Hay Day

It is that time of year again when we have to re-stock our hay supply for winter. I LOVE the hay field!! I love to help throw hay on the trailer and I LOVE getting to drive the truck and trailer around the field.

I hope we always have a big truck. That is just something I will always love. I love when we pull trailers with it, I love riding in it, and most of all I LOVE the way it sounds!

This year we had a little helper with us. Lily was with us last year but she was small and had to stay in the truck. This year she sat on the fuel tank and told me when to "Go mommy!" and "Stop mommy!" It was really cute! And she also liked drinking water from our thermos and pouring it into the cups. She said it was like a tea party!!!! TOOOO FUNNY!

Day 7 - Saying Good-Bye

Oh how I miss the sand between my toes and the sun shine already! We were packed up and ready to go home by 9am. As we drove out of the garage, Lily waved to the condo and said, "Bye beach. See ya next year." So cute!

We made AWSOME timing and the girls slept most of the 6 hours. Jeremy and I got the silly giggles. I will never forget that drive home. I love that we giggle and laugh and can joke around together!! He is the best!!

We finally got home and un-loaded the car. It was so nice to be home...until I looked in the laundry room. WOW at the laundry!!!!

Thank you God that we had a safe trip home!

Day 6 - Last day

We woke this morning to red flags, which means the water is dangerous and you should not swim. And the jelly fish that washed in from the storm the night before were HUGE and NASTY!! So, we did not get to play in the water as much as we have. But who is complaining, we have had FUN on the beach and great weather the rest of the week.

We did take a long walk to the pier. Lily and I picked up shells (we have LOTS to share with our friends back home). And Laci did what she does best in the back pack, nap!

We came back to the room for lunch and naps. We ALL took a nap. I was planning on doing laundry and some packing....but the room was so quiet and with Laci's sweet baby breath in my face, how could I turn it down?

That night we were going to eat at Tootsie's at Pier Park. However, it was not kid friendly...more bar...less restaurant. So we ate at 5 Guy's Burgers and Fries. It was GOOOOOOOOD!!!!

After we ate we sat outside and listened to an oldies band. Lily and I danced together, then my girl went out in front of the band and danced all by herself to several songs! She is her mama & Nana's girl!!!!! (If you know me and Jeremy plus her Nana and Papa Ralph, you know WE LOVE TO DANCE!!! She got it honest.)

After all the dancing she got on a jumping bungee thing. She was having so much fun that the guy working it was laughing at her, so he put on some extra springy cords that threw her about 35 feet in the air!!!! She LOVED it. Jeremy said he actually got a little nervous!! She screamed and laughed the whole time.

On the way back to the condo we stopped at Sonic and got a ice cream. What a great day to end our vacation.

We have so much to be thankful for. God has protected us and let us have a good week as a family. We have made long lasting memories with our girls. God is so good to us! We praise him with all our heart!!

Day 5 - Sun Shine

For some reason yesterday I never got my camera out. I wanted to take my camcorder down to the beach....and I finally did. Then after I got it out, and turned it on, the battery was dead. Just my luck!
We stayed at the beach most of the day yesterday. Jeremy and Lily caught a bucket full of hermit crabs. Lily really surprised us; she put on her life vest/jacket and swam out over her head with Jeremy. That is why we love FL...the water is so clear and the waves are very calm.
For supper we ate at The Back Porch at Pier Park. Then put the girls in the stroller and walked around some of the shops and stores. We stopped under a shelter to eat our Marble Slab ice cream when the BOTTOM fell out!!! It was coming down in buckets. After it let up some, Jeremy ran to get the car. We got loaded up and headed back to the Condo.
Our devotion tonight was about The Healing At The Pool (John 5:1-15). We explained to her that a pool does not heal but your Faith in God and prayer is what you should always look to.
Well, another great day. Never a dull moment and we all again fell into bed exhausted.

Day 4 - Beautiful Weather

Not a lot to say about yesterday. We stayed out on the beach from 9AM to 6PM. The sun was not hot but just right!! Here are some pictures of us playing...and Laci doing what she does best, napping!!

After we came in from the beach we went shopping and played Goofy Golf. Lily was really afraid of Goofy Golf last year but this year she said she was bigger and was not scared anymore. She is impatient like her mom, though. If she could not get the shot...she just picked up her ball and threw it in the hole!! My girl!!!!

We came in the door that night with everybody about asleep, including us! I was even too tired to get on the computer!! That is tired!! LOL!! Laci was being a little difficult to get to sleep, so Jeremy and Lily did the devotional with out us. They read and talked about letting your light shine for the world to see. (Not sure what scripture he read from last night.)

Okay, I am off to get ready for another day down at the beach.

