Our Vacation Re-cap

I can’t really seem to figure out why I can’t write about our vacation. I think it’s because I’m sad that it’s over… part of me still holding onto the idea that it won’t really be over until I write about it… as if I’m closing that chapter by blogging it.  


It has been more than a week since we got home. And, yet, I still don't want to admit it is over. But, alas, it is. And, I'm getting further behind by avoiding blogging this, because, as always, life keeps going on in full speed. :) 

Maybe another reason that I can't seem to get motivated to post about vacation is because my camera was broken on our first day of arriving in Florida. And, what would this post be like without beautiful photos of the beach and my sun-kissed babies? But... well... no pictures yet. Ok. So, I have a few pics from our cell phone cameras. I'll include those. Still... not happy that the ones I really loved are stuck on a camera that I haven't been able to turn on. Ugh.

It was a great vacation. I was a little nervous about how it would go… traveling to Charleston, South Carolina first, staying a couple of days, and then traveling some more to get to Dunedin, Florida. I was worried we wouldn’t feel rested… that it would feel like we were running around too much.  

I was worried for no reason. Was it our most relaxing beach vacation? Well, no. The travel did break it up a little. But, was it worth it? Yes. Definitely. Charleston was more beautiful than I expected it to be. Honestly, I could have stayed there an entire week and probably still would not have been ready to come home. It was so charming… so cute… yet it still had all the luxury of a larger city and the feel of a real tourist destination without a ridiculous amount of traffic or waiting. We spent our first evening there eating at Hyman’s and wandering the downtown market. The kids enjoyed it… the food was delicious… and we even got a free gift certificate to go back to Hyman’s (Dawn, remind me to give it to you before you leave for Seabrook in August) for wearing our stickers downtown. :)

The second day we were there, we had to go to the beach. I was hesitant because I didn’t want to miss anything in Charleston, but I had two children who had been promised a beach vacation and they were not about to wander around a hot downtown all day with the coast so very close by. I didn’t fight them much… as a matter of fact, I was having a really tough time not being on the beach immediately, too. So, we took breakfast (our only McDonald’s stop during our entire stay – a small miracle) to Folly Beach. It was gorgeous. The kids had a great time… and both of them shared with me that they NEVER wanted to go home. See video here (I have similar video of Jake, but I can't seem to get it downloaded properly... apparently I have issues with technology these days):



  


Brad and I had already began our typical vacation discussion… when are we moving to the beach? Which beach do we want to move to? Should we move to a city close to the beach, but not actually on the beach? Which city would offer us the best job opportunities? Which place would be best for the kids? What in the world would our parents do? Could we find a place that has direct flights from Lexington or Huntington or even Charleston for our families to use (and us as well?)? Could we really leave our families behind to move? All of these conversations are the same every year… always with the same answers… we don’t know. :) Still, they happen every year… and I’m slightly convinced that each and every year, we get a little bit closer to taking that leap. Will it be this year? Who knows? 

We spent that evening shopping at the Outlet Mall (which was only about a mile from our hotel), looking at the USS Yorktown from the riverfront, wandering around town and looking at old buildings, roads, and shops, and eating more seafood at A.W. Shuck’s (a fabulous place, I have to say). Then, while we would have been so happy to stay the rest of the week, we packed up our stuff, slept a few hours, and headed to Florida.  

The trip down was not bad at all. In fact, other than a few small towns with very low speed limits, it was pretty enjoyable. This is the part where I gush and brag about how awesome our kids are… sorry. They travel so well. Eight hours to Charleston, South Carolina. Then, we traveled eight more hours to Florida. The fighting was minimal… the sleeping was practically nonexistent, and yet, they were great. They are such wonderful babies (or big kids as they point out these days).  

Florida… Clearwater might have had the prettiest sand I’ve ever seen. The first night there, we ate dinner at Crabby Bill’s (where they had AWESOME crab legs that I kept making a mess with and hitting Cilla and Bret with from across the table) and then we watched a gorgeous sunset on the white sandy beach. Aww… how I miss it already. Cilla was, as always, adorably pregnant and Bret was, as always, making the kids wild. Well, no more wild than usual, really. It was still beautiful. Kids screaming (and getting in the water despite my threats) and still a beautiful sunset. 

