New Smyrna Beach Trip

Yes, it was a month ago, but I still want to capture a few memories and tidbits from our vacation to New Smyrna Beach.


The ride down really wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be.  We were caravanning with David's parents and Audrey rode with them two out of the four shifts, which helped a lot.  Even though she's the easy traveler (as long as the DVD player works, that is), it still stressed her and us out a lot more when Luke would get on a screaming tangent with her in the car.  


Once we arrived (I think it was 8 hours and 3 stops later, but I don't recall exactly) we went out on the back deck and watched dolphins swimming just off shore and the most pelicans I've ever seen diving for fish.  The ocean was so close and the view was amazing.  We unloaded our massive amounts of stuff and started setting everything up.  We were staying right next door to the wedding party, who would leave on Monday and be replaced by the rest of our family.  That evening I helped Audrey through the wedding rehearsal and then we ordered take-out from one of our favorite local spots.  


On Sunday, after Luke woke up to eat early enough for me to catch the sunrise, we ate breakfast and packed our things for the beach.  We dipped Luke's little toes in the ocean for the first time and then let him take a nap on a beach towel in the shade while Audrey buried David and collected shells.  We went in for lunch, baths, and naps and then Pam and I headed over to the other house to help set up and get instructions for our duties later.  When Audrey woke up, I painted her toenails pink (first time) and we all got dressed.  She looked like an angel in her white dress with tiny peal beads on it and her little headband with tightly wound flower buds across the top.  Luke looked especially handsome in his white polo shirt and khaki polo pants.  We walked next door and gave Audrey one last pep talk about her flower throwing responsibilities.


The house was abuzz with all of the excitement and anticipation of the big event.  As I was helping arrange the food, Katie (the bride) walked in.  She took my breath away.  She was absolutely stunning! I told her so and then got out of the way to let everyone else gush.  I took Audrey on one last potty trip without success and silently prayed:  please, Dear God, do NOT let this child wet her underwear and make a scene in the middle of this wedding.  We patiently (or not so much) waited for our turn to walk outside and down to the beach, where the wedding was.  When the time came, I took Audrey's shoes off to reveal her beautiful pink toenails and helped her down the stairs to our staging area on the beach.  I was so focused on the timing that at one point I looked down at Audrey and she was starting to cry.  Come to find out she was terrified that her Daddy hadn't saved us a seat and we'd have no where to sit and watch from.  After carefully showing her our spots and reviewing the plan multiple times, she calmed down.  The wedding party came down two by two and then Kimberly, AJ's second cousin, came down and took Audrey's hand.  I think they were both so focused on getting down the aisle that they forgot about throwing any petals, but she did beautifully getting right to her spot on time. 


Once they prayed, I motioned for Audrey to come sit with us in the VIP saved seats we had.  She sat quietly for approximately one minute before needing to be passed down to sit with her grandparents at the end of the row.  I took Luke and gave him his bottle while the ceremony began.  The closest I came to losing it was when the pastor was giving the parents of the bride and groom a charge and explaining it was their time to release their child to their new spouse.  I remember looking down the row at Audrey in her gorgeous white dress with her angelic face and thinking, "No, no, nope.  No way, no how am I ever going to let her go" and then feeling my heart ache because I knew that one day I'd have no choice.  Fortunately, the moment passed before I could start boo-hooing because my dear sweet child #2 let out a rather large belch that distracted me.  Thankfully I don't think many people heard...or they were just polite enough to act like they didn't.


At the end, Audrey walked back down the aisle with Kimberly and remembered to toss out a few petals.  We took some pictures and then headed up for the reception.  David said a beautiful prayer blessing the couple and the food and then we ate, danced, got eaten alive by no-see-ums, and partied.  Luke was such a trooper but after they cut the cake at 9pm, I knew he'd had enough and he and I silently snuck out leaving David, Audrey, and his parents to party a bit longer.  I fed him and then David came in with Audrey and we got them both ready for bed.  We were all absolutely exhausted but on cloud nine about what a wonderful wedding it had been.  We'd been dreaming of this event for months and months and couldn't believe it had finally happened.  We prayed for the newlyweds and then all turned in.


