the Beach

Last weekend we packed the car to the brim and headed south to the beach to visit my dad and Pat. It was the {longest} trip we've taken with the twins so far.

The weather was beautiful. Perfect temperature. Gorgeous white clouds. Crystal {blue} skies.

For all of the first 10 minutes we were there! Did we bring the rain with us? As badly as we all needed the rain, we were a little sad to watch the weather radar predicting rain for all three days of our visit all day long.

BUT...

Thankfully the weather radar isn't always correct, and {this} is what most of our weekend looked like!

(and that sky was actually that color...no photoshop enhancements!!!)

Sure, it {rained} first thing each morning and during naps, but each time we were ready to head to the beach, the sun came out and the dark clouds turned beautiful and fluffy!

If you've followed our blog for at least the last year, you might remember Addie's last trip to the beach...

Um...we had to drag a baby pool out to the beach for her to sit in because she completely refused to put her feet in the sand! No walking in it. No crawling in it. No sitting in it. And certainly no digging in it!

Not this time! We literally couldn't keep her out of the {sand}!

She wanted us to bury her, at times up to her waist, over and over again! She thought it was so much fun!

We were very fortunate to see very little of this...

...those nasty {tar balls}. Although when Addie did stand up from being buried in the sand, she had several rusty colored spots on her legs from tiny tar balls in the sand. There are huge crews of people on the beach everyday except Sunday cleaning, testing, sifting, monitoring, watching, waiting, and working to keep the beaches beautiful. They have forged a trail through the sand where they drive all of their tractors/vehicles up and down the beach. All the sifting of and driving on the sand has made it powdery soft...and oh so cool!

and I think {Bama Girl} would agree!

Right up until she got too hot and would sit right up behind my dad to be in the shade! This is one {smart} dog!

But every once in a while she would venture out to watch Addie playing in the sand!

I really think Addie would have spent every waking hour playing on the beach.

{Digging} in the sand.

Very focused.

Making {sandcastles}.

Just so she could {knock} them down...

The little girls stayed in the condo with Paul some; but on the last day, they made their {first} trip out to sit on the beach!

What did they think of it you ask? Well I'll let you decide!

This is how they pretty much started out...

Anne Perry just watching and listening to the waves...

...and Audrey Kate letting the waves put her straight to sleep. 

But before we knew it, they were both sound asleep!

A perfect day for {napping} on the beach!

Addie walked out once with her Daddy to feel the waves, but it didn't take long for her to want to come back!

She informed me that she couldn't go out into the waves because they would splash her swimsuit and get it wet.

Maybe we should redefine {swim}suit for her. ;)

Of course, what's a fall weekend without {football}?

Up first was the Alabama game. Mawmaw Pat is a huge tremendous lifelong-diehard-bleeds-crimson Alabama fan! Addie wore her red dress and yelled Roll Tide to cheer them on. Thankfully, Alabama won!

Next up was the Auburn game, and what's an Auburn game without an Auburn {cheerleader}?

Unfortunately, Addie got a tad confused with what to yell for the Auburn game. She walked in and told Papa Ray...

WAR {BIRD}

well...at least she knew it was a bird. just not specific enough! :)

But this is really where she loved to be!

And this is probably my favorite picture from the weekend! Addie had so much fun with Papa Ray!

{perfect} weekend

{gorgeous} weather

{relaxing} getaway

{yummy} food

{delightful} company

Thanks for a wonderful time Papa Ray and Mawmaw Pat!

Two...

...and a half.

I had absolutely no idea how {exhausting} a two and a half year old could be. No idea!

And at the same time, I had no idea how {delightfully} entertaining, thoroughly engaging, and pleasantly accompanying a two and a half year old could be.

As I drive down the road, with or without Addie in the backseat, I now find myself noticing birds, heavy machinery, motorcycles, car washes, fire trucks, airplanes, horses & cows.

You know, things we take for {granted}.

I didn't realize that when I'm stuck in traffic that I mutter, Come on people.

Or that I talk to red lights and ask them to turn green.