The entire week was pretty much perfection. We had gorgeous weather. We got tan. YAY! We relaxed on the beach and the kids played in the waves. They collected seashells, got buried in the sand, and screamed at seagulls. Hmm. That doesn’t sound peaceful, does it? Well… let me tell you… these seagulls are unlike any I have seen before. They literally stole a sandwich out of Bailey’s hand as she was eating it. I’ve never seen more aggressive birds in my life. Of course, that just so happened to be the day that the waves were larger and stronger than normal. So, Bailey had already had a major wipeout on her boogy board (as in, I saw her feet and only her feet for quite some time before Brad was pulling her out of the water). To top it all off, that was the day that us girls all went to the spa to have pedicures and manicures and the guys went to golf. Wouldn’t you know that Bailey got locked in the bathroom at the spa and screamed as if she was being locked in a dungeon? Oh… it was funny. It was all funny, even if she didn’t think so.  She didn't think it was the best day of our vacation. 

Jake enjoyed the beach more than any other year, I think. Well, I don't know. He did love Hilton Head a lot. But, at least he has moved beyond his hatred of the sand. Brad and I were so worried when he was a little over a year old and we went on our first beach vacation. He sat in a chair or on a blanket the entire time we were at the beach. He didn't want to touch the sand because it would stick to him. Thankfully, he's outgrown that. We were temporarily terrified that we wouldn't be allowed to vacation at the beach. Jake did pull out his old chair stunt on our last day on vacation though. He knew we were planning to go home that day and he had decided that Superman and Batman were crying for him at home. They missed him so much that he just had to get home right then. We had plans to spend the morning on the beach before leaving town. Jake did not like those plans. So, he refused (loudly) to wear his swimming trunks. He then wore two t-shirts, to reinforce the message that he was not going to swim. And, finally, he made us carry him to a chair on the beach so that he wouldn't have to get in the sand. Picking your battles really came in handy that day. :) Instead of fighting with him, we just let him make his choices. Of course, he ended up in full clothing, soaking wet and sandy, because he couldn't resist the beach any more than the rest of us could. 

One of my favorite things about vacation is the good food. We ate seafood almost every single night of vacation - the only night that we didn't was the night that we cooked out at the beach for Cilla's birthday. That's also the same night that my phenomenally talented best friend took this year's family photos. I can't wait to show them off to you. I even got to play on the camera some too and took some of her pregnant belly. So adorable. 


And, just like last year, I got to mark off some list items with this vacation. I visited Charleston, South Carolina. I helped Cilla mark off an item on her list - going to play putt-putt golf. It was fun... and hot... and sweaty... but fun. The kids had a good time. We had a good time. And, I totally kicked butt. Yes, I'm bragging to Brad and Bret here... because it isn't often that I get to win. 


We saw dolphins, took a boat ride to Caladesi Island, and spent evenings eating ice cream, watching sunsets, and discussing everything under the sun. Ahhh... vacation. Why do you only come once a year? 

As a sidenote, I hope that I'm able to share some of my photos from our vacation soon. If not from my own camera, I know that Cilla is going to have some really awesome ones to share later. So... more to come... because I'm definitely not done with this vacation. lol. 

Until then... here are a few of my favorites from our cell phone cameras: 

Growing... More of my favorites...

I'm feeling better. Still not 100%, but I'm feeling much better. I miss having energy, but I know it won't be long... it's incredible how much better I feel in comparison to Monday. 


Before I go further, I want to say that I hated it that we weren't able to come to Allie's party, Kristyn! I hope she had a great one! We're hoping to get out to church tomorrow, so maybe we'll see you there! 


OK... now on to a new subject (finally!). 