The next day and the days that followed are kind of a blur of eating and swimming.  David and I got a date night in and walked around the downtown area before a nice dinner out.  We also snuck away for an afternoon treat of ice cream for just the two of us and a stroll on the beach one morning.  I wish I could say we worked off all our eating with a few jogs, but for the first time in our many trips down there, I didn't run a single time.  I couldn't go before feeding Luke in the morning (they don't make sports bras supportive enough to handle that task), and by the time I fed him, it was time to get the rest of the morning routine underway and it just never worked out.  So, instead, we just ate and ate and ate without so much as a brisk walk.  Oh well.


The ride home was not as nice as the ride down.  Luke screamed and cried pretty much non-stop from Macon to our driveway.  David and I were snapping at each other and Audrey and it was all coming apart in those final few miles.  Thankfully, God gave us the grace we needed not to kill each other and we arrived home exhausted, but alive.  Despite ending on a rough note, though, the week was great.  The wedding was wonderful and the time with family was really nice.  I'm already looking forward to next year!  


Here are some other highlights and stories from the week:

• I didn't witness this one first-hand, but the tale goes that Audrey was in the pool and said the word iridescent or something that sounded like it I guess.  While the adults were trying to figure out how to define it in terms she could understand, she interrupted and said, "It means shiny."  I wish I could've seen the looks on their faces!

• While we were down there, we got an offer on our house and had to come up with a way to deal with all that comes with that and counter-offer.  Long story short, it didn't pan out, but it was definitely for the best that it didn't.  Hopefully I'll be able to expand on that later!

• We had two awesome game nights towards the end of the week.  While playing Catch Phrase during one of them, David got the word "Chile".  He was describing it and said, "I think they raise llamas there."  No one guessed it based on that and I gave him a pretty hard time about guessing a country's GDP as a hint.  We retold the story to his parents and wouldn't ya know it?  His dad guessed Chile based solely on his llama hint.  :)

• David's grandma made us flitters four days in a row.  They were Uh-mazing!

• I had 34 no-see-um bites on the front of my legs ALONE.  There were at least that many on the back and about a dozen elsewhere.  It was miserable.  

• Finally, on the last full day, Audrey let her Great Aunt Pat and Grandmom hold her hands and walk her into the ocean.  She'd been too afraid to actually go in all week, but got brave and went for it at the end.

• We made it to Aunt Catfish's one night (our favorite restaurant that's about a 30 minute drive away) and it was goooood.  Luke didn't care much for it, though, and fussed and spit up on me so many times I lost count.  No matter.  My cheese grits, cinnamon roll, and cornbread were delish just the same.

• David and I took Audrey on a mommy-daddy-daughter date to Dairy Queen.  At first she said she didn't want to go without Luke, but once we got there, she couldn't stop saying how nice it was.  She thanked us several times over as we were leaving for "taking me on this nice date and giving me a whole ice cream treat to myself!"  It's moments like that that make you want to kill them with squeezes...in good way for a change. ;) 

(Princess) Audrey's Third Birthday

Last Wednesday Audrey turned three years old...going on thirty three, no doubt.  Her maturity and intelligence astound me.  She's also beautiful, stubborn, bossy, funny, and silly.  Dancing, singing, and reading are still her favorite past times and she loves taking care of her baby dolls and her baby brother.

I see myself in her personality more every day, which is one reason I think this has been a tough year for she and I.  On top of normal terrible twos and the stress of adding a baby, we also have a tendency to butt heads because our personalities are so similar.  We get impatient and frustrated with each other and nearly daily I have to remind her who is the mommy in our relationship.  But the flip side of that is that no one gets her like I do and along with that comes a fierce love that I have no doubt will continue to get us through the rough, who-is-more-obstinant patches.  

She is also very much her own person, of course.  Her heart is so tender that it can hardly bear to read stories where someone gets hurt.  When she says bedtime prayers, she always wants to pray for someone who has a boo-boo.  She loves rules and routine.  She is learning to be a great hostess and share things and rarely turns on the shyness anymore, especially around adults.  Her manners have really taken root and I can already tell that she has a very deep sense of right and wrong and fairness.  

