Beach Girls

Nothing new to report. We're still in Destin and its still hot and sunny! Here are some more pictures!

We're here!

We arrived last night after 2 days of traveling- with one LONG stop in Birmingham overnight. We had intended to leave B'ham by noon, but because of a few things we were involved in, we didn't hit the road till after 2:00 and hit Destin around 6:30. Sarah was completely taken with the beach and when she first saw it - she let out a big "WOW!" It was cute. She is braver than Beth was at this age and has already been wave jumping with Beth. The are both asleep now and both NEEDED it badly. It took about 1/2 hour to get Sarah down in the big bed. After getting caught once out of it, and getting in trouble - she didn't get out again and was asleep in minutes. I'm hoping the novelty of the big bed wears off by mid week!

Its hot here today and the waves are huge. There was a bad riptide yesterday and the rescue teams have been pulling people out of the water all over the place. I haven't let the girls go more than knee deep and probably won't unless it really calms down. I'm not sure why its so kicked up, but is surfing waves out there! We plan to stay in tonight and grill burgers. I expect an afternoon storm to kick up soon, at least it looks like its going to happen. The girls were out this morning by 7:00 a.m. and I brought Sarah Katherine in around 10:30 and Beth in around 11. They are wiped out. I expect they will sleep till 2:30-3:00 and it will be 3:30-4:00 before we are back outside. I try to avoid having them out there between 11-3. Those are the worst sun hours, in my opinion.

Here are a few pictures from today:

So far, so good!

Impromptu Vacation...

Ahhhh....there's nothing like deciding to go on a week long beach vacation less than 72 hours before you actually LEAVE for the vacation! ACK!!! After a few things on everyone's calendars got cancelled for next week, my parents up and decided to go to Destin and take us, too. Bob decided that there was entirely too much work to be done with his new company (and considering he took off last Tues-Fri to go to a fishing tournament), that he couldn't make this trip. I've taken the girls to Destin before without him...with my parents there, too....and its really not bad and a fun girl bonding trip. So anyway, Beth, Sarah Katherine and I are Destin bound on Friday for a week!

This will also be Sarah's first time sleeping in a "big girl" bed. We're not taking the pack-n-play for lack of room in the car (and because she can totally climb out of it!) and praying and hoping she does okay in the big full bed at the townhouse! EEK!!! I'm guessing that if she does okay, we'll be taking down the crib and putting up her toddler bed as soon as we get home. I'm totally NOT ready for that......

Destin, here we come!! I guess I better go buy a swimsuit...and some suntan lotion....and some swim diapers......

One of "those" parenting jobs...

Bob and I knew that one of our jobs as parents would require us to sit through countless dance recitals, soccer games, talent shows, musicals, etc....only a handful of which might actually be good. And I knew when the kids were still young that most of the "shows" they would be in wouldn't be "great", but would still be CUTE, so those shows would be worth it. Well.....last night was Beth's schools' end of the year play and it was titled "Preschool Musical: The One and Only" - a spin-off of Highschool Musical, with some Americal Idol mixed in. ***sigh**** I'm just not sure what to write, other than it was bad. I feel awful saying that because I know a LOT of adults worked very, very hard to put it together, but it was just bad. Not even cute. Beth's class and the class below her were basically props. They were SUPPOSED to be singing, but the "Highschool Musical" songs they were supposed to be singing were just WAY over their heads and they just danced and no one sang. The production was too long for that age group (almost an hour!). The whole concept was completely lost on all the grandparents who attended and many of the parents, too. Bob and I took turns keeping Sarah Katherine entertained and we eventually sent her home with my mom, with my dad not too far behind her.

I think all the productions the school does have been wonderful for Beth and I have seen a MAJOR improvement from the first stage experience in her 3 year old class to NOW, but there comes a point when a production can just be "too much" and it needs to be toned way down. I know next year I'll have that battle to fight as a Kindergarten parent. I guess I better be gathering my strength....

ANYWAY - here are a few pictures of Beth from last night. I also took really cute pictures of her with her classmates but I'm not posting those, as I'm not sure how the other parents feel about their kids' picture on the internet.

The End of an Era - Nursery School

Beth's last day of Nursery School was today (or better known to some people as Preschool). She said to me this morning that "tomorrow she was going to be a Kindergartner." Yep - I guess she's right! In keeping with tradition, I like to take a picture on her last day of school, so I can compare the first day of school vs. the last day of school and see how much she has grown and changed! It always makes me smile!! So - here it is - first day vs. last day.

1st day - September 1, 2007

Last day - May 15, 2008

First day:

Last day:

Pictures will be forthcoming of Beth's End-of-School Play/Musical tonight...."Nursery School Musical, The One and Only." (its a play off of Highschool Musical, if you didn't pick up on that)

Progress

Before:

Currently:


I still have plans for some taller bushes and some flowering knock-out rose bushes. I also need to get some pansies in the ground, but otherwise, it looks a TON better already!

