St. George Island 2009

July 25, 2009

We had our annual beach trip with all of the family on July 25th this year. Things were a bit stressful, as my Grandmother Gigi was in hospice, and we didn't know whether Dad would be able to come. He decided to come down on Saturday, so he and Mom drove down together.

This year, we stayed in Casa Paradiso. It was nice, because the house had enough bedrooms for our whole famiy (which is very hard to do, as we keep growing bigger and bigger!) Rob had to stay at home for school and work, and he met us down there on Tuesday. So on Saturday, I loaded the boys up and drove to Tallahassee to pick Kelsey, Wendell, Emma and Avry up from the airport.

We ended up getting there very early, because I am a stickler for getting places on time, and Caden was SO excited about going to the beach and seeing his cousin Emma!!!

Caden with Emma

After picking them up we headed to the beach. It was just gorgeus. By the time we arrived, everyone was there except Mom and Dad. We headed down to the beach on the first day, and the boys enjoyed themselves. I made Caden wear his lifejacket, despite the fact that he is an incredible swimmer. I was worried about the undertow! Liam was a daredevil, and would walk right into the water! It was a bit scary.

Caden playing on the beach

Liam upset that I put him down!

The week went well, although my grandmother passed away on Wednesday. My Dad had left on Tuesday morning to be with her, so he was able to spend some time with her in hospice as she had wished.

We thoroughly enjoyed eating at the Blue Parrot, carrousing downtown Appalachicola with my sisters and sister-in-law, and generally just sitting on the beach and relaxing! What a great trip!!!

Me, Rob, Liam and Caden -- best group shot of all of us!

Caden Helps Cook!

Caden loves to help cook. Usually, on the weekend, he and I will make bacon, eggs, and sometimes grits for breakfast! He loves breaking the eggs into the pan. He does a good job, and usually cracks it just enough so I can break the egg the rest of the way!

He is such a good helper.

Here are some pictures from the other day, when he and Daddy were making carrot-mashed potatoes!

A Night Without the Greene Beans

July 11, 2009

Last night, Rob and I thoroughly enjoyed a night out with friends, without the Greene Beans. Our friend G. had a surprise birthday outing for his wife K.

First, we went out to eat at The Brew Pub. There were two other couple's and K's brother there, as well, plus 2 kids. The Brew Pub brews their own beer. Rob and I are both suffering from colds this week, but we partook of a few home-brewed beers. The Blonde was nice and relaxing! For dinner, I had the sauteed crab claws, and the blackened chicken Caesar salad. It was amazing to sit in a restaurant and peacefully eat food. Usually our restaurant visits go something like this:

"Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom"

"Caden, sit down!"

"Mommy, I knocked over my drink. I need a new one! Mommy, Mommy, Mommy..."

But not last night! It was quite enjoyable, besides the stuffy nose that both Rob and I shared!

After dinner, G. surprised K. with a riverboat cruise. He had tried to get tickets for the dinner cruise, but they were completely sold out for the whole month of July. Instead, we enjoyed the patio cruise, complete with music, and they sung K. "Happy Birthday" too. Rob and I enjoyed ourselves, and the breeze on the Alabama River was fantastic.

A view of the RSA tower and the Renaissance at night.

Rob and I with the Riverboat behind us.

Liam's Walking!

July 9, 2009

It's official: Liam is walking! He has been taking a few steps here and there for the last 2 weeks, but now he walks everywhere. Last weekend we bought him new shoes. He already wears a size 6 Wide! Big BOY!

He likes his New Balance shoes, and he frequently tries to put them on his feet. He has not been successful at that yet. He also has not been successful at walking in the shoes. He can walk fine barefooted, but as soon as the shoes are put on he picks his foot up too high and falls down. It is too cute! He will learn with some more practice.

Ain't

Ain't ain't a word, ain't ain't in the dictionary (although now it is!), and we ain't going to say ain't no more.

This is what I told Caden today. I think my Dad told me this when I was I young. All I know is that we weren't allowed to say ain't, and to this day that little word grates on my nerves. Something about it bothers me, and now my child is saying it all the time.

Just today we were talking about another little boy and I said "He's 4 and a half, just like you."

Caden looks me in the eye, his big blue eyes glinting and his hair curly from the humidity and says "He ain't 4 and a half."

Ughh--is it best to ignore?

Liam loves his blankey!

Liam is a baby after my own heart (I slept with my blankey until college!). He absolutely LOVES his blankey. He has some beautiful blankets, such as the green one my Aunt Lynn made for him, however he likes a blue and white cotton blanket. Here are a few pictures of him with his blankey:

Father's Day 2009

Father's Day 2009 was fairly busy. I let Rob sleep late, while I attended to the boys. Around 8:30, I sent Caden to wake up Rob. He didn't do it nicely by crawling into the bed and cuddling next to him, no, he decided to walk into the room and shout "DADDY, GET UP!"

After his rude awakening we gave Rob his first gift, a pencil holder with a photo of the boys on it for his desk at work. He liked it, but I think he was more excited about receiving his "real" gift later that day at Big Mommy's and Big Daddy's house.

After doing a few things around the house that morning we decided to head on over to Big Mommy's and Big Daddy's. They were excited to see Liam and Caden! Caden's cousins soon arrived, and they were in the pool almost immediately. Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera died so I didn't get any pictures of the day. Rob did his favorite things on Father's Day: 1) Grill and 2) watch the Red Sox game.

Shortly after the kids pulled themselves out of the pool, we opened presents. Not only were we celebrating Father's Day, but we celebrated Mom's birthday and Kaileigh's birthday too! After everyone opened their presents I showed Rob his gift. He was surprised that I bought him a smoker, but he was also a little disappointed that I didn't buy him the flat-screen tv he's wanting for years. There's always Christmas....

Here's a picture of Rob (and Caden) with his smoker. The thing is a monster. Rob is excited to cook with it this weekend. This morning, he said, giddily "Lauren did you know I can cook with wood in the smoker?" So exciting!!! Somehow I think a BBQ may be planned rather shortly...stay tuned.