As you can tell, I really couldn't be more proud of the sweet little girl she's turning into. :)

So what did we do to celebrate our little lady?  Well, on her actual birthday, I cooked her chocolate chip pancakes, she watched her current favorite show Doc McStuffins, we went to get a few things for her party and she got to pick out a balloon (two, actually, because the first went on a trip to Jupiter) and then we had her third swim lesson.  For dinner, she chose pizza as her birthday meal and followed it up with a chocolate chip cookie cake and presents (a marble race obstacle thingy, three Berenstain Bear books, and a Going Fishing game.)  It was a sweet, fun day full of small gestures and simple pleasures.

On Saturday we threw her quite the royal birthday bash.  The theme was princess and she and her little friends all dressed the part (except for Luke and her boy cousins Carson and James - poor guys were the odd men out!)  She came downstairs decked out in a long pink dress-up princess gown and everyone gushed over how gorgeous she looked.  When the other little girls arrived and walked up the royal pink carpet, we decorated foam tiaras and let them color on the giant cardboard castle that we'd set up.  Her picture slideshow ran in the background and we ate lunch (crown-shaped sandwiches, chips, and fruit wands for the kids; a sub platter, fruit, chips, and potato salad for the adults) and then I asked her whether she wanted to do cake or presents first.  Being a girl after my own heart, she chose cake.  My sister-in-law Jenny had made her the most beautiful crown-shaped cake with Audrey's name written on it.  It was a masterpiece that we almost hated to cut up!  Everyone gathered around and sang to her as she soaked it all in.  We blew out the candles as a family (she insisted she needed help) and then enjoyed cake and ice cream.  After we ate, she opened up presents fit for a princess: Craft kits, clothes, a magazine subscription, a cabbage patch doll, a hot wheels track, zoo tickets, an interactive map, a purse, money, and princess stuff galore - puzzles, a beach towel, bounce ball, and more craft activities.  She played with a few things and then thanked people for coming and helped hand out their favors (a princess-themed book and a sucker for each kid, bag of princess-molded cookies for each family).  She napped well and we spent the rest of the day breaking down decorations, cleaning up, and playing with her new toys.  It was another wonderful, memory-making bash full of our favorite people and celebrating my favorite girl.  

Happy Third Birthday, Sugar.  You are an amazing gift from God that has already taught me way more than I could ever teach you.  You are beautiful, kind, special, and smart and I continue to pray God's blessings over your life.  I love you more than you'll ever, ever know.

Thankful Thursday

I wish I had time to write an update about our recent trip, but I just can't swing it tonight.  I did finish editing and posting pictures from the week (which is one reason I can't swing it - stayed up too late working on those last night!) and they're in the gallery.  Hopefully I'll get some time this weekend to write a few memories down before they've all disappeared from my scrambled brain.


Here is this week's TT list:


1.  Good results for a family member's medical tests.  Not 100% ideal, but definitely benign, which is a huge praise.


2.  My dad, father-in-law, brothers, grandfather, grandfather-in-law, uncles-in-law, and especially David, who are all amazing, wonderful dads.  Happy Father's Day to all of you!


3.  Luke's little sighs of satisfaction.  After he's been fussing, I'll pick him up and 9 times out of 10, he immediately stops crying and lets out this little sigh that says, "Ahhh.  Mommy's got me.  All is right with the world after all."  I know I won't be able to fix things that easily for him forever, but I'll take it while I can. 


4.  Chocolate milk.  It's a rarity that I allow myself any because I see it as such a waste of calories, but man is it goooooood. 


5.  New magazines in the mail.  Even if I haven't had the time to read last month's yet.  




Please be in prayer for my grandfather.  He is really not doing well and, since he's out of state and not the most forth-coming about things, we're not getting a whole lot of answers.  

May Recap

I'm a little behind, but here is a quick recap of the month of May:


We listed our house, my dad got married, we ran (mostly) a 5K, we endured a terrible virus that hit all of us, and we celebrated Mother's Day and David's birthday.  In other words, we were bored to tears.  :)


As for the kids:  Luke is doing fantastic and becoming more and more interactive everyday.  His sweet coos are music to my ears and his big dimpled smiles light up a room.  His eating and sleeping schedule is like clockwork, which, as you can imagine, I love.  I'm still looking forward to him dropping a daytime nap and those nighttime feedings, but we'll get there.  He's eating six times a day and twice at night (once around 1:30am and again around 4:30am).  We'll be starting rice cereal or oatmeal in the next couple of weeks, which everyone over the age of forty swears by for lengthening night sleeping, but it didn't effect Audrey a bit.  Fingers crossed, though.  Maybe it'll at least help with his reflux, which is still going strong but is having NO effect on his weight gain.  He wears six months clothes and I'm guessing he's around 16 lbs now.  His rolls are getting rolls. :)


