A First....

Our first family vacation...

...I could just picture it:

Pristine, white sand beaches, shades of teal waters and baby blue skies, frosty, umbrella-ed pina coladas and waiters named Sean Paul at my beckon call.....everything I dreamed of.


No wait.

Uhhhhh. Hmmmm. I forgot to add in a 14 hour drive with a 3 year old

and a 10 month old

and a 33 year old. Oh, and no childcare and a husband that would rather lay out at the resort pool and refuse to go to the beach, leaving me with two kids, a 50 ton wagon, a Cannon camera to take fabulous vacation shots, 1 bottle of water and sandy snacks......not to mention one child who wants to eat sand and the other who demands that I help him dig a 3 ft deep hole.

Ahhhhhh. Paradise.


Panama Beach, Florida.

It was beautiful. And much needed.

Going to the beach is not in any way an easy task with an almost four year old and a baby. In fact, just visualizing our entrance is a bit embarrassing--dragging towels and bags and sand toys, loaded up in a wagon that might as well be a 50 ton elephant; dropping random shovels and pails; steering a wandering child; hoisting camera cases and diaper bags, dodging "Mam, could you use some help?" offers with forced smiles and fake "No, we got this" responses. It's a lot of work. But then there's this.

And this.....

...which is undeniably worth it.







And it was. Worth it.



We got our hands......and snacks sandy.

We got our toes wet. And we made memories. And we laughed.

We only stayed a total of 30 minutes that first day, but we did it. We made a first. A first memory of Mommy, Bubba, and Sissy at the beach.




This photo of Shores of Panama by Oaseas Resorts is courtesy of TripAdvisor


The resort had EVERYTHING that we could ever want or need and made the thought of traipsing to the beach a hindrance. We decorated water bottles, tye-dyed Onesies, and painted "dead fish shirts".

We hunted for crabs. Every.Single.Night. We sang karaoke and drank expensive frozen drinks.


We played "Hot Potato" and "Got Yo Feet" until the sun went down and fell asleep with the smell of sunscreen in our hair.

And in the morning we woke to Taylor Swift blaring on the speakers.

Some days we slept til 10.......and some days we never even saw the water.

We played Putt Putt and Skee Ball, drove Bumper Boats

and raced cars, and dined on Dippin' Dots.

While Daddy went on a birthday-deep-sea-fishing-excursion

We had fun in the sun!

We shopped til we dropped, feasted on Parmesan Crusted Grouper and Tilapia Nachos,

and jumped in a 95 degree bounce house.




Took pictures of God's majestic backdrop and sat in seats too big for our britches!

We stopped for ice cream.......several times.





Some nights we stayed up late just so we could go " night-swimming".....

And the next day we slept til 10 and wandered out to the beach with our pasty white bodies and our SPF 90 to do it all over again.

The last day we stopped for one last glimpse of Paradise.

I grabbed my camera and my son and we ran down the sandy boardwalk so fast and jumped into the squeaky sand for one.last.money shot.

We bottled up sand and shells and all of our beautiful memories that day.

And now that bottle sits on a shelf to remind us of our perfect first family vacation.

10 Months

From Mother to Daughter: Shared Wisdom from the Heart: "Start now to be the kind of mother you always wanted to be. Don't wait until she's eighteen...Keep in mind that all she wants to be doing--for the greatest part of her young life--is what you're doing."








I love you, my little Happiness. From your giggles and snorts to your chunky monkey thighs, from your sweet smell to your pouty-lip cries...I love every bit of you.

You only nursed three times today. You will turn 1 in less than two months and I feel like I'm saying goodbye to all of your babyhood....one day at a time. It's like I'm trying to hold water in my hands...it just trickles through my fingers no matter how hard I try to keep it contained.


Rylee Love, you are trickling...

There will come a day when the grasp of your tiny fingers around mine won't take my breath away; when I won't stare at your pouty lips while you sleep. There will come a day when the way your toes curl when I tickle them won't send me into a fit of laughter or when the way you look at me won't make me cry. That day is not today, my Love.


We leave for our 14 hour drive to Panama Beach in two days. I have laundry to wash, bags to pack, presents to wrap, places to clean, lists to make...but I keep getting sidetracked. There's this little face smiling at me. Play with me. Read to me. Hold me.

You're good--really good. So, it's not that I can't get things done because you need me. It's me. There's this constant reminder in the back of my mind that tomorrow you'll be bigger. So, today I soak you up. I snuggle your sweet cheeks, drink in your sugary baby breath, and kiss the soft red fuzz on your head that will all too soon grow into real hair.

This past month has flown by, little one!!

You are eating anything and everything in sight! Scrambled eggs? Yes please!! Pork tenderloin? Bring it!

We had a follow up visit with Dr T. to check your iron levels again and sadly, my dear, you are anemic. We had to switch you from Polyvisol with Iron to a full on dose of straight iron every day. She also gave me the go ahead to pump you full of iron-rich foods. So, that we have!

You LOVE: salmon, tuna, red fish, tilapia, all red meat including meatloaf, all beans, chick peas, and spinach. You turn your nose up to baby food but will eat rice cereal and squeezable baby food out of a pouch. You have decided that french fries are fantastic and cannot get enough water.

We tried whole milk and you will tolerate it only by drinking it through a straw....such a Priss! If and when you do drink formula....it has to be ice cold and the ready made.....no powder for you! You usually have a whole grain blueberry waffle and egg for breakfast and a turkey and cheese sandwich on whole grain bread for lunch. If I could liquefy watermelon and shoot it through your veins, you would be pleased.





This past month you have grown 4 new top teeth which brings you to 6 total. I remember pumping your brother full of ibuprofen and teething tablets at this age....but I honestly had NO idea they were even there until one day you were laying on the floor giggling and I saw a lot of white! I opened up your mouth and "Holy Moly" I was shocked!

