Monday, July 5, 2010

Let Freedom Ring!!!

Hope you all had a terrific 4th of July celebration! We sure did! As always, we partied at the Marietta Square with friends & family....Perfect weather & Perfect company make for a super good time!! Although...I couldn't help but remember the soldiers who are desperately fighting for our freedoms as we celebrated....over the weekend, I received an urgent prayer request from a friend in our church LifeGroup. It was regarding a young soldier in Afghanistan. His name is Jacob Dennis. Jacob had been critically injured last week....he sustained a massive head injury, and was immediately flown to Germany for evaluation and medical care. Initially, the doctors were optimistic about his recovery....but, sadly, after slipping into a coma, he passed away late Saturday night...so, while we were across the pond rejoicing in our independence, Jacob surrendered his life. He was scheduled to return home in TWO short weeks....sigh. So........just wanted to dedicate this post to Jacob and for ALL of those who have and who are currently fighting and dying for our freedom. We are beyond thankful!

Enjoy!!!!
This was the first time Charlotte & Noah had seen each other since our vacation, so they had to catch up on some cuddle time...:)
My bestest buddy!
Our Patriotic Princesses! Thanks Lindsey for making the PERFECT outfit for our girls! Sailer wore it proudly!
And, they all fell down!

Sweet thang!
The girls added a little red, white, & blue sparkle to the night!

Hi mommy!
I had such a great time getting Sailer ready this year....she loved her tutu....and, was so proud of her red toenails....she is too much fun!
Two cute little pairs :)
Sweet BFF Kisses! :) Pretty sure Sailer got a kiss on the nose in this one...lol.
Lindsey & I with our crew....love these babies!!!!!
The girls pranced around looking for more F-U-N!
The silliest Noah face I've ever seen!!!!! He was so happy and giddy the whole night....he's definitely the social one.....
Sailer's FIRST sparkler! She loved it and did great! The fireworks were a blast...(literally!)!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Hello From Seacrest Beach!!!

Hi Friends! Our family just returned from the very BEST vacation we've ever shared together! Seacrest Beach is a tiny stretch of sand nestled between Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach in Florida...very close to Panama City Beach. It's a hidden oasis...really. Thankfully, it was unaffected by the BP Oil Spill (although we did see tarballs while we were there!). Our only dilemma while vacationing was the constant rain clouds and thundershowers, but we still managed to have plenty of time at the beach and TONS of laughs with our sweet friends, the Tuckers. We truly adore Ashly & Denny, and they happen to have the most splendid & spunky daughter whom we all fell for! We love you Macy Brooks! And, I think my Noah may want to marry you one day.....(the competition is on baby Grey! lol!).

Anyway, you all know us...we took TONS of pictures....here are a few (ha!)...enjoy! :))))
This is where I'd like to be every morning....how 'bout you???
How beautiful and fun to see these dolphins frolicking in the ocean early one morning!!!!


See them???
Macy Brooks & Sailer had a matching outfit for our first beach dinner at Bayou Bill's....both saw the camera and turned the other way....I thought this was too cute!
Sweet girls!
Juice break on the beach!
The section of the beach we stayed on was called the 30A section.....there were many, many fun and beautiful spots for pictures where the landscaping was amazing! On our first night, we let the kids run and play after dinner, and, of course, took pictures! Ashly & I love these girls so much!
No caption needed....my heart almost bursts when I look at this face!
3 little blessings!!!
Correction....3 little SILLY blessings...:)

Right before Sailer went DOWN....by the incomparable Macy B! She got her by the hair...lol!


The girls LOVED the beach!!!!! They had sand EVERYWHERE...and when I say EVERYWHERE...I mean it! It was a chore cleaning them off everyday, but Ashly & I were so delighted that they enjoyed the sand as much as we did!
The tide created a little water pond of sorts in the middle of the beach...it was the perfect place for the kids to sit and splash in! They loved it!
My hubby and I!
Sailer, you're not supposed the throw the bucket...lol. Silly girl!


Love this backdrop...why can't we live closer to the beach?????
My sweet girl....I loved living vicariously through the kids this week! Everything was new and exciting!

Digging with Daddy...one of their favorite beach activities!

Noah...the wave runner...and jumper!!!!
I've seen pictures of myself as a baby girl that look EXACTLY like this picture of Sailer standing here..it's scary! Although, she still definitely has Daddy's little smurk...lol! :)

Checking out the hanging man at Ripley's Museum....the kids were much more interested in the museum than I thought...especially Noah. He loves exhibits!

Jason took Noah out to the beach EARLY one morning to play in the ocean and enjoy the breeze....Noah comes alive in the ocean! He is Not. Scared. One. Bit. And, that scares the heck out of me, especially since the waves were rough this year. But, I sure did enjoy seeing him ride the waves and dive like a fish! Such fun memories!
Of course...gotta get the Baywatch shot...lol!
Did I say that Noah loved the ocean?? Ok...just checking:)


Noah kept saying...."Mom, the ocean is NOT stronger than me!" And, I kept saying..."Lord, be with my son PLEAAAAASSE!!!!!"
I got a 50's swimsuit for Sailer....enough said. Couldn't resist!

Here's the deal with Sailer VS. the Ocean.....she loved it....HOWEVER....she either liked being far enough in where the waves wouldn't break on her, OR, far enough out so the water would barely touch her little feet. Of course...in the picture, I was with her, so she was fine....
We jumped and played! This is about as far as I would go....I'm not a fan of seaweed tickling my legs and feet! Eeeeeeewwwww!
Kind of surprised she sat this close to the water....
Ooops! Not too happy! lol!

Sailer's timing was a little off for jumping over the wave....haha!
On our last night, we put on our beach best & did NOT get to visit the beach...boo! It was a monsoon! Luckily, there was a beautiful entrance and breezeway to our cottages, so we stopped there for pictures....Sailer wasn't in a great mood for pictures, so we didn't get a great family shot...sigh.
The kiddos & I.....we were so so SO sad that it was our last night....we are already anticipating going again next year. WHY do vacations have to end???? Until next time....