the sunshine state

Hello, summer! The sunshine state was calling our names after a hectic May. We all needed a little R&R away from the comforts of home. As much R&R as you can get vacationing with kiddos in tow. An end of the year celebration get-away was in order for the little man.

The gulf has always been a family favorite of ours. As a little girl, our family always vacationed in Panama City long before it became overdone and a shirt shack heaven. We learned to vacation just a little south in Sandestin to avoid all the riff raff and spring break crew. Even now Sandestin has become so much more developed. We notice the changes each time we make the trip. There's nothing like the sugar sand and gorgeous aqua water...paradise! It's fun to now bring my kiddos here and continue the tradition.

A big perk of our accommodations was the 6 inch baby pool. Miller hopped between this pool and the large one. He was proud to show off his new swimming techniques from our May classes. What a difference a year makes! As the days went on, other friends joined us poolside. Our condo was teaming with other preschooler age children as the big kids were mostly still in school. We picked a great week to vacation! Short wait times at the restaurants.

The hot spot on our first night was driving into Destin and exploring HarborWalk village on the bay. There was so much to do for the kids. We loved dining water front and watched all the boats come in showing off their catches of the day. After dinner, Poppy and Miller enjoyed touring the shops on the train.

While they were away, little sister perfected her crab crawl. Our crawling cutey refuses to use her traditional crawl on hardwoods or pavement. She only will let her knees touch the soft, plush carpet. Yes, she is the princess.

Is there anything cuter than a diaper padded bubble bottom swooshing high in the air? One sweet cheek hanging out? I think not.

Eliza Kate was still a big fan of the sand and surf. She collected sandy grains in every fat crevice on her body. Her favorite spot was sitting on the shore letting the waves touch her toes. Our beach babe waved her hands wildly with excitement.
Big Brother was highly entertaining hopping wild waves. Eliza Kate laughed at all his jumping moves in the water.

Love this shot as Miller stands bare chested beholding the splendor of the ocean with hands spread wide and little sister sticks out her bottom lip in a pout. These two surely keep us entertained.

There was sand all over little man too! We hosed him down outside every afternoon. We're still finding sand in those trunks. Poppy was generous to watch the little miss during nap time so we could soak in the afternoon on the beach. Miller napped too. The beach is exhausting! Landon and I enjoyed our alone time. It.was.so.needed.
Our only must this vacation was dining at the Red Bar restaurant on 30A. It is our all time fave in Grayton beach. I think we've finally perfected their amazing house salad dressing at home. We hunted down the copycat recipe online.

We journeyed to Seaside afterwards for a theatrical kid's play in the town center and ice cream. Miller blew off some steam running with other kids in the grass.
Sunset was approaching...aka..the magic hour and we ventured to the pavilion on the beach... which turned into an impromptu mini-photo shoot:)

Miss Seaside 2011;)

So, grandmama told Miller he could just dip his big toe in the water while I was snapping away. Well, we all know what that means in the preschooler brain...just go ahead and take the liberty to dive right in. And, that's exactly what our thrill seeker did. No worries about swim trunks or a towel in tow. Nope. He just hopped right in. And, we secretly love him for it!

He's still talking about it. That's what vacations are all about. Making memories and letting your kids have fun.
He sure had fun in the moment, but the chilly car ride home in his underoos was also memorable (smile:)

Daddy's girl...her whole face lights up with a wrinkled nose grin when she spots him in a crowd. Mine does too, minus the wrinkled nose.

Grandmama with her salt water soaked boy.We all agreed to do sunsets on vacation more often. We're usually too busy with after dinner activities. This sunset was magical!

Back at it again the next day with her swim bow. She's our water baby loving the ocean.

Oh the many faces of EK. She can go from a threatening scowl to a silly grin. I wonder where she learned how to lay out like that?
Perfectly poised on her beach chair.

TuTu much to handle.

Baytowne Warf was another fun after dinner spot. Lots of fun activities for kids. We captured our traditional Adirondack family picture.

Miller surprised us all by wanting to get in the hamster balls on the water. We watched another girl his age first which gave him the confidence boost that he needed. They blow up the ball with a blower device while you are inside the plastic. Miller's face was priceless as he was mentally talking himself into all the fun. We weren't sure if he was going to bail out on us. Can we say boy in the bubble? Once Miller got the hang of it, he was squealing and running around just like a cute hamster inside the ball.