I don't remember how easy playing {pretend} came for me...because it doesn't come as naturally anymore. I have to work at it. But she never does.

Who knew that {potty} training could be so exciting and 15 minutes later so frustrating.

I love Addie's pure {enthusiasm} for life:

Good job, Mommy!

I made a good choices!

Oh. My. Goodness! Look at that! 

This is so yummy!

It was beautiful!

It's good to see you!

And I had no idea one could throw such a passionate {tantrum}...

...over a paci.

...or sticks.

...or doing anything that wasn't her idea!

She's {two and a half}.

And over the past year, her little world has been turned {upside down}.

But as a whole, I think she's adjusted pretty well.

(below are some of the things that we find Addie doing these days. I'm recording them here so we can remember them later. I know it's my blog and I can brag if I want to...but, I just had to warn you :)

Addie loves to:

play in her kitchen and with her dolls

read: 

being read to or making up "once upon a time" stories

be outside with rocks, sticks, and dirt

blow bubbles

play with puzzles, especially letters or animals

color with crayons and now sidewalk chalk

run, dance, and do front rolls

kick, throw, or bounce a ball/play soccer

"help" us cook

celebrate birthdays: 

making birthday cakes (a ball on top of a bucket, her pizza), making birthday presents (random objects wrapped up in her lovies) and singing happy birthday

music:

loves Kindermusik, rhythm, dancing, and instruments 
loves to sing Jesus Loves me, Old McDonald, Twinkle Twinkle, ABC's, Jesus Love the Little Children, If You're Happy and you Know It, The Farmer in the Dell, Spider Pig, Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and so many more!
the funniest thing is that she wants to sing a song about everything: here we go to gym-nas-tics, gym-nas-tics, gym-nas-tics, here we go to gym-nas-tics on a thursday af-ter-noon...(or the beach or the park or to school or anything else we might do together!)

gymnastics:

loves doing forward rolls, straddles, pikes, swinging and flipping on the rings, walking on the balance beam, and jumping

she loves to talk about:

animals

letters

bugs

machines

fire trucks

her babies

she knows a lot about:

letters: 

recognizes all and knows the sounds to all but a few; 
can usually tell you what letter a word starts with if emphasized enough

numbers: 

great up through 14 and then she skips to 16. 
20 has turned into twelveteen.

shapes: 

consistently recognizes most shapes even in the form of objects.

colors: got them...finally!

where she lives: 

knows her street name, city, state, and that she lives in America where we proudly fly the American flag! 

drawing:

loves to draw lines and is working on circles

loves for you to draw bugs, hearts, smiley faces, giraffes, shapes, and spiders

Before the little girls were born, a friend (who's girls are less than two years apart) said she remembered her oldest seeming so big when their baby was born; but that she had to remind herself how little her oldest child still was at only 2!

As much as Addie's grown up over the past 5 months, as big as her hands and feet look compared to the babies, as tall as she seems...she's still so little! I'm so thankful she still loves to snuggle, to hold hands when I walk her into school, and for us to help her. As much responsibility as we do put on her (you know, like climbing into her own car seat and putting on her shoes or asking to be excused and putting her plate in the sink), I'm trying to savor those things that she still needs us to do with or for her!

I pray daily for wisdom in raising all 3 of our girls, but especially Addie right now. She can be so obedient and so helpful and then turn around and completely ignore you! I have to remind myself to use everything as a teaching moment, with our goal being to mold and shape her into a young woman of God. I'm relearning a lot about patience and consistency, biting my tongue and counting to ten, prioritizing and picking our battles. Needless to say, she's consistently teaching me!

As we said her prayers tonight, I helped her thank God for the big things: our family, our home, our food, and our health. And then she proceeded to thank God for: her baby sisters, her Mommy and Daddy, her bed and her clothes, her pullups and her animals, her kitchen and her microwave...her church and her teachers.

And we are so thankful for Addie. For her enthusiasm for life. For her sweet (mostly) manners. For her passionate protecting nature over her sisters. For her beautiful curls. For her love of singing and for her desire to help others. For the precious blessing God has given our family!

