Gulf Shores

We had our first family beach trip, just the 4 of us, this past weekend! Since we are used to driving 11+ hrs to SC for the annual Gibbs beach trip, we decided to make this one a little bit closer. We picked Gulf Shores, AL and it did not disappoint!

Though it was supposed to be less than a 5 hr drive, it turned into a 6 hr one b/c of LOTS of traffic. Annoying, but still, a whole lot closer than the SC beach we are used to. The kids were thrilled to arrive at our condo (which we told them was a cross between a hotel & a house) around 3:30 pm, and they immediately found their room and snuggled on Abby's bed to watch tv :)

 

 We thought all of Saturday might be a wash b/c of the rain, but it cleared up for a little bit so we made a mad dash for the pools.

 The complex we stayed in was great b/c it was right on the ocean, and it had 3 pools to use as well! This was the view from our balcony:

 We had a quiet Saturday night in the condo, eating a dinner we had brought from home and playing cards all night.

There was an awful storm Saturday night (and we found out later, some of the other units flooded), but we were lucky enough to wake up to the SUN on Sunday!! The kids could not get out to the beach quick enough.

 We had a picnic lunch at the pool (Greg made grilled cheeses in the condo & brought them down, yum!) and then spent the afternoon hours at the pools with our little fish.

 I felt myself getting sunburned, and used it as an excuse to head up to the condo a few minutes before everyone else. Oh those glorious 15 minutes to myself! :) I plopped myself on the balcony with a book (and lime-a-rita) and zoomed in on these guys in the baby pool shouting "I love you, Mommy!" :)

 Speaking of the balcony, this was Nate's favorite spot in the whole condo. We frequently found him out there, watching "big kids" in the pools or playing tennis or just listening to the waves. We were on the 6th floor and he loved being that high up.

 Though Miss Priss insisted she didn't need a nap, she fell asleep in our bed with the tv on during "rest time" :)

 For dinner, we took a friend's suggestion and hit up Papa Rocco's for some amazing pizza (& beer). And Abby got to sample her first root beer in a bottle. She loved it!!

 Next up, family fun night at The Track. This place was like a mini Grand Prix, for those of you that have ever been to Myrtle Beach. It's a total money pit and tourist attraction, but Nate saw it on the drive in on Saturday, and insisted on riding go-karts for the first time. Greg obliged and here was their first ride of the night. I love that you can barely see Nate's head above the steering wheel! :)

 Abby got a bit jealous, so we headed to the kiddie rides next and she had.a.ball riding the airplanes. She loved being in control of making it go up & down (and always made sure she was higher than Nate, ha)!

 Next up, another pick by Abby: the swings. I think Nate was borderline too big for these, but he seemed to have fun.

 Then, Nate grudgingly agreed to ride the kiddie go-karts. There were only 3 on the track at a time, and as you can guess, Nate was the s.l.o.w.e.s.t driver out there. Greg and I had to look away, we were laughing so hard. One of the other boys out there was driving like a maniac and kept ramming into everything, so Nate's turn ended early. Which I think he was fine with! I was proud of him for trying them though.

 We had a few last tickets to use up, so Abby took a spin on the carousel and I was super nervous about this one since she has been known to barf once or twice (or 10x) when she gets dizzy. Surprisingly, she did great! And every time she went around and saw me, she'd scream "Mommy, I not throwing up!" :) Which was not embarrassing at all.

 Monday, we woke up to another gorgeous (& hot!) day, and started off at the beach first thing. We spent a lot more time in the shade and wearing hats, b/c both kids got a little sunburned on Sunday (oops!)

 Greg and the kids are on the far right here. This is about the extent of our ocean time. The waves were pretty non-existent, so Nate couldn't boogie board. And there were 100 seagulls circling, so we took that to mean there was a lot of fish in there. Ewwww. And then to top it off, there was a shark fin sighting right before lunch. No thanks.

 We sat near a nice family that let us borrow this awesome digging claw, so Nate decided to dig a massive hole.

 After another picnic lunch, we headed over to the indoor pool to escape the hot hot sun. The water felt like bathwater, which I loved, and we had races, threw balls, did handstands, and showed off our swimming skills.

 Then the moment Nate had looked forward to the whole trip: the hot tub! We had tried to get  in the outdoor one on Saturday, but a security guard came by and told us no kids allowed. Whatever. But for some reason, the indoor hot tub was HOTTER and kids were allowed. Yeah, makes no sense. Both kids only lasted a few minutes (well, Abby only wanted her feet in), but still they both had a ball.

 Nate got this fake mustache out of a machine, and thought it made him look like a cowboy!? I would say more like a creepy old man, but I went along with cowboy....

 The beginnings of the sunset before we headed out to dinner our last night...

 Look! I was on the trip!! Mommy finally made it into a picture; hallelujah! :)

 We were told by many friends to go to Lulu's, which is a restaurant/complex owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister. This place is hard to describe, and the pictures won't do it justice. But we loved the family atmosphere, and all the things for kids to do while we waited for dinner. And the 3 outside bars were a plus too :)

 Nate patiently waited 15 minutes in line to get his face painted as - what else - a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

 We had a great dinner and then squeezed in a little more playtime before leaving. We all left exhausted but happy!