Audrey is doing great as well.  The last six months or so have been a bit trying with her behavior-wise.  I know anyone who knows her well and reads that just laughed out loud, as she really is a wonderfully behaved and super-sweet girl, but the whining and pouting and general "I'm-two-and-have-a-'tude" have worn on us for awhile now.  We tried the smiley face/frownie face dots reward system and that worked for awhile, but it began to lose its luster.  So, about three weeks ago, I decided she needed two things: more quality time with us and more spankings.  Now before you call DFCS, please understand that the child had only received about five or six her entire life.  And let me tell you, two days and a mere three spankings later, she really turned a corner.  She's still a toddler and we still expect defiance, whining, and fits.  They just don't happen nearly as often or are as bad.  And, obviously, the one on one time I've been trying hard to carve out and spend with her has helped as well.  I so enjoy her company.  


Potty training-wise she's doing great.  Sleep-wise, we've had some regression, as we always do for about a month after she's been sick.  Learning-wise, the kid continues to knock our socks off.  Her vocabulary, imagination, and critical thinking skills are astounding.  


I didn't do as well this month about keeping track of her funny little quotes, but will try better for June.  Check the gallery for pictures and check back here soon for a post about our recent beach trip.  


Coming up next month:  Turning three/birthday party, swim lessons, and God willing, at least the start of a move!

Thankful Thursday

It's been busy around here, but I couldn't let a THIRD week go by without a TT post.  We're preparing for our trip and on top of getting a 3 month old, a 3 year old, a 31 year old, and myself ready and packed, I'm trying to clean the house from top to bottom so it'll be ready for any showings while we're away. So, quickly, here goes:

1.  David.  He turned 31 on Sunday...and talk about a letdown.  Last year he got surprised with a trip to Puerto Rico and 30 days of small gifts.  This year, he got a card and a hand-written certificate to a golf store.  But, thankfully, he knows my lack of thoughtful gift does not equate to a lack of love and appreciation for what an amazing husband and father he is!  I'm incredibly grateful to have him in my corner and love him more than life itself.  I'll work harder on coming up with something for Father's Day, babe.    

2.  Finding money...BIG money! :)  Last week at the park, David and I found a $20 bill.  We asked every person we passed as we walked and jogged our laps, but no one had lost any cash.  SO, cha-ching.  We made an easy $20.  Talk about motivation for getting out and exercising!

3.  God's timing.  We had a couple that was very interested in our house.  VERY interested, as they came for three showings.  But, alas, it was not meant to be and they made an offer on another house.  It would've been so cool to have it sell that quickly, but David pointed out that it would've pretty much ruined our vacation/time at the upcoming family wedding because we would've been so focused on finding a new place and hurrying to get home and pack.  So, we're trusting that it wasn't God's perfect timing and we're going to focus on chilling for a change.  Now if we get a good offer the day we get back, THAT would be just fine. :)

4.  Audrey and Luke's developing relationship.  A-Dor-A-Ble.  Today while I was nursing him, I let her watch a show.  She sat there holding his hand the whole time her eyes were glued to the TV.  She just can't get enough of squeezing and hugging him.  (Think Elmira from Tiny Toons).  Thankfully, she's growing on him too.  He locks in on her and watches her every move and then gives her some of his biggest smiles.   I can't wait to see how they interact as he gets older.   

5.  Lists.  Especially if they're written on crisp notebook paper with a number two pencil.  There is no way I would survive the monumental task of getting this family ready for a wedding/week at the beach without a multitude of lists.  And, after consulting what's left on mine to do tonight, I see it's o-fficially bedtime.  Praise the Lord.

In closing, please pray for my grandfather.  As you may recall, he had a fall (2-3 in the past few months, actually) and they've just discovered that he actually has a fractured hip.  Pray for pain relief and the right course of action.

Also, pray for a safe and wonderful vacation for us this next week.  Given the last three months we've had, we definitely need this break.  We're seriously dreading the drives to and from, so please pray specifically for easy travel with two little ones.  It would be nice to arrive with a little sanity intact.  

