Vegetable Garden!

While we were out and about this afternoon, we stopped by Gran Betty and Gran Jack's to see GJ's awesome vegetable garden. I got to pick a few of his rattlesnake green beens! He is also growing cucumbers and tomatoes, and has an orange tree and a fig tree. I can't wait to go back when there's more to pick!



I helped GB shell the beans that GJ had picked earlier. We had a nice long visit this afternoon (even if I did break one of GB's snow globes--sorry again GB!) Besides checking out the garden, I got to hear their clock chime and 2 and 3pm and I also enjoyed a delicious piece of watermelon! Thanks for a nice afternoon! Let's do it again soon!

Handprint Tradition

Every year around Luke's birthday, we put Luke's handprint on canvas. It is one of my favorite "projects." I get the canvas for $1 at Michael's, paint it a base color and then pick out a coordinating color for the hand print. This year went much smoother than last year and Luke even helped pick out the colors. It is so much fun to see how much his little hand has grown! I always make a few extra hand prints on card stock so that I can use them on other projects down the road. You never know when you might need a hand print or two and one always goes on his Birthday scrapbook. (I have to give credit for this idea to www.beckyhiggins.com So happy I heard about it before Luke turned one, so now we have one for each year!)


Since we had the paints out already, I decided to make this fun flower. The footprints at the bottom were a little more difficult to do, but it was well worth it! Go out and get some paint today! :)

50th Percentile!

Today we went for Luke's 3 year old check up! Luke decided that bear bear should go and get a check up, too! Luke did great and we found out that he weighs 33 pounds and is 38 inches tall. Now these stats may not be as exciting to you fellow blog readers, but I was ecstatic when I found out that these numbers put him in the 50th percentile! (I know, I know, it doesn't take much to make me happy.) This is pretty significant considering that up until now, Luke has always been at or below the 25th percentile! So happy to get a good report and NO shots. Luke won't need any shots until he turns 5! We celebrated by meeting Daddy at Newk's for lunch! Happy Monday!

Last Day of the Beach...

Since Saturday was our last full day, we spent most of the day hanging out on the beach. Luke loved collecting sand shells and we even took a long walk on the beach. Jeremy and I were amazed at how much more he enjoyed the beach this year.

We took a break from the beach at lunch time and since the Flora-Bama was just two condos down from our, we decided to walk. This was the boys first time to the Flora-Bama, but I am sure it won't be their last. Can I just say....Mmmmm, bush wackers!

After lunch it was back to the beach and the water was crystal clear. As soon as Jeremy said he spotted a crab, I was bound and determined to catch one so Luke could see it close up. After a few near misses, I grabbed one up with only a small pinch to my pointer finger. Luckily Luke had been playing with a stick, so we let Mr. Crab hold on to that while we checked him out. It was super fun and I was so proud that I caught him with my bear hands!

After the boys went to bed, we finally got to play some games! BT and MMGK brought their dominos and taught us how to play mexican train! We are hooked and can't wait to play again.

The next morning Luke and I played with Thomas while the Kelley's packed up. We sang Happy Birthday to Luke and then it was time to head home. We had such a blast, the only down side was that it went by WAY too fast! I am ready to make plans for next year!

More Beach fun: Day 2

We woke up and all headed out to the beach first thing Friday morning. Baby T didn't last too long, but Luke played in the sand for hours, playing in the surf, building sand castles, chasing periwinkles in the sand, throwing sand, laying in the sand, are you getting the picture? When he tired of the beach, we headed inside to the indoor pool and the hot tub. After a quick run to Al's 5&10 for a new hat (he had grown out of his one from last year), it was time for a quick nap and then dinner. Since Baby T goes to bed by 7pm, we beat the crowds and ate an early dinner. Mmmm....we love fried seafood! We met up with a childhood friend, Dorothy, and her husband Dan who came back to the condo to hang out. It was so good to catch up with everyone and it felt like old times. Here are a few pictures to highlight the day:

3rd Birthday party

Today we celebrated my 3rd birthday with the family at Mimi and Doc's house. The menu was fruit and Papa John's pizza, two of my favorite things!


Out of all the "themes" out there, I picked Thomas the Train!


