Out and About at the Beach

One of my favorite things about the beach is the food!  I never eat seafood unless I am at the beach. My mom told us when were little that you should only eat seafood if "you can see the ocean."  It's a rule that my brother and I live by!

We love to eat at local places.  Doc's is a family favorite. We ate there twice on this trip. I don't have any pictures because I was too busy stuffing my face.

We went to the Oyster House one night.  The food was great and Will had fun playing this "game". I am not sure why he thought getting your picture made here was a game.

Of course, one night we went to LuLu's. My parent's are huge Jimmy Buffett fans and we have been going to LuLu's since it opened.  This time was extra special because Jenny and Tony met us for dinner and they brought Amelia Jane!

Amelia was such a sweet baby and did so well at dinner. She even fell asleep while the band was playing. We were laughing because Jenny said that Amelia never naps at home, but fell right asleep with the loud music playing!

This is a terrible picture but I had the flash turned off so I wouldn't blind her.  Such a beautiful baby girl!

Will had the best time. He danced with the band and he got to hold Amelia. That is all he talked about for the next two days.

We also ate at Bahama Bob's for lunch one day. We found this little place a couple of years ago when Clay and I went to the beach right before Will was born.  We go back now every time we are down at the beach. It is one of my favorites because it is right on the beach.

It was such a fun week and the main reason was because I got to spend the entire week with my two favorite boys and my family!

Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo

We decided to visit the Zoo again this trip. Will loved it so much last time, we knew it would be something fun to do to get away from the sand for a few hours.

Will loved looking and all the animals, and he even fed a few.

Will surprised us by wanting to go in the area where you could pet the animals. Clay and Julie went in with him.  He had so much fun petting the bunnies and goats. 

I love this boy so much!

Maybe one day we will take him to the Birmingham Zoo.  This is the only zoo he has ever been to, but we love it because it is so laid-back!

Putt-Putt Golf

Will couldn't wait to get to the beach so that we could play putt-putt golf. He is totally obsessed.  We went the first night we were at the beach after we ate at Doc's (Mom's obsession).

Will wanted to go back every night, but we were able to talk him into only one other night of playing.  He did discover the arcade and we went almost every night and played some games!  He got a bunch of little prizes each night and loved playing with his new toys.  Richard and Julie definitely helped out by winning him some tickets for prizes!

Sand and Sun

We had such a good time at the beach this year!  Will loved going out to the beach and "swimming" every day.  He also enjoyed going to the pool.

It was fun this year beacuse Will was at a great age to be able to stay out on the beach for hours at a time.  He would play in the sand, find seashells, and go in the water.

It was a little chilly and windy at the beginning of the week, but that didn't stop us!

Will can't wait to go back! June can't get here soon enough!

We are headed to the....

BEACH!

8 days of vacation at our favorite place with Mom, Dad, Richard & Julie!

Baseball, Baseball, Baseball

We have been spending a lot of time up at the park playing baseball. Will is having a really good time and he really likes all his new friends. 

It has been fun watching him and I think Clay is having the best time coaching.  Thankfully, Clay has had some help from the other dads.  Nick is one of the dads helping.  His wife, Amanda, has also been helping me out in the dugout.  We are thankful for their willingness to volunteer!

Nicholas, Nick & Will

Mary Beth's Bridal Tea

We celebrated Mary Beth and Craig's upcoming wedding today at our church with a Bridal Tea.  I was excited to be one of the hostesses and it was fun planning and preparing because Kristen, Ashley, Ms. Sandra, and Mom were hostesses too!

Our theme was a beach theme since Craig and MB are getting married in Gulf Shores. We did light touches of seashells throughout and I think it turned out super cute.  Here are some pictures of the decorations and food:

The sign-in table.

The food table.

Mini cupcakes with seashell mints.  We also served chicken ball with crackers, fruit, mints and strawberry lemonade punch. Yum!