I have always wanted to mark the kids' growth chart on my wall, but it's always been something that I've procrastinated. I don't know why, but it's just one of those things that I haven't taken the time to do. I decided today would be that day. I got out the baby books and the growth chart information on the kids and decided to mark the wall between their two bedrooms. It's incredible to see how they've grown. They thought it was pretty cool to see, too. 


Seeing it... actually, physically, seeing it has made me kind of sad. Not really depressed or anything like that, but sad to see how fast it has gone by. Bailey is almost 4 feet tall. Jake is a little over 3 feet tall (which really isn't that big of a change - we remembered that he was like 32 inches when he was a year old). 


Looking through all the baby book stuff also made it tough. I showed the kids their ultrasound pictures and photos of me pregnant. I felt pangs of guilt about all the things I had written about Bailey in her book and the lacking information that I had written in Jake's. I know I'm missing a ton of stuff that I kept from his birth... it's somewhere in this house. I just was slightly busier when he came around, what with two kids in diapers and all, as well as a high-maintenance job. :) It doesn't make me feel any better though. I know there are things that I've forgotten about when he was a baby that I won't get back. And, that just makes me feel guilty and sad. But, then again... there is this blog. :) At least I'm tracking things here, right? 


Anyway, it was incredible to look at how our lives have grown, evolved, and changed. It was fun to remember all the little cute things the kids did (and the funny things we did trying to figure it all out). And it made me want to do one of those posts about the kids. You know, the one that says... here are a bunch of things I don't want to forget... 


Here goes.

• Jake loves to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star... especially before bedtime... and he always, always holds his hand up in a diamond when that part comes. 
• Bailey loves milkshake day. On Sunday, Brad always fixes her a milkshake. Jake isn't into ice cream... he loves popsicles though... and he says it in a way that sounds like bicycles. 
• My kids could eat popcorn every day of their lives... and sometimes they do. 
• They both want to be cuddled at night. Every night. It will go by way too fast and I'll be wishing they weren't too cool to snuggle up to me. 
• Bailey loves to pose for photos... she actually was taking pictures with her toy camera the other day and told me to smile. When I just stood there and smiled, she told me to cock my head to the side and smile. :) 
• Jake is dying to go to preschool. We are going to have to give in... he can't wait to go. I love to see how excited he gets when he's telling me about it. 
• Jake thinks to make a snoring noise, he must stick both fingers in his nose and blow. Disgusting, but hilarious. 
• Bailey's teacher sent home a note that says she is a great student. She works very hard and really has fun at school. She has befriended a child who is from the Ukraine and speaks no English. The teacher says that she doesn't think they actually communicate with words, but they sure love to giggle together. I love my daughter's incredible ability to make everyone (and I mean everyone) feel special. She could fail every subject and I swear that this one trait will make her more successful than just about anything else. :)
• Jake is now standing up when he pees. And, yes, the toilet is now not as clean. But, he's so proud. He wants us to watch him all the time. :) And, he wanted to make sure that his friend Joseph sees him stand up the next time he comes over. 
• The kids have decided to start using love when they fight. Yes, you read that right. Now, when they make each other mad, they yell at each other, "I don't love you anymore." Both of them do it. It's awful. In contrast, they also tell each other that they love each other quite often.
• We went to meet my parents at Morehead the other day. I told Bailey that we were going to meet them and she said, "In Hilton Head?" She grinned, knowing that wasn't right. I said, "I wish." She said, "Me, too. Can't we go back?" I love it that she loves the beach just like us. 
• They are great swimmers. Jake can swim about 25-30 feet without help. He won't go under the water, but he can tread water forever. Bailey can swim about half the length of the pool without assistance... and she is a pro at going off the diving board. She's still figuring out how to dive, but she's getting it.
• They have been begging for a baby or a dog for months. They will probably be begging for a lot longer on both. :) Their mamaw got them a cat to keep at her house. She let them name it. They  named it Shaggy. Their plan is to get a dog (specifically a Great Dane) and name it Scooby. :) But first they really want a baby brother or sister (depending on which child you ask). They think they can go to the hospital and buy it to bring home. Fat chance, kiddos. 
• They can't stand it when Brad and I kiss or hug. They have to be a part. And, they love to jump in our bed in the morning and beat Brad up. I love it. :) They know better than bother me early in the morning... they say I'm mean. And they are right. lol

Finally...