Playing with balloons before I opened my gifts!


Mimi and Doc gave me some really cool things, including this toy story bouncy ball. I can't wait until I get the hang of this thing!


Mae Mae gave me some much needed pj's and also some gift cards to my favorite place to eat. As soon as I saw the logo, I yelled "CHICK-FIL-A! What a great gift!


Check out this cool roller coaster car that Gran Betty and Gran Jack gave me. As soon as I saw it, I jumped right on and started riding it!


Uncle Paddy gave me this ultra cool tool box full of toys. As soon as Uncle Paddy opened it, I took some toys and ran to the door and said "I gotta go fix my car!" I spent the rest of the night trying to open my presents with the various tools. I LOVED this gift!


Thanks Aunt Liz and Uncle Kyle for the awesome Fishing game and extra set of basket/soccer/footballs! As you can see, I was using my saw from my new toy set to help "open" the gift! I can't wait to "fish" in the pool!


Check out my cool train cake!


Who needs a fork when your hand works just as well? I ate two HUGE pieces! Mmmmm!


After I opened all of my gifts, it was time to play outside with some of my new toys before it got totally dark! I LOVE chasing bubbles! Thanks Mimi and Doc!


And to end the night, I had to take a dip in my new elephant pool that Mommy and Daddy got me! I had a wonderful day! I can't wait to play with all of my stash tomorrow! Happy to Me!

Beach Trip:Day 1

We have had our beach trip with the Kelley family planned for over 4 months and have been counting down the days. When the oil spill happened, we were still determined to have a great time and as you can see, the beaches were pristine. We had beautiful weather and the beach was just as I remembered it!


We got to our condo, the Phoenix 9, just after lunch time on Thursday. MMGK and I headed to Publix for groceries and as soon as we got back we all headed to the beach! Luke was super excited.


One of Luke's favorite things to do was making sand castles with his daddy, but he really only liked "smashing" them.


The out door pool was a little cold, but it didn't stop our little swimmer from getting in. The only problem he had was the monster at the deep end (it was actually a mosaic of a phoenix, but he insisted it was a monster.) When we weren't on the beach we spent most of the time at the indoor pool.


I'm not sure what baby Thomas thought about Luke. They played as well as an almost 3 year old and 7 month old could, I guess.


Sacked out in the chair before dinner. Such a great day and it was only Thursday!
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Happy 3rd Birthday!

Our little boy turned 3 today! I can't believe he's THREE! Where does the time go? Luke is the joy of our lives! He keeps us on our toes and is quite the hand full, but he makes everyday a new and wonderful adventure! I am so happy God put him in our lives. We spent the weekend at the beach to celebrate (more pics to come) and will have a family birthday bash tomorrow! Happy Birthday! Mommy and Daddy love you!

Happy Mother's Day 2010!

After waking up to breakfast in bed, we headed to church. It was a nice service and when we picked Luke up from Sunday school, they told us we had an escape artist on our hands. Apparently, he had opened the window of his class room and was trying to get out. Luckily, the class rooms windows are on the ground floor. After church, we met the whole family at Cafe 615 downtown for Sunday brunch. The lunch was great and it was nice to get to spend time with everyone. After lunch, we came back to Mimi and Doc's for an afternoon swim. Before heading out to the pool, we watched the sweetest DVD Jeremy had made me of our three years with Luke. It brought tears to my eyes.

As I reflect on the love that I have for Luke, it makes me realize just how much my Mom has done for me over the years. I now appreciate just how much she loved and continues to love me and has sacrificed for me through the years. I am so glad she is in my life. I love you, Mom! Happy Mother's day!

Thomas the Train

To kick off Luke's birthday week, we took him to see Thomas the Train in Silverhill, AL. It was a beautiful day complete with periods of sunshine and a nice breeze, if you stayed in the shade.


The 25 minute train ride was so much fun and Luke had a blast! We even had a train car all to ourselves.


There were all kinds of things to see along the way, we even got to see some of Luke's favorite things: back hoes!


We also got a picture with Sir Topham hat.


They also had another miniature coal burning steam engine that we got to ride. The whole day was super fun! We have tons more pictures to share---we took 275 to be exact---will post some more favorites soon!