Day 3 - Lions, and Tigers, and Bears...Oh My!

Due to the fact that Jeremy and I got sun burnt yesterday, we decided this morning that we would go to the zoo. This was a tiny zoo but had the best exhibits I have ever seen. It was really like you were up close and personal with these animals. We got to see Merkats, which Lily and I love to watch on TLC.

The lion looked like it was close enough to touch! He was so pretty. No marks on him like he had ever been in a fight.

Then we saw the CLEMSON TIGER!!! There feet are so big!

The bear walked right over to where we were standing and sat down, put his paw up and "posed" for pictures.

Then we got to see them feed the alligators. You could hear them crunch the bones of the chickens!!

But the real topper to our zoo day was Laci's BLOW-OUT!!!! The only other one that came close to this was at Dollywood. We ended up throwing that outfit away. This one was just as bad. We had to recruit Lily to hold her arms while we TRIED to clean what we could. Poop was all over Jeremy, the stroller, her blankets, all down her legs, and all up her back. WHAT A MESS!! Bless her heart!

Then we ate some famous Grouper throats for lunch. Sounds gross, and in fact it is what we call Lily when we are picking on her! "I'll get your grouper throat!" But turns out they are a delicacy here in FL. They taste like chicken (and no, I am not just saying that).

After we got back we walked on the beach for awhile. Then back to the pool until 8pm. What a fun day we have had.

After bath's and grilled cheese for supper. We settled in for our Bible story. Tonight we talked about the bird's that we see diving for fish in the ocean and how God takes care of the birds and he will also take care of us. (Luke 12:22-34)

Day 2 - To the beach!

We all woke to the smell of pancakes cooking in the kitchen. Jeremy had gotten up early and was fixing our favorite breakfast! He is too sweet...he let me sleep.

Right after breakfast we all got sunscreen on and J made his 1st trip to the beach with all our "STUFF". Then came back for a second load and us.

Laci LOVED the waves. She would laugh out loud as if you were tickling her. But it was not long before she needed a morning nap so we put her in her little cabana tent. While she slept Jeremy and I worked in Lily's bakery shop making all kinds of cakes, pies, and casseroles. (aka sand castles for girls!! LOL!) We played bakery with her for about an hour when Laci woke up. She wanted to eat the sand and all the buckets and shovels, so we had to give her a bucket with water for her to splash in. That did not last very long and she was ready for lunch. She and I headed up to the Condo.

After getting her in the tub to get all the sand off she had lunch....and another nap. I just stayed in the room while Jeremy and Lily stayed in the pool. We went down about 5pm to get them. And that is when I noticed it. Jeremy was RED with a sunburn!!!!

We came in and got dressed to go to our favorite restaurant for supper, the Bone Fish Grill.

We ended our night with a devotion about the wise man who built his house on the rock and the foolish man who built his house on the sand (Matthew 7:24-27). We talked to her about how the sand washed away and why it was important to have a rock solid foundation. All week are are doing her Bible stories about the things around us here at the beach. We have had fun hunting down Bible verses and stories to go along with all the things you see at the beach.

Day 1 - Pool

What a way to start the day!! Well rested!! We all slept in this morning and snuggled around in our pj's. It was fun just to relax, not be in a hurry and just be lazy. After we got up and going we headed for a day at the pool. The ocean is still pretty rough from Ike, so we opted for the pool today.

Lily had so much fun and Jeremy and I took turns playing with her. She is getting so brave and actually took off her vest and did some laps with me holding her belly up.

Now, Laci....she is a water bug!!! She was so funny splashing herself and kicking her legs so hard she would come up out of her float! She did not care if it got in her eyes at all. She splashed the whole time we were in the water!

At lunch time we walked to a nearby restaurant and ate in our swimsuits. I had a cover-up on and was glad b/c the sign on the door said "no swim suits allowed"...oops. OH well, we are not going back there again anyway. It was not good.

After lunch we came back to the room and everybody took naps. Everybody but me. I walked on the beach ALL BY MYSELF!!! I went looking for sea shells down by the sea shore (sorry....that just came out!). I found each one of the girls a sand dollar!! One good thing about Hurricane (or candy-cane, as Lily calls it) Ike, is the shells that have washed up! One place was so full of shells you had to wear shoes!

After naps we headed back down to the pool. We stayed at the pool until it was dark. We watched the sun set and then after it got dusky dark we went walking on the beach. Laci was so tired from the pool she feel asleep on J's shoulder before we even got down to the sand!!

It was a fun, relaxing day. I can't wait to get in bed and see what tomorrow has in store!

Driving day

We are off!!! On our way to the beach!! We always take our vacations in September because Jeremy starts outage in October and we don't get to see him much until Christmas. So, this is kind of a relaxing time for us all. And the prices are a lot better and no crowds!!!

