Heaven seems a little closer while sitting on a beach!

Addie and I had a wonderful time at the beach with the family! Of course...vacations are never long enough. Addie didn't want to go to "school" on Monday and I didn't want to go to work either! Amazing how a two year old...who shouldn't have a care in the world....can relate to not wanting to go back to our normal schedules after a wonderful vacation!

We made the mistake of telling Addie that she was going to the beach a few weeks prior to us going....so of course she asked every day "are we going to the beach today?" Two year old children don't necessarily have the idea of time down yet! Ha!
I was trying to come up with a way for her to understand the concept of "we are going in a week" so I made this calendar the week before we went. I would point to whatever day we were on and then point to Saturday. She got excited about crossing off the days and I would explain we have to cross off all these other days before Saturday before we can go to the beach. She finally grasped the concept later in the week!

Addie loves these rides now. I can tell I am getting older because they used to be a quarter to ride and now they are 75 cents and some are a dollar! Wow! She loves them though.

We finally made it to the beach! yeah!

My girlfriends from college came for a visit to see Sweet Pea! It was wonderful to see them and I can't wait to see them soon!


Addie, Granddad and YaYa!




Addie of course LOVED the pool. Sometimes I think she forgot there was a huge sand box just on the other side of the dunes! Addie's swimming lessons have really paid off. She is so comfortable in the water and loves to dive for rings on the steps.



The matching crab shirts I made at my attempt to applique! Practice makes perfect!

Granddad and YaYa took Addie to the aquarium! This was in the hands on section!

Addie and the hermit crab are having a little discussion about very important things! Addie is so serious.

Addie and Aubrey are busy putting sticks into Aubrey's swimming pool. That IS what a swimming pool is for isn't it???!!!

They were so proud of their "stick pool". It was hilarious.

I love the sand between my toes and in my ears and up my nose.

I assure you work was not anywhere in my brain this day! It was so much fun to see how Addie spent her days at the beach this year as opposed to just one year ago!

This is Addie last July at the beach!

This year she is about 7 inches taller and of course she wants "to do it myself"! I should take the advise I give my child..."Addie just because someone helps you do something doesn't mean you can't do it....it just means they are helping you". Addie is just as stubborn as I am.....trying to do it all myself! Ha!

Milestones!

So Addie hit two milestones today...crawling out of her crib for the first time and learning how to open the drawers with the child safety locks on them! I am impressed that she can do both but at the same time......how do I keep her out of the cabinets and drawers! Ha! After putting her back in her crib about 5 times I decided to go ahead and change her crib over to a toddler bed.....at 9 o'clock tonight. She immediately got excited that she was going to sleep in a big girl bed. Then when it was time to actually get in the bed.....she started a little tantrum. Needless to say this is a new interesting stage in the toddler lifestyle. I have to say....she always keeps it interesting! Never a dull moment around here!

This is Addie sleeping in a king size bed last week at the beach. I think this is what started this weeks bedtime tantrums. Normally she goes to bed with no problems. After a week of sleeping in a king size bed I guess I can't blame her for not wanting to go back into a crib! One week off of a schedule and things get crazy! Ha!

Happy 4th of July!

First, I can't believe it has been three weeks since my last post...wow. I'll just skip to the most recent weekend so i won't bore you guys! Ha!

Addie and I put flags around the house for the 4th! Addie thought we were getting ready for another party at the house! Ha! She loved it.



And of course what is the 4th of July weekend without a trip to Fernbank to see dinosaurs.....




Addie has really been into dinosaurs lately so I thought she would enjoy seeing how big they actually were in comparison to her tiny size! I don't think Addie believed me when I told her they used to be real. Their foot was bigger than the two of us combined! Huge!



Waaaay above Addie's head you can see the head of a dinosaur! Addie looks so tiny in this huge atrium.

Addie was a little startled by the topiaries at first!

Then she did her usual staring contest with the dinosaur just like she does with all new people! I think the dinosaur won this staring contest!

Granddad and Addie! Oh No....the dinosaur is biting their hands!

I think Addie's favorite part of Fernbank was the dead bee we saw outside the center! Wow...so glad we traveled to Fernbank for that bee! Ha!

Saturday morning we got up bright and early and headed to grandmammas for a parade! Addie was anxiously staring at the street wondering why we had chairs out on the street watching cars go by.

Finally her patience paid off and we had a ton of candy thrown our way, saw bands, really cool cars and of course...cross-dressers....Wait...cross-dressers??!!!

Four Generations!

Grandmamma's hydrangeas are unbelievable! Gorgeous!

After the parade, and a great afternoon with the family, Addie and I hung out with some of my friends! They also have a daughter named Addie!

The Dora sleeping bags were a hit! Thanks Lisa!

This was Addie's first reaction to the fireworks!

She eventually warmed up to them but this was after she sat in my lap with not only her ears covered but her eyes covered as well! This was the latest Addie has ever stayed up with me before. I couldn't believe she stayed awake until almost 10:30. She normally goes to bed every night at 7:30. I was a stickler for her bedtime until she turned 2...now I am learning to loosen up a bit! I think Addie would have lasted longer but she fell asleep in the car on the way home. Of course the juice boxes......sugar cookies....and potato chips helped her stay awake too!