Memorial Day Weekend, Day 3

The last day was overcast.  It wasn't rainy or anything, but just "clouds-behind-the-sun-kind-of-day."  Vera seemed to do much better when the sun wasn't shining in her eyes and it wasn't quite as hot.  We played a lot of "ladder-toss" and enjoyed relaxing by the water.  We stayed on the beach until late afternoon...I think that's my favorite time of the day there. 

 

Jenny and Eric bought some type of boogie board and all the guys (oh, and Jenny too, HA HA!) took their turn at surfing the waves...  I didn't get any pictures of Jon, Eric, or Jenny...  but here is Josh having his turn... ha!

I think this is my favorite picture from the trip...She looks so happy to be at the beach!  Actually, she was grinning at Eric, her new best friend!  Whenever he was around, Vera was all smiles!

The whole clan took Grady to Adventure Island on Saturday night after Wolf Bay.  Vera decided to konk out, so the two of us headed back to the condo and missed all the fun...  He played lots and lots of games and won this fabulous bow-and-arrow prize with all of his tickets.

 I took a picture of Grady with his name in the sand like this last year...  Had to bribe him with m&m's to make him do it again this year...  Wonder how many more years I can get him to cooperate?  Hmmm...there's always hope with Vera, I guess!

All he wanted was to get back to the waves... 

Vera's new best friend, Eric!  We were SO glad to finally get to meet him!  (Watch out, Jen...I think little flirt is trying to steal his attention!)

Josh and Grady playing in the surf...

Uncle Jon, Grady, and the infamous bow-and-arrow (that's already broken, by the way... Gee, those Adventure Island toys are fine prizes!!!)

 

Grady told me this morning that he misses the beach.  And as my dad says, "We've made a little "beach bum" out of him!"

 

As for me, I can honestly say that this wasn't the most relaxing beach trip I remember...  It is just plain tough to have two little ones at the beach...especially one that's ONE!  Good grief!  I am used to reading my book, laying in the chair all day without a care in the world.  On this trip, I read the introduction to my book, but didn't even make it to chapter one.  Diaper-changing on the beach is quite an experience.  Oh well, they will grow up soon enough and I will miss these days! 

Bye, Beach...  until July!

....maybe I'll try the book again then,

or hitch a ride on this sailboat!

Memorial Day Weekend, Day 2

Vera loved the seashells we'd all pick up and show her.  But she was quickly banned from her seashell privileges as soon as we discovered her almost choking on one.  That girl puts EVERYTHING in her mouth.  We were watching her pretty closely, expecting her to put them in her mouth, but the little booger slipped one past us!

 She was such a cutie in her little shades! 

"Hmmm...  wonder how this one would taste????"

 Pete and Grady testing out the water...  It was still kind of cool, being May and not the hottest part of the summer yet.  Vera wasn't so sure about the water, but Grady-man loved it!

 

 

"Look, Mom!  You forgot one...can I have it for snack?"

 Feeding the fish at Wolf Bay...

Vera telling Uncle Jon what a good dad he's going to be...

 

Memorial Day Weekend, Day 1

I tend to get "picture-happy" at the beach, so there are a LOT of pictures from our Memorial Day visit to Orange Beach.  I will do a few each day so you won't be overloaded.

 

The car ride was better than Josh and I expected...  Well, we didn't know what to expect, but were hoping that we wouldn't need earplugs!  Vera ended up taking a really good nap, and the dual screen DVD player we bought was a hit with both kiddos!

 

When we got there, Vera was in awe of the beach view from the balcony and Grady was chomping at the bit to get down to the sand as quick as possible.

If you remember, on Grady's first beach trip, he didn't love it at ALL!  We had the whole "first reaction" on video and he was all squealy and stomping around in the sand because he hated it so much!  So, in anticipation of this, we decided to video Vera's first reaction as well....  Here's how it went:

 

Thankfully, Vera responded a little differently than her brother did!  Couldn't believe she wanted to crawl around in the sand.   

 We took her little green beach chair that we'd gotten a couple of weeks ago and that was PERFECT for her on the beach!

 Grady was all about playing in the ocean!  My, he has come a long way!  This is the same kid who wouldn't put a toe in the sand a couple of years ago!  He is a total beach bum now and I LOVE that!  Can't wait for V. to get a bit bigger so she can enjoy it just as much!

Full Moon coming up over the water...the perfect conclusion to the first day!

Family Dedication

I am way behind with posting these pictures...  On Thursday, May 9th, we had Family Dedication at our church for Vera.  When Grady was little, they called it Baby Dedication, but have since switched the name to FAMILY Dedication.  I love this because it is so true that it "takes a village" to raise a child.  Josh and I are so blessed to have both of our families close by and super involved in our children's lives.  We are so glad that y'all were able to share this special night with us.

 Each family participating that night had the opportunity to choose a verse for their child...one that you would want to pray over his or her life.  We chose Micah 6:8 for Vera.  I've said it before, but this was one of my Papaw's favorite verses, and one that I hope and pray that my little girl will live out:

"He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

Crayons and Bulldogs!

A couple of weekends ago, we went to the Flowood Arts and Crafts Fair.  I found this AWESOME little invention for Grady...It's a wooden block that's made to hold crayons for a child.  LOVE this because every time he is coloring, his crayons roll off the table and they either 1.  BREAK, or 2. Get eaten by Vera as she is like a little puppy, begging for crumbs on the floor under Grady's chair!

 Even better, (according to Grady-man himself) is that it is maroon and white and says "Bulldogs!"

We are working on A B C's! 

When your sister won't leave your toys alone...

PUT HER IN A BOX!!!!!