1st Beach Trip

We recently took a day vacation to my favorite place on earth- St. George Island.  This was the kids first real trip to the beach. I was reminded of this when we turned onto the ISsland. They were all thinking similar things, but CJ is always the best to put it into words. He exclaimed, "Man! I have never seen such big houses!" Which was also followed by, "Look at all that snow." Between the laughter, I explained to him that the "snow" he saw was piles of sand dunes. Enjoy the pictures below. They are a glimpse into our fabulous family day.

 Our oldest 3

 This is why I call it heaven on earth...the beach is beautiful! 

 My loves :)

 Can't you just see the pride dripping off of that smile? 

 GG checking everything out

 EE played it on the safe side for a long time. She didn't actually get in the water until just before we left...and she loved it once she got in.

 My two snorklers

 Keeping up with GG was HARD work. He wanted to be in the water, but he is still wobbly so the waves would knock him down. He laughed the whole time, but we were steadily bending over to pick him up to repeat- over and over and over and over...

 Just the girls

 N didn't prefer the water...but he sure did enjoy digging in the sand.

 BA really LOVED the water. We had to keep reminding him of his boundaries because he wanted to slip off deeper and deeper.

 CJ braving it out to deeper waters like his big brother. 

 We finally thought to give GG a bucket. He sat down and played, much to our back relief!

 Me and the love of my life :)

 GG stayed a sandy mess! We would wash his hands off with water and within 3 seconds he would fall...we eventually gave up. He ate lunch and drank with sand covered hands. He didn't seem to care, but I was kind of grossed out!

 Best buddies

 Once the birds discovered we had food, they hoovered above- LITERALLY! I'm not sure how many came, but this picture only captures a few of them.

Enjoying the sand

 My beach bum

 CJ stopped played and asked me to take this picture of him. I guess it means he REALLY was enjoying himself, because he never does that!

EE cooling off 

Since our return from the beach, every day I am asked, "Mom, are we going to the beach today?" EE tries to con me into telling her an exact date that we will return. When I say, "No, we can't go today," she replies, "Well, how about tomorrow?" And the conversation continues until I finally say, "We will go again, but I am not sure when." I'm glad to see that they all enjoyed their time, and I do look forward to sharing the experience with them again. My favorite thing by far about going to the beach, is that it seems to give me amnesia...I don't think about anything but the moment, and that is priceless!

Wordless Wednesday

CJ's 5th Birthday

If I am learning anything as a parent, there is one thing I know for sure- the days can be long, the nights are definitely short, and the years fly by leaving you wondering where the time went. That's what I found myself pondering the other day when our second born turned 5. Where did the time go? Well it went one 24 hour period away, day in and day out. I'm learning to make the most of the seemingly short time we have with our little ones, to love the innocence of a child, and to laugh (and I mean laugh often!) CJ has been a child that has made us do quite a bit of laughing over the years, and I look forward to seeing how God uses his goofy sense of humor one day. We had a wonderful time celebrating the joyous 5 years God has given us with him. His day was a mirror image of the personality he shines everyday. He planned everything out- right by himself, and was adding minor (and some major) details right up to party time. Enjoy the pictures that summarize our day.

 Birthday Boy's Breakfast...Cinnamon rolls at his request

 Pizza Hut for lunch with our good friends :)

 Birthday Boy

 Birthday Boy & his proud parents

 CJ had a carnival themed birthday. He planned it all out, and had his favorite cake maker design this cake. Mrs Linda ALWAYS knows just what to do :)

 Here is a view of some of the games. We had bean bag toss, soda ring toss, Nerf gun shootout, balloon dart, and a bounce house.

 Eating with friends

 Anxiously awaiting to blow out his candles

 CJ with his presents

CJ with some of his friends at he party

HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY, CJ!

Wordless Wednesday

GG's 1st Birthday

Today we celebrated GG's first birthday. Exactly one year ago today, God blessed us with this beautiful baby boy.

 He weighed 9 pounds, 9 ounces, and he was 20 inches long...PURE SWEETNESS!

 Today we spent the day cherishing GG and celebrating the year of life he has been blessed with. When he woke up he opened his birthday gift from Dad and Mom. 

 After lunch GG had his first taste of sugar. (We are saving his cake for the big birthday party later in the week.)

 Here he is stuffing as much into his mouth as he can. I think it is safe to say that he likes chocolate chip cookies.

 Here he is after his first cookie. This is called the look of satisfaction with a hint of begging for more.

 He managed to eat two cookies and ask for a third. He did not eat the third one, but clinched it tightly. (You can see his prize in his right hand...smooshed to a hard ball.) He wanted to keep it, but he eventually gave in and handed over the last of the cookie so he could get down.

 Here the birthday boy is playing with his new water table. To say he enjoys it is an understatement. He splashed water everywhere and ended up completly soaked.

 I am of the belief that there is nothing more precious than a sleeping baby...GG is all tuckered out from the celebration.

 Here he is with his afternoon treat. He LOVED the watermelon! Perhaps later I will share more pictures of him eating it. He was NOT happy when it was time to go in.

Blessed parents

Wordless Wednesday

(Yes, CJ was the hair dresser!)

Sunday Scroll

"All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord."
Proverbs 16:2