Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my Daddy!  

You have taught us so much and loved us so well!

We are thankful for the leader that you are, for your incredible work ethic, and for all of the ways you have provided for us!  We are so proud to call you Daddy and Papa!

My Mom sent us lots of old pictures in honor of Father's Day!  I love them all!

A little too late to be reading the Baby and Child Care book perhaps...

We loved to hunt with my Dad when we were little - especially dove hunting!  He also taught us how to clean the birds after hunting.  Cleaning geese is a messy job, but I don't think we minded it at all!  (Also, what am I wearing in this pic?)

We loved riding the waves in the ocean!  No fear!  

One of the things that I remember most about my old house is riding bikes!  Emily and I rode all the time!  And, we loved riding as a family too!

At Grandmonie and Grandmax's old house in Tuscumbia!

I love this one of all of us at Holly's wedding!

Love!  And everyone thinks Elizabeth looks just like Mom in this picture!

One of my all time favorites of our little family!
I think we were 9 months old and our first time at the beach - right Mom?

Elizabeth's birthday!

I love all of these at our old house!  So many wonderful memories there!

Avondale soccer.  We were about 4 here.

January 8, 1998 - Jeffrey was born!  

Again, what was I wearing??

Dancing with Daddy at Aunt Patti and Uncle Chuck's wedding!

I love this one too of us at the wedding!

We always cut down our own Christmas trees!  Way to go Daddy!

And Annie with her Papa!  

Happy Father's Day to Brad too!  We love you and are so proud of you!

Thank you for all that you do and for the wonderful Daddy that you are to Annie!

I will always love this picture of you two on the day we brought Annie home from the hospital!

The Beach, Part 1

The day after Jeffrey got out of school, May 25th, we headed to Gulf Shores with most of my family!!  Elizabeth & Alex stayed home to take care of business at their jobs.  We missed them!  Jeffrey brought along two friends named John M. and Isaiah S.  They had fun together!

Brad, Annie, Emily, and I all rode together in her car.  Annie put her head down on Ross Bridge Parkway as we were pulling away and told us she was tired.  So, we were hopeful that she might sleep.  

We were wrong!  This little nugget didn't sleep for 1 single minute going to or from the beach.  How is that even possible for a toddler???

We thought the DVD player might give us a little quiet time - nope - she didn't stay interested in it for more than 5 minutes either way.

She did a little light reading in Aunt Emmie's book!

We sang songs like "The Wheels on the Bus."  Here "the baby goes wah, wah, wah...!"

And mostly, she just soaked up every single minute of her beloved Aunt Emmie's time and attention!  I think she was in Heaven!  

She thought about sleeping as we turned onto the beach road because she was really tired, but this only lasted 5 seconds!

Other than Annie not sleeping, the trip was fine, and we arrived in time to enjoy a couple of hours of late afternoon sun on the beach!  It was beautiful!!!

Annie was thrilled and took immediately to the sand and the ocean with no fear!  

This was the view from our first floor condo!  Mom, Dad, Jeffrey, John, and Isaiah stayed upstairs on the top floor and they rented the first floor unit for Brad, Annie, Emily, and me.  It was perfect because we didn't have to worry about scary balconies with the wild nugget and she had a nice grassy yard to play in!

Things were really low key all week.  Mom made us yummy breakfasts some mornings, we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pizza, and hot dogs for lunch, and we cooked in the condo 4 out of the 6 nights so that we could stay out late on the beach.  

We let Annie eat just about whatever she wanted including Cheetos on the floor!  :)

I love this picture of Brad and Annie walking to the beach!  We started out the week with the baby pool on the beach but abandoned it by the end of the week.  

Mid-week, there was a little "mini ocean water pool" with very shallow water just perfect for Annie to play in.

We love this happy, happy girl!!!!

As much as Annie loved the shallow water, she LOVED the ocean too!  She had no fear and would take off running into the ocean over and over again!  

She loved for us to hold onto her and wait for the waves to crash.

Just before they would crash, we would swoop her up high!

She loved it!  And, it was a very good workout for the grown ups!

Sweet time with Aunt  Emmie!

Early in the week, the weather and water was perfect!  We took Annie all the way out into the ocean a couple of times and she enjoyed floating and feeling the waves go up and down.   She did get a little scared when Brad went almost all the way under a big wave and he was holding her up above the water with just one arm.  Mommy was scared too!  But, thankfully, all was well and she recovered quickly!

Annie loved playing in the yard outside our condo!   She looks like such a little, summer, beach baby to me with just her diaper, tee shirt, and crocs!

She loves to change the babies diaper!

Funny hair but a sweet pic of us!

Gorgeous view at the beach with a sailboat way in the background!

Sunset one evening - I loved the pink and purple colors!!

Annie and her Papa!

We celebrated Dad's birthday with his favorite Johnny Ray's Lemon Ice Box pies!

Lynlee and her family were staying only a few condos away from us the same week.  They came to play for a little bit one afternoon!!  

Annie taking off to the ocean!  I love her in her hat!

Snack break on the beach!

Riding the waves on the boogie board!

Building and tearing down sand castles with Uncle Jeffrey!

Mommy, a boat!!

Every evening, we would do a pre-bath outside!  Annie was SO sandy!!

I love these pictures!!

Believe it or not, there are still more pictures!  I just couldn't get enough of this adorable, silly, beach baby!  More to come in Part II...