Wedding pictures

My camera picked last night to completely die on me. Not only did the batteries die, but so did the autofocus and the speed setting. So, the result was FAR LESS pictures than I had intended. I think I may have only gotten 1, maybe 2, worth keeping of Bryan & Erin. I only got a few worth keeping of the girls, too. Neither one of the girls would STOP long enough to be still for a picture. They both danced their heart out at the reception - and I missed some major photo ops, but oh well. I'm hoping the photographer got a few good ones!

*Note- Sarah Katherine did NOT make it down the aisle with her hair wreath on. She did make it down with a small bow in her hair, though, and she looked cuter, in my opinion, than she did with the hair wreath. Beth complained about her's "attacking" her all night! I finally took it off as soon as she sat down after doing her flower girl thing!

*Sarah wouldn't cooperate or be still for a family picture, so that is why she is not pictured here.

*This is Bryan & Erin, my new sister-in-law!!

*The girls dancing!

Do you need a good laugh?

Watch this - and make sure you have your sound up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Rw_3ky-uo

OH MY GOSH! I had tears streaming down my face. My fave is #2. I've seen #3 numerous times before and I THINK that video won $100,000 on America's Funniest Home Videos.

Feeling Noustalgic...

First of all- Happy Birthday Mom!

My brother is getting married Saturday, and getting caught up in the frenzy of it all makes me remember my own special day - October 2, 1999. I remember all the parties leading up to it, the piles and piles of wedding gifts (some of which, I confess, still haven't been used to this day!), the dresses, the tuxes, the flowers, the food.....

I had a relatively big wedding - I think around 200-250 people, if memory serves me. (I stand corrected -my mom says it was 298, give or take 10-15 people) We were married at my childhood Church and we had the reception at the Country Club I'd gone to my whole life. We had a GREAT band and everyone looked to be having a great time. I remember not getting to eat or drink anything for more than 1-2 bites/sips before I was swept away for another photo op, to meet a distant relative or talk with friends/co-workers. I remember in great detail getting my hair and make-up done that day, getting dressed at the Church, getting photos done and waiting in the hallway to enter the Church. I DO NOT remember much about actually walking down the aisle, being up front and saying my vows and such. I can't explain it. Its just foggy. Maybe it was the nerves or the seriousness of it? Its a blur.

Looking back, there are many things I would have done differently and I only hope, that when its my girls' turns to get married, they will listen to me and take a little of my advice (but they probably won't. Maybe I should start brainwashing them NOW!). I think weddings can take on a mind of their own and you lose a part of yourself in them. My cousin and his fiancee recently "eloped" and hearing about their wedding experience made me a tad jealous. It was just them! No one else. It was just them acting silly and totally in love during the ceremony and just completely being themselves. That sounds nice.

Regardless, its fun to think back and remember our special day and the flurry of activity leading up to it (and the hundreds of thank-you notes that have to written afterwards!). There is just something about starting a new life together - fresh. Everything is new for a while. For my brother and his bride, everything is getting ready to be new. A new town. A new house. A new job. If they are anything like Bob and I when we started out together in a new town, a new house and with new jobs, this experience will bring them so close. I think its a great way to start a marriage. Completely fresh.

Bikes, Trikes and an Upcoming Project

Yesterday was GORGEOUS outside and of course the girls wanted to be outside. So, they burned off some steam by playing in the driveway. Beth is a speed demon on her bike, but refuses to let us take off her training wheels. That is my goal for this summer - to get them off her bike by the time school starts.

Sarah THINKS she is big enough for Beth's old tricycle, but bless her heart, her little legs are just still too short. She totally has the process down and would be off and away if she could reach the pedals, but nope. Bob helps her by giving the trike a push and she can reach the pedal closet to her when they spin around and kicks it forward...like she is TRYING to really pedal it. She needs about another 2 inches of heighth before she can REALLY do it.

Our upcoming project is the dreaded "L" word - LANDSCAPING. Ugh. We ripped out every shread of landscaping on the front of our house last spring with the intention of replanting early fall. We had such a horrible summer drought last year, that fall was anything but optimal for planting, So, here we are, needing to get it done ASAP. Its a HUGE project and I have no idea where to start. I have a few ideas in mind regarding the placement of tall vs. short shrubbery, but I also want color year round. So, we will be doing lots of evergreen shrubs, like yews, boxwoods and spruce, but I also want to do some things that are pretty in the spring/summer/fall like azaleas, hibiscus, burning bushes and maybe some golden euonymus. If you have any experience with landscape design, take a shot at this and let me know what you recommend!

Little bare, isn't it!?!

And I'll close with this picture of Sarah from yesterday. She was filthy and completey 100% happy and I like the picture!