Check back for updates and pics for May!  I'm hoping to have a little time to work on those while we're away.

Thankful Thursday

Prayer Requests/Updates:


 - Luke came down with his first cold on Monday and we've all slowly been fighting it since.  Pray for healing, as we have a big weekend coming up with my dad's wedding.  


 - My grandfather had another fall last week, this one injuring his back quite severely.  It's hard to piece together, but it seems there may be some other things going on with him as well.  Please pray for healing and clarity about what course of action for my mom and her siblings need to take.  


Here is this week's list:


1.  That our house is officially listed.  Finally.  After a month of seriously hard work and preparation, we signed the contract on Monday.  I'll post a link when it goes "live" in case you want to spread the word.  Pray it goes fast at top dollar!


2.  A hubby who steps up.  Despite being slammed at work, despite not feeling well, he pitched in this week in a big way and showed up when I needed him, even being brave enough to take on both kids alone a couple of times.  


3.  Audrey's made-up songs.  She closes her eyes while singing them and puts her heart and soul into it.  It's hilariously adorable.    


4.  Skinny Cow ice cream cones. 


5.  And last but not least....Mothers - my mom, mother-in-law, grandmother, grandmothers-in-law, aunt, aunts-in-law, sisters-in-law, and mommy friends.  Thank you to each of you for the role you played and continue to play in helping me become the mother that I am.  Happy Mother's Day!

April Recap

With each month that passes I think our world can't possibly get any busier or crazier, and each month that passes I'm proven wrong.  I think it's time to stop thinking that and just brace myself.

This month held Easter and egg hunts, hosting a family lunch for the occasion, Luke's first trip to church (he sat with us in the theater), doctor check-ups for me and Luke, a trip to Alabama (Luke's first), my nephew's 4th birthday party in Villa Rica (practically Alabama), a mega family shower for David's cousin, and even more introductions of Luke to family and friends.  David and I also celebrated two important anniversaries - 13 years since our blind date and 12 years that we've been together (that year in between was me making extra sure he was the one.  He is, in case you wondered.)  And, of course, there was the major decision of putting our house up for sale and the insane amount of cleaning out and cleaning up we've been doing to prepare for that.  Throw in Bible Study meetings, small group sessions, and play dates, and that's where April went.  

Other memorable events?  I got a bad spray tan, but at least now I can say I at least tried the safer route. On a positive note, I have been doing well with losing baby weight.  I still have a ways (or weighs - ha!) to go, but thankfully I'm staying motivated and it's getting there.  My goal is to have it all off and be back in semi-toned shape by Thanksgiving/Luke's 9th month birthday.  

David hasn't had to travel yet, praise God, but did have some customers in the last part of the month which meant long hours and therefore made me realize how INSANE we will go if he does travel.  He snuck in two rounds of golf this month, so don't feel too badly about his load, though!  

Here are some more specifics on the kids:  (Two months in and it still seems weird that that's plural!)

At ten weeks old, Luke is doing really well.  He's down to two feedings per night, is smiling (but makes you work for it), and makes a few cooing noises that melt my heart.  He's on a pretty predictable schedule now.  He eats at 7:30am, goes down from 8:45-9:45, eats at 9:45, and then naps off and on while we have a play date or run errands from about 10:30-12:30.  He eats at 12:30 or 12:45 and then goes down for a nap when AJ does around 1:45 or 2.  He wakes and eats again at 3:15 or 3:30 and then sleeps off and on if we're out or goes down at 5 until eating at 6.  We keep him awake from that dinner feeding until bedtime at 8:30pm. 

He's a great sleeper and always goes down without a fight when it's time.  I am ready for him to learn to suck his thumb, though, because he likes having a pacifier in his mouth when he sleeps but knocks it out several times during the night.  He spent two nights in his room before I moved him back in ours because eight times was just too many to get up and go all the way down the hall just to stick a pacifier back in.  Plus, I ended up feeding him three times in an effort to keep him quiet so he wouldn't wake Audrey.  There was no way I was going to allow us to regress to three feedings, so back in our room he came and there he'll stay until he can figure out the thumb thing or drops another feeding.  