We got home in record time on Tuesday, and all agreed this trip was one that we want to make a yearly tradition. It was nice to get away just the 4 of us, and have a laid-back vacation for a few days. This pretty much marks the end of summer for us, since the kids start school next week. (Yipeeeee!) I know this trip will be one the kids will remember for a long time, and that is what's most important to me. Making memories, and having fun while doing it.

Bad Blondie

As many of you know, THIS happened on Sunday afternoon:

 Yes, that is a pile of Abby's beautiful blonde hair. Well, actually it's only about 1/3 of what she cut off. Yes, my wonderful daughter decided to give herself a haircut. To say I was in shock was an understatement.

And I still am.

I am grieving over her adorable pigtails and braids and ponytails that will be no more. And you may think I'm being dramatic, but it's taken 3.5 years for her hair to get this long!! It has been such a process & I fight with her hair every morning. So to basically have to start all over again breaks my heart a little. I mean please, look at how pretty her hair was on the last day of school!

Sigh.

I know I have to get over it. It's only hair, and it does grow back. And I guess, technically, it could have been worse. She could have given herself awful bangs, or even cut it all off. I guess.

So here's what poor Jennifer our hairstylist was dealing with this morning when we went in to have Abby's hair "repaired." Yes, that is a gaping hole on the side of her head. She basically gave herself half of a bowl cut.

 Clearly, Abby does not have a future in the hairstyling business. 

And I didn't even see this, but Jennifer found it this morning. Pieces that were 1 INCH long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ugh, so frustrating.

 So, we decided to take it as short as I could stand it. And it still does not cover up all the damage, but it camouflages it a bit better. I think with Abby's haircut on Sunday & Jennifer's cut this morning, the total was around 6-7" cut off :(

 Now while I DO like the new "bob" Abby has, I'm just gonna be honest and say I'm dreading this....because it's going to be a huge pain for me every morning to do her hair. To achieve this look, Jennifer blew Abby's hair dry with a round brush and then straightened it too. (Because her hair has a lot of natural wave (not curl!) to it, and it looks a bit funky when she wakes up etc.) Lord knows I don't have to do all that to a 3 year old's hair every morning!!!!!!!!!! We will see how it goes but I might be investing in some new hair accessories, namely, headbands. 

And just in case you were wondering, I have hidden all the scissors in the house and Abby will not be allowed to use them again until she is in high school. Period.

Movin' On Up

We surprised Nate on Saturday morning with a new (bigger) bike! It was an early birthday present (like 6 weeks early), so clearly he was not expecting it!! In fact, Greg put it together Friday night and then - for some reason - decided to put it in Nate's room while he was sleeping. So when he woke up at 6:30 am on Saturday to go pee, he saw his bike and just HAD to ride it around the house a few times in his pjs. Luckily, Daddy slept through all of this :)

Nate was definitely hesitant at first, b/c this is a much bigger bike than he is used to (it's an 18" bike compared to the 12" that he was used to.) It's taken him about 2 days but I think he's finally comfortable on it.

Please look at this though. there's just no comparison to his old bike:

He looked like a giant riding a midget-bike before!!

And here is the new bike. In Nate's words, it looks "sharp!" :

Greg had a long talk with him about taking care of his new bike.....not slamming it down on the concrete, not leaving it out in the rain, etc. So of course when we called him inside for dinner tonight, he insisted on "wiping down" his bike b/c it got wet in the rain. Bless him!

 I just love that he loves to be active outside, and to hang out with his BFF Jack. And there is no greater pleasure than hearing Greg & Nate talk about all things "cycling." Male-bonding is just too cute! :)

4th of July celebration

Rain spoiled many of our July 4th plans, but we still managed to have a good time!

Instead of going to the pool that morning, we opted for the (free!) kids' movie. We saw "Rio" and both kids loved it. (And Greg managed NOT to fall asleep, so I assume that meant he enjoyed it as well.) We met some of our neighbors there and all the kids sat in one row and the adults sat behind them. Awesome!

It rained on & off all day but the kids still got in some playtime here and there with the neighbors.

A rare treat ... a Coca-Cola all to himself

Loa Harper, the wild woman!

Caroline & Abby Reece (aka "Double Trouble")

 We had a great cookout with the Richardsons, Benders, and Dorseys, and I was pretty proud of myself for making some delicious homemade ice cream for the first time! :) Then it was time for some sparklers, poppers, and (small) fireworks...

I think Jack looks like Harry Potter here!

Paige and "Little Harper" :)

Clearly not a fan of sparklers

The boys LOVED the smoke bombs

Baby Matt's first sparkler!

Nate was a teensy bit scared of the Roman Candles! 

They are literally waiting for Baby Alive to pee. I have NO idea why this is so fascinating!!

Once it got dark, we headed downtown to see the fireworks display over the Ampitheatre. Luckily, our neighbors had a friend with a law office nearby, and the balcony gave us the perfect view (and kept us out of the rain!)