We love you Addie-boo!

Your love, oh Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness stretches to the sky
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
Your justice flows like the ocean's tide
I will lift my voice
To worship You, my King
I will find my strength
In the shadow of your wings

Flashback In a Flash Friday

flasback

a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

the difference a year can make!

...in a flash

Overheard at Our House

The post in which I borrow the topic from my friend Allison.

I remember a year ago reading kidisms from my friend's kids and wondering when (if) Addie would ever be old enough to be that funny!

well...she may not be funny to anyone else; but we think some of the things that come out of her mouth are down right hilarious.

If anything, this will be a record for us of things we loved to hear her say!

In the past few months, she's started laughing at things on tv (that we of course never let her watch!) and even laughing at herself. If we laugh at something she does, we are guaranteed to see it repeated...over-and-over-and-over again followed by hilarious belly laughter from her.

WAR BIRD (i.e. War Eagle)

(at 5:45am) Is it early or late? (because she gets told most mornings that "it's too early" to be up!) I don't want to wake YOU GUYS up too early. (where on the earth is this child from?)

at dinner: Is it good Mommy? (yes, Addie, it's very good.) Want to ask me if it's good Addie?

(Audrey Kate screaming at the top of her lungs) MOMMY, AUDREY KATE'S CRYING!!!! (knowing she did something-"what did you do to her?") As ecstatic and proud as she can be, I BIT HER TOE!


at 7am: Mommy, I need a breakfast bar. (no Addie, I think you've already had one).
walking into the bathroom with Daddy. Daddy, Mommy says I need a breakfast bar!?!?!?

I'm having a sam handwich!

I'd like a ham wad-up (roll-up). 
 

(Who is Jesus' mommy and daddy?) Mary and Jovus

(picking up her Bible) Once upon a time there was a caterpillar that lived in a tree. And people were smiling. And there were animals. 

Watch me run super fast!

Waking up from her nap. Mommy? Ohhhhh, Mommy? 

I'm doing some serious sticks here. 

I'd like more slimeade (limeade slush!)

I had sprinklers on my donut. Sprinklers live outside.

Cwap! Cwap Daddy! (What?) Daddy cwap! Making clapping motions.

(Me attempting to take a few pictures of her: If you let me take just a few pictures, I'll take you to see the spider web) Walking away from me. I can see the spider web myself. (so much for that bribe!) 

(Counting) ...13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, twelveteen!

(Pushing the chair up to the counter to watch Daddy cook) DADDY, GET OUT OF MY WAY! (Addie, that's not how you talk to me. Try again.) In the sweetest little voice, Daddy get of my way please!

(in the Firehouse Subs bathroom with blue chemicals in the potty) Mommy, I do not want to go teetee in that blue potty!


I can't get in the water to get the shell. (Why?) Because the water will splash me and get my swimsuit wet.

I want golf! (huh?) I want golf! (what's that?) I want to color with golf! (oh...chalk!)

(Having attempted to fold her little sister up in her play mat, refused to pick up her letters, and refusing to stop screech crying, I told her to go to her room) I can't! (Taking her hand, well then I'll help you. After informing her that I would not come talk to her until she quit screaming and crying...this was her response) ...at the TOP of her LUNGS. I'M NOT SCREAMING AND CRYING. (oh really...?)

Jesus loves the little children.

All the children of the world.

They are precious in His sight.

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Wordless Wednesday

Psalm 126:2

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."

I Heart Faces: {Chalk}

Since chalk seems to be a favorite past-time of Addie's, I just knew I could get a great picture of her playing with chalk for the I ♥ Faces theme this week.

Not so much.

What we don't have are tears, yelling, and great gnashing of teeth.

What we do have is chalk and the face of my most favorite 2 year old.

What I simply can't seem to capture right now are Addie's eyes.

So most of my pictures have a tendency to look like this!

Nothing fabulously creative, but it's a picture none-the-less. And I have more (without chalk but with eyes) to share from the beach really soon!

Make sure to head on over to the I ♥ Faces site and check out the other wonderful faces!