night to enjoy a baseball free night. We headed out to our favorite shopping grounds to enjoy the great night and get a little wet. I know I have my camera on hand a lot of the time and for the most part it is just a way for me to capture their lives right  now. But from time to time, when I look through the lens it takes on a whole new meaning. It is a way for me to see the kids as if I were in the picture with them. It is also a way for me to focus on one kid at a time, with all of their quirks and beauty. Last night was one of those nights. I even had to catch my breath and hold back some very well deserved tears when I looked through my camera.







There are times in our "parent" lives that we just can't wait to get them all out of the house and on to their  lives. Then there are those times that we want to grab them and run into a closet and hope time doesn't find us. They change every day and every day that I don't see that, I miss it. I didn't miss anything last night.



Fountains are truely the best thing for kids and shopping!





This is what happens when you say "let me just take one picture of the two girls"



Enjoying some yummy chocolate apple




Fathers Day Message to my husband:

Since we will be celebrating Fathers Day on the beach, I wanted to take a few lines to write about my amazing husband. You all know, from reading my blog, about how amazing my husband is to me. I want to focus on him as a dad. I just can't imagine having a better father, than him. But I have to divide this into two separate catergories.
From your girls: Your love for them is astounding and heart warming. There is nothing you won't try or do for them. You are gentle with them at times and others you are allowing them to stretch their muscles. You allow them to see you love your wife and you allow them to see your compassion for them. You're not afraid of ruffles, bows, or fingernail polish. You know that they need to respect but that they are also to be respected. I feel sorry for all the boys that come into their lives that don't have the best intentions. But for the man that each of the girls falls in love with, you have made it clear what it means to be a husband and a father. You are a true blessing in their lives and there will be no other love like yours!!



From your stepson:
Wow.....if tears could tell the story here!! You have been utterly amazing as a stepdad. You are there when he needs you most and there even when he doesn't. You are understanding of his quirks and loving towards him. You are showing him what it means to be a husband and a father. He is old enough to voice that and he knows just how lucky we all are to have you. Your ability to connect with him on every level is so fabulous to watch. He wouldn't be becoming the man he is, without you. You, my love, were an answered prayer for this single mom and my son is very lucky to have you as his stepdad.



Ok so I think that is enough for today. I hope everyone has a fantastic week and weekend!! I will leave you with some of my favs from last night....these are getting framed for the house!!