...I'm feeling like a real person again! :) 


Last night, I was feeling guilty about Bailey being at home while Jake was getting spoiled by his grandparents. I had told Bailey that if I was feeling up to it I would take her to see Ramona and Beezus. I was wanting to see it as much as her... the Ramona books were some of my favorites as a kid. So... Brad took his girls out on a date last night. You can imagine how thrilled he was to see this chic flick... I think he actually tried to think of an excuse, but I was giving him a hard time about it before he could even try. He sucked it up and took us. 


I'm so glad that we did. Not only did I love the movie, Bailey had a great time. She thought the movie was great. She can totally relate to Ramona. She's not the little sister or middle child, but she can often be the misunderstood child in our house. She's hyper, full of life, and very stubborn. She's the "color outside the lines" type of child and honestly, me, Brad, and Jake are not. I can be more creative than the boys, but a lifetime worth of habits and my adulthood make me a little more stringent. We love Bailey's fun-loving personality. But, we forget it a lot, too. We get frustrated when we come in and she's doing something her way instead of our way... or if she is talking non-stop about something that we simply don't even understand... etc. It was a good reminder that her spirit is what makes her the incredible little girl she is, even if it's probably the thing that will get her into a ton of trouble as she grows. I'm glad Brad got to see it, too, even if he didn't really love it like we did. :) 


And, best of all... I actually felt good through most of the movie. I was really tired after watching it, but after a good night's sleep, I am feeling pretty good. 

Just around the corner

Just for fun... 


I was thinking about my favorite things about fall today. You know, it's right around the corner. Naturally, I was thinking about it. Doesn't everyone think of random crap like this on a hot summer day?


Usually, I'd be really sad that summer is ending soon. And, I still am a little bit. I'll miss the pool and the lake... and the baseball field... and grilling out. I'll miss lots of my favorites. But, I'm kind of ready for it. I don't know why... but I kind of am. It's weird. 


I was listing off my favorite things about fall... and it turned into a reasoning of why I like each season. But because I don't want to write a book, at least not tonight, here are my favorite things about fall... 


I love hoodies and boots and sweaters... and the fact that white shoes are "out." I hate white shoes (at least dressy ones anyway). 


I love apple cider, even if I only have it once in a season. 


I love pumpkins and mums... and scarecrows... together. And I love visiting our local pumpkin patch in the fall. 


I love the smell of the morning air in the fall. I love it all year round, really, but especially in the fall. It reminds me of Saturday mornings when I was young and we'd be at the football field at 7 a.m. to get ready for youth football games. 


I love hot chocolate and caramel apples... together. I know. It sounds gross. But I love it anyway.


I love apple pie (can you tell I haven't eaten any good food since this gallbladder thing?!) :) 


I love different colored leaves and I love to rake them, even though I don't do it enough. 


I love football. Oh, how I love football. I love my husband almost as much as I love football... oops, did I say that right? :) If he didn't love it more than me, I'm sure he'd be mad. 


I love fantasy football, too. I'm going to smoke them all this year. I don't know how, but I'm gonna. :) 


I love the smell of the heat when it's turned on the first time... even if it burns my nose a little. 


I love to try new hats on the kids... and I love to see them in jackets. 


I can't believe that this wasn't the first one. I love, love, love jackets. It is a fetish. I had a friend ask one time, ridiculing someone else, "Who has more than one red jacket?" I still laugh about it because my response was, "I have three." lol. 


I love bonfires and marshmallows and all that comes with a good bonfire, including the snuggly arms of someone you love and a blanket. 


I love blankets. I love them year round... but I especially love them when you wrap up in them and sit on your back porch with hot chocolate. 


I love fall... 


I still love summer though. And still don't have any plans of rushing it away. :)