Craig and Mary Beth got lots of gifts from family and church members. This will definitely help as they start their lives together.

We are so excited for Craig and Mary Beth and can't wait to be a part of their special day. 



Easter 2012

This year Easter was a little different for us.  Normally, we stay in Wedowee the night before Easter so that we can be there for sunrise service, but due to a packed schedule it just wasn't happening this year.   I was sad but we did get to enjoy being a home on Easter morning when Will woke up and got his Easter basket.  I can't say that I missed being up before the sun.

Will loved his Easter basket this year, but he couldn't quite understand the whole Easter Bunny thing. Which is fine with me, since we don't really make a big deal out of the Easter Bunny. 

After he played with a few of his toys, we got ready and headed to Wedowee to go to church with Mawmaw. I love spending Easter at her church.  It is a little stressful because Will stays in the service with us. I am always afraid he is going to talk loudly or do something crazy. 

Of course, I thought my little family looked adorable all dressed up!

Mawmaw made a wonderful lunch and we ate until we couldn't move.

After lunch, we headed to Greg, Shawn, and that side of Clay's family. They have a huge Easter egg hunt every year that is always fun. Unfortunately, Will didn't get to take a nap and we didn't get to stay to hunt eggs because a meltdown was on the horizon.

We came back home and went to my parent's house for dinner. Will took a nice long nap in the car! Since Will didn't get to hunt Easter eggs, me and mom hide some eggs for him to find.

He had the best time hunting and every time he would find an egg, he would open it right then. He found a couple of dollars and some candy!

It was such a great day to celebrate with family.  I am so glad that Jesus died for all of our sins and then rose again! 

Paul and Shelley's Wedding

Saturday night we attended Paul and Shelley's wedding.  We weren't going to take Will because kids are such a distraction at wedding's, but at a last minute request of the groom, Will was on his way to the wedding.  Will L-O-V-E-S Paul.  He always tells us that Paul is his best friend.

It was such a great night to celebrate Paul and Shelley.  We love them and they are great friends to us.  I think Paul and Clay have known each other since they were like 7 years old.  I had the honor of being the guest book attendant and got to take everyone's picture.

Shelley did a wonderful job planning their wedding and decorating. She did everything herself and it look like something out of a magazine.

One of the biggest highlights of the night for me was that John performed the ceremony. This was is first wedding to officiate and he did a great job. I am so proud of him.

Once the ceremony part was over it was time to eat. We had a bar-b-que dinner and it was a delicious, but Will was most excited about the cake. So much so, that he asked Paul if they could go ahead and cut it, and then he stood right by the table while they did.  He was ready and the cake did not disappoint, it was delicious!!

Paul made cornhole for everyone to play and it was a big hit. We had the best time playing and watching.  Will was in on the action too!

One of Shelley's favorite songs came on, so she did a little karaoke.  It was so funny!

We ended the night by helping the bride and groom clean up and then off they went.  It was such a fun wedding and we are so happy that we got to be a part of it. I know that Paul and Shelley will have a long, wonderful marriage!

Opening Day 2012

I can't believe that Will is old enough to play t-ball.  It seems so crazy that Clay is actually coaching Will's first baseball team.  It is something that we talked about since we found out we were having a little boy in October 2008.

We had a great first game.  Since it was Opening Day, they didn't keep score and let all the kids play and bat.  I thought that was great so that no one felt left out. 

Our little team did so good.  They are too cute and I love watching them. 

We had our share of meltdowns, including a major meltdown from Will.  Later he told us that he was scared of a mascot that was of the opposite of the field.  I couldn't see the mascot at the time and Will was crying so hard I could not understand what he was saying.  It was completely stressful, but all is well now.

My parents, Clay's parents, John, Pawpaw & Shirley, and Kritchen & Jordan all came to see Will play.  Will was really excited that everyone was there.

I never thought that I would be this excited about t-ball but it has been a fun experience and Will loves it!