At nearly three years old, Audrey alternates between making me crazy and making my heart spill over.  Even when she's aggravating me to no end, she is hands-down the sweetest big sister I've ever seen.  She is nothing but kind and gentle with Luke all of the time.  One of her favorite "responsibilities" is to put his pacifier in if I have him lying down while I'm doing something and he starts to cry.  Often I'll peer over the kitchen counter or out the shower door to make sure she's being gentle.  He may be screaming his head off and it could take her ten tries, but she is nothing but patient and persistent until that pacifier makes it in and he stops crying.  One morning last week I leaned over the kitchen counter and saw her sitting beside his bouncer, holding his hand, swaying to the music to the radio.  They were both as content as could be just sitting with each other and I almost missed taking advantage of the full three minutes it lasted because it was so darn cute to watch!

She loves asking, "What do you think he's wondering?" and helping us dream up possible answers.  One of her favorite things to say to him is "I'm so sorry, buddy" anytime something comes up that he can't do because he's too little (i.e. eat ice cream, play with a certain toy, go down a slide...)  She can't wait until he's able to be her pal-around pal...or at least, she thinks she can't wait.  We'll see.  ;)

It seems like overnight she has become so much braver about many things.  She used to shy away from tunnel slides and bouncy houses, but she tackled them head-on one day and never looked back.  She's soaking up new things like a sponge and we're desperately trying to keep up!  She nows knows all of the spanish alphabet and a few spanish words, the planets, and the days of the week.  We've begun working on states thanks to her United States placemat.  David and I are hoping we'll pick up on some of the midwest geography that's always been a little hazy to us.  

Funny quotes and quips from AJ:

• Her toy phone "rang" and she answered it, then hung up.  I asked who it was and she answered, "Those television people."  "You mean telemarketers?" I asked.  "Yeah, telemarkers," she said. 

• We were talking about what goals were and what it means to meet them.  I told her I had a goal of finishing XYZ and she said, "I'm gonna meet my goals today too."  I asked her what her goal was.  She told me it was to play with Nana.  Check!

• As I was in the middle of praying aloud one day with her, Luke decided to fill up his Pampers.  Audrey immediately admonished him and said, "It's NOT polite to poopy during prayer, Luke."  

• One morning I told her we didn't have time to watch a show.  She said, "Well, then can I watch half a show?"  The answer was still no, but you gotta give her props for math skills and negotiation.

• She can sometimes go off on very dramatic, imaginary stories.  While in a clothing store, she was rambling about not having a hot-air balloon to reach something and put on her best "Oh no! This is awful!" act.  The overhead music changed to something melancholy at that moment and she said, "This is a good song to be sad to."  

• She is obsessed about guys taking their shirts off at the beach, pool, etc.  We passed a group of cross country runners the other day without them on and she kept going on and on about it.  After we finished our errand and were returning home, I smelled burning leaves and explained what that was.  She decided that nope, it was someone cooking something.  Then she decided it was those runners cooking and that they were going to eat inside, but still have their shirts off because they were still hot. 

• After I scolded her for something, she hugged me and said (no joke), "I love you, Mommy.  Thank you for working so hard on my good behavior."  HAHAHAHA.  I swear, just when you're about to kill them, they say something that saves their lives.  

• I told her we were having pizza one night and she went into great detail to Luke about how yummy it was.  She concluded by telling him, "I'm SO sorry you can't have any, buddy.  You just gotta hurry up and get big so you can eat some!"

• The day after her cousin's birthday party, she complained that her legs were sore.  I realized it was because she jumped and bounced her heart out on the bouncy house and was really amazed that she knew what "sore" meant and how to articulate it!

• I took her potty against her will (as is most often the case, even though she'll need to go).  She plopped down on the toilet, slammed her hands in her lap, looked up at me and declared, "This is SO exasperating!"  

• We usually get her fruit as a side in her fast food meals, even when we get fries for ourselves (You know, the good parenting rule of "do as I say, not as I do").  We do share some with her, though....at least, most of the time.  David forgot one day and when she asked for one, he'd already eaten them all.  She patted his hand and said, "That's okay, Daddy.  I still love you."  

• A few times a week she'll tell me, "These are busy, fun days, aren't they Mommy?"  Indeed, sweet girl.  Thanks for the reminder. 

Yes, pics are up.  Check out Carson's 4th Birthday Party and April albums.  Katie's bridal shower details and pics coming soon (hopefully before she gets married!)