This year is special because it is Laci's first time at the beach. She has been really good on the 6 hour drive. We have had to pull over a few times for dirty diapers. And she cried herself to sleep once. For that long in the car...she was born to travel!!! (Smile) We LOVE to travel and we have always put Lily in the car and went everywhere with her. She has been the best little traveler!! Speaking of Lily she has started the, "Are we almost there yet??" But thank goodness for DVD players!!! Oh, and head phones!! This is the first time we have used them. And we have laughed at her. She is like an old woman hollering, "WHAT DID YOU SAY???" You have to remind her to take them off. (laughing)

We are here!! We got to the condo about 7pm. And unloaded the car and went to eat. We all were hungry for Olive Garden. And this was another 1st for Laci. She sat up in a real high chair at the restaurant. We were laughing because NOTHING was safe on the table.

After we ate we ran to get our groceries at Wal-Mart. And then back to unload that. We were all so tired that when we got back we went straight to bed. Lily came in the door asking for her pajama's.

To end the day....I thank God that we arrived safe and sound. Now I just pray for a fun week with the kiddo's and a time of making lots of memories!!

Funny Story...

Today at lunch, where Lily and I have our best talks, she told me the cutest story. She has always said she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up. But after I told her a doctor was a great job but so was what mommy did. She has now changed her tune to be a mommy. (HeeHee) And to top it off she wants 5 gir-el (girl) babies and 5 boy babies.

So, today asks me why she has an Aunt. I told her that her aunt was her papa's sister. And that when she has all her babies, Laci will be an Aunt b/c they are sisters. She looks at me with this "look" and said, "Well she might can say she is an aunt but she want help me with me babies. I want need anybody helping me!" (I was dying laughing) Then she goes on to tell me that she needed to leave our house with all her babies someday. I said, "Awww, I hate to think of you leaving me." She said, "But MOM, you know I can't stay here forever!" (Where does she get this stuff???? And it was so hard to keep a straight face!!) It does end on a positive note though, she tells me that her husband (aka Prince Charming) will build them a house on the land. She will leave my house but have her house on "the land" right next to mine. (See, she will always be my girl!!!!! )

In other news....Laci has 2 teeth now. She is also starting a sippy cup full-time now. I am done done done with nursing. I am sad in a way but she CHOMPED down on me and I almost threw her out of my lap onto the floor! I told her, "NO!NO!" and she laughed! So, I tried the other boob while that one was still in pain and she did it again!!!!! That night when I got up to feed her I was so scared the whole time. That is when I knew it was time.

Lily has started dance!!! She is such a tomboy but when I knew I was having a girl I KNEW no matter what - she would dance!!! Here we are....and I am on cloud 9!!! She is the sweetest thing in a tu-tu since I don't know!!!!


Not only is my girl "INTO" dance but she is really into riding again. I miss riding and messing with the horses. Before we had kids we would go over to the barn in the afternoons and I would watch J ride or I would help feed. But since we have had kids, it is so hard to find time for them. So it looks like J will have a riding buddy again one day after all. Hopefully 2, or 3!! Now that I see Lily loving to ride, it gives me that fever again too. And I am sure that Laci will do what ever her big sister does!

This and That

Last night was Meet The Teacher night at pre-school. I am so excited for Lily to have some learning time and play time with her peers. She is very much a HOME BODY (like me) so the leaving the house twice a week will wear off soon and be filled with tears and "Can't we just stay home today??" But I think her teacher is going to be so good for her. And her class just oozed learning through play. I can't wait for her to go and soak up some good learning. Now her daddy on the other hand is having a really hard time with letting her grow-up. He is going to need a box of tissue after dropping her off tomorrow!!!

I have just finished another great book, Raising a Godly daughter in an ungodly World and started another book called, Don't Make Me Count to Three! And in reading these books I just need to stop and count my blessings. I am feeling so blessed right now!
1) Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior
2) My husband is the head of our house and we are both in this together. He deserves so much respect for the daddy he is. I am so glad God put us together. I could have never asked for more!
3) God has chosen me to be the mother of His precious children. Two beautiful, healthy little girls whose giggles make my day!
4) Our church. I am so blessed to belong to a church where God shows me something new every week. Almost every service I get teary during the music or message. I feel God so strongly in that place.
5) Godly friends who I can learn from and do life with.
6 ) Parents who have taught me what unconditional love really is all about! And an example of a marriage that has lasted for 35 years!!!!
7) In-laws who I trust and care for as if they were my very own parents. And who can also be a great example of a marriage that has lasted for 38 years!!!!
8) My cup runeth over!