You are wearing 12 month clothes, size 4 diapers, and still no shoes! I try to put them on and you just kick, kick, kick until they fall off. Between us, Mommy didn't like shoes either until around two.....and then your Nana found me in the closet one day licking the bottoms of them....seriously, that's just between us.



You are cruising around the house like nobodies business and can crawl faster than fast. You can say, "Bubba" and "bye bye".....most would question the difference between the two. You know the difference. You wave when saying "bye bye" and point when talking to your brother. So smart, Lil Lady!

You've got a big head about your growing independence and your new moves! You will pull up on a

bar stool, scale the wall, and quickly grab hold of another....all the while with a "Ta Dahhhh" look on your face. We are so extremely proud of your skills Mama.


Most days you are content just playing with toys, sitting on the living room floor, with Yo Gabba Gabba in the background......with one eye ALWAYS on Mommy's whereabouts, I might add. Such a huge transition from last month and all those before when it was a mad dash for me to get ANYTHING done without you squawking, "MommaIdon'tseeyou!!!!Whereareyou?????AHHHHHHHHHHHH". Huge.




The summer is half way over, June Bug...and then, then we will have "our time". Just like the old days, when you were in Mommy's belly. Just you and me. Three days a week. 9:30-2:30.


Girl time.



I love you Punky. I love the little sprite that you are becoming....with the reddish blond hair. My Heaven.

Happy 10 Months!

~Love Mommy

Moments Worth Keeping

(I stole this phrase from my cousin) She's an amazing mother and I thought it to be perfect for those "memory shots".....you know, the ones that will be locked into my heart forever and will flash before my eyes when I see you off to your very first day of kindergarten or walking down the aisle to your ever after?


My Little June Bugs

Happy Father's Day

To be your child is to be lucky......

....so very lucky!!!

photo by Bella Mia

NINE

"Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to die!

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
In His eyes"
~Mercy Me

Rylee~

You have now been out of Mommy's womb.....your safe little haven, for nine months. This world has now shared the same amount of time loving you as I did in the beginning. My little sprite, with red hair and the brightest blue eyes, you are so incredibly beautiful!

You fill our lives, each and every second, with joy and excitement and......noise.

A beautiful noise!!

Your shrieks, your laughter, your squeals, your cries.....each one so precious and so undeniably you.

Though you haven't quite said "words" per say......you have your own little language that is perfect in every way. And all those who love you, know exactly what it is that you are talking about.

These nine months have past by so quickly, Rylee. Mommy is starting to plan yours and Bubba's birthday party and it just seems so surreal. I remember like it was yesterday, rubbing my belly and thinking to myself, "I wonder what she will look like? Will she have my eyes or nose or will she be the spitting image of her Daddy?"

So fast.


Nine. Beautiful. Months.











Some of your favorite things right now are:

~Crawling everywhere and pulling up and cruising a few steps.
~You love looking out the windows, especially if Harlow is outside.
~Giggling.....Daddy says "squawking".



~Your brother....he facinates you!

~Any food that you can pick up with your fingers and feed yourself:


~Watermelon....can't get enough!

~black beans, cucumbers, turkey..."More Please", cheese, meatloaf, carrots, apples, spaghetti, you name it! You're such a great eater.

You also love:

~Bath time.
~Grass.

~Harlow's chew bones...yuck.
~Mommy's makeup brushes....you like to lick them.

~Drinking out of straws......you turn your nose up to sippy cups!


At your 9 month check up, you weighed in at 18 1/2 precious lbs!!!

You are nursing about 3-4 times a day and still in size 3 diapers and 12 month clothes.

For some reason, this past month, you look so petite to me.....maybe because you are moving so fast, those chubby chub legs are starting to thin out a bit????

We have been going on walks to the park in the wagon these past few weeks since the weather has been so nice.....you look like such a big girl!

You, like your brother, love to be outside.

You are a little fish in the water, kicking your legs soooo so fast....maybe that's where your chubby chub thighs thinned out???

My little angel love. My day begins with you squawking and ends with you nestled in my arms, loving on me.

I dreamed of this for forever.

Happy 9 Months, Lovie-girl.
I love you SO Big!

~Mommy

Easter

John 10:17-18 ESV
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.

We had our Annual Richard's Easter Hunt a little early this year since Aunt Emily was in town.

It was a beautiful weekend, the weather was perfect, and Lil' Miss was So excited!!

Her very first Easter!!

Big brother had to show her the ropes. He found 7 eggs filled with candy and 7 eggs filled with money...not too shabby!

Mimi and Pappi spoiled the kids with their very own Easter baskets filled with treats and toys and clothes.

We had a very authentic Easter lunch.....pizza! They are in the middle of remodeling their kitchen so of course pizza was just fine with everyone!

It was such a treat having Aunt Emily there to celebrate with us and we are looking forward to July when we will have her here permanently.

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Our next Easter celebration was at Nana and Pawpaw's house on Easter Sunday.

We had an amazing lakeside church service and then headed back to their house for a delicious traditional Easter lunch with all the fixin's and another Easter egg hunt.

We had a fabulous time with good friends, family, and another beautiful day outdoors.

The kids were spoiled, yet again, with their very own Easter baskets

from Nana and Pawpaw filled with super cute pj's and goodies!

We spent the majority of the day just sitting outside, swinging on the swing, while the older kids played in Nana's fountain.

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So, between two Easter's plus soccer practice plus a MOPS Easter egg hunt at the park, I guess I could say that our April was pretty busy!!

We are looking forward to summer and getting our feet wet in the splash parks and pools and to lazy days when there isn't a care in the world........except for what flavor ice cream to choose.