 And once we returned home, it was time for a few more fireworks of our own. Greg set off some whistler & volcano fireworks my Dad had given us, and then Jamey set off the best one yet! A huge finale that the kids loved (good thing b/c it was $45, ha)!!

A great time with great friends!

Happy 1st birthday, Anderson!!

Dear Anderson,

Happy first birthday to my favorite nephew! (Yes, I know that you are my only nephew. But I’m pretty sure you’d be up there regardless :)

I will never forget the day you were born! Your mommy called me and told me to get there fast, so I piled my family in the van and drove like a crazy person to Knoxville. A severe storm/almost tornado slowed us down a bit, so we ended up getting there about 5 minutes after you were born. I could not wait to get into the room to see you & hold you! Your Mommy was absolutely glowing (and barely broke a sweat; she is a medical marvel) and I have never seen your Daddy look so proud!!

Abby & Nate love you so much and will forever refer to you as “Baby Anderson,” probably even when you are 16. Sorry about that. They love their cousin so so much & loved playing with you at the beach, and at your birthday party this past weekend. We just wish you didn’t live 7 hours away!

We hope you have a wonderful first birthday. If you ask really nicely, I bet your Mommy will give you some Fruit Loops that you love so much, thanks to Abby & Nate. Maybe I will just mail you a box actually.

Love you, munchkin!

"Camp Nanny & Poppy"

Oh how I love those 3 words!!

Thanks to my parents, I have had a kid-free week. Yes, you heard me right…. I have been a Lady of Leisure!! I have not had to pick up toys, blow on food, break up fights, read “The Magic School Bus,” answer 1 million questions a day, step on legos, put on sunscreen, vacuum crumbs 3x/day, ask anybody if they need to potty, or put anyone in timeout… for.a.whole.week!

As a result, I have gotten to spend a lot of quality time with Greg. We took walks, went to the Farmer’s Market, rented a movie, joined friends for Happy Hour, went furniture shopping in Birmingham, had lunch dates, worked in the yard, and celebrated a very belated birthday for Greg at a fancy restaurant (I even wore a dress; shocker!).

Needless to say, it was a very peaceful week, and I enjoyed having time to myself as well. Time to sleep in, scrapbook, work out, run errands, and work on small projects around the house.

But at the same time….

I didn’t get any smack-a-roos for a week. Or early morning hugs. I didn’t get to kiss any boo boo’s or hear a certain little lady say “Mommy, I love you the most.” I missed out on craft time and movie time and pool time and snuggle time. This was Abby's first time at Camp N&P and I didn't realize how empty the house would feel without BOTH my kiddos here!

However, my kids did have a ball with Nanny & Poppy, and I know my parents appreciated this time with their two older grandchildren. They are creating more & more wonderful memories, and I hope this tradition continues for years to come. Despite all the fun, I do think all 4 of them were pretty worn out from the week!! I would be too if I did all this:

-built forts

-picked up sticks

-went for walks

-played board games & card games

-went to the pool 4x

-went to Chuck-E-Cheese

-watch baby birds hatch in the fern on the porch

-went to the Nature Science Center

-visited McDonald’s 1 or 2 times J

-saw Monsters University & ate their weight in popcorn

-went to the Children’s Museum

-sat on the porch swing

-played with O’Malley

-went out for ice cream

-earned prizes at the Dollar Store

-picked out birthday presents for Baby Anderson at Toys R Us

Abby was not a huge fan of the Splash Pad

Favorite part of the Nature Science Center

Cruisin' at Chuck-E-Cheese; love both kids' faces here!

Mr. Ninja wore this shirt almost all week long (Thank you Nanny for doing laundry every day!) And Abby decided to be Miss Pippy Longstocking! Love!

We decided the best place for us to meet my parents & hand off the kids was this past weekend in Charlotte, NC at my sister (Becky’s) house. It was her son’s Anderson’s first birthday party, and we had so much fun celebrating! (More on the party later.) It was so awesome to see the kids again and I was so nervous Friday as we were waiting for them to arrive! The price on Abby’s face as she ran in the house was priceless. She was so happy to see us (read: her Mommy) and those hugs were some of the sweetest I’ve ever received. The kids were full of excitement and wanted to tell us all the things they’d done all week (even though they’d already told us most of it on the phone each day!) I swear they’ve each grown an inch or two since last week.

I am so proud of the kids b/c N&P said they were on their best behavior (most of the time) and ate well/slept well too. There was one exception…..one night, my Dad woke up around 4 am to use the bathroom and thought he heard Abby crying. He searched in her room and couldn’t find her, and looked in Nate’s room, the bathroom, and the hallway. No Abby. Frantically, he went to Nanny’s side of the bed to wake her up and almost tripped over the dog. And then Abby. Yes, my daughter had climbed over the dog and curled up on the carpet next to Nanny’s side of the bed. Not sure why, maybe she had a bad dream and didn’t want to be alone. But the funniest part, she brought her Dixie cup of water with her! Ha!

Words cannot express how much I appreciated this past week to myself. And the kids have talked about Camp N&P constantly, so I know they had a ball. So, THANK YOU, Nanny & Poppy!!!! (And, are you willing to do it again next summer?!) :)