Goodbye beach paradise. It was a wonderfully, memorable vacation with family. A great jump start to our summer. Thankful for our getaway!

12 months old

Sweet Eliza Kate...you are now 12 months old. Lots has changed in your little life since my last development post.
So, here is what's going on in your little one year old life...

When I greet you after a nap or in the morning you say "Hi"! with the cutest voice inflection. You've added "doggy" this week to your reperoire. You try to say ducky when you pick it up in the bath, but it sounds just like doggy. My favorite new word you've mastered is "baby"-it's long and drawn out and sound like baaaay-be. It's really just too precious for words. Baby Stella has captured your heart and you love to put her magnetic paci on her mouth. If we tell you to go get your baby, you crawl to Stella and bring her to us. With the words "uh-oh" "mama" , "daddy", "t-t" which has finally evolved to kitty & "bu-bye" that you already were babbling, you're really starting to verbalize little honey. You surely know how to shake your head back and forth and tell us no. At 12 months, the switch flipped and you've become a lot more vocal if you dislike something. Just like brother at this age, you have an ear piercing shrill that you can sound at any time to warm up your vocal chords. It's precious to hear you say "ni ni" when you are tired.

Peek a boo while you say "peet a boo" with your chubby hands covering your eyes. "SO big" with your hands behind your head and elbows out. You love to hold your pointer finger up and say "wan" which translated means "one". You love to wave with your palm facing yourself to passing neighbor's cars on our walks. Grandmama noticed that while you move big brother's cars, you make the pbbbbb, shhhhh noises that he makes when he's cruising his cars around. Sure enough, I observed your car noises the next day!

You still love to dance and sway to music. Your musical puppy dog Violet is your new favorite toy. Pink lovey is your favorite comfort blanky in the crib. You snuggle it close and suck your thumb. Yes, your thumb is your very favorite.

Stats:

Height 31"-95%

Weight 24 lbs. 90%

Head 18 3/4 95%

You've made the transition to whole milk in your Nuby sippy cup. We're down to your morning bottle, naptime and bedtime bottle only. It's not that you're protesting the sippy cup, but this is mommy's last sign of your babyhood..sniff sniff! You've taken to whole milk beautifully. Your new food favorites are noodles with marinara sauce, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter bread, and veggie burgers.

You are hanging out on your knees a lot and standing up in the middle of the room on your own with your hands braced for a fall. With a large grin you bend your knees up and down and then fall on your tushy. You love to walk with your V-tech musical table on wheels. Each step is thought out and calculated. Squeaker shoes have given you incentive to take each step!

Pearly poppers are a poppin'! You are constantly gumming your hands and the late afternoons can be somewhat fussy as you are uncomfortable. You have four teeth on top and three on the bottom. Some molars have erupted through and your back gums are so swollen. Poor baby!

You are napping in the morning for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 9:30- 11:00. On some mornings I wake you up from your nap early just so we can finally start our day. That's been our challenge with big brother chomping at the bit to go...nap jail is no fun! Your afternoon nap is from 1:30- 3:30. You go down to sleep so very easily. We never hear a peep! Thanks to sleep training from the beginning, you follow the rules down pat. I usually have to crack your door to peek in on you as we never hear when you're awake. You happily play in your crib. You have been a dream baby in the sleep department.

Holding on to every ounce of baby we've got left in you. This stage is flying by sweet love! Pause please.

May Madness

We survived the busyness of May and have 100's of pictures and wonderful memories to share. First off, we had some very special visitors breeze into town from Birmingham. Auntie T came over with the oh-so-adorable Logan and Will. It was a flurry of chaotic FUN and confirmed that Terra is a super mommy to keep up with two, two year old boys. In the words of another "boy mom", "You haven't really experienced the hard work of motherhood until you raise a toddler boy". Amen to that!
Miller's already asking when Logan and Will can come over and spend the night in his room. Love that!

We celebrated the last day of three day, 3K with a beach bash at school. This momma was a little disappointed as our beach weather was unseasonably cool. That didn't hold back the kiddos from water splashing fun out on the playground. Water guns, water balloons, bubbles and beach balls got everyone in the beach spirit of things.

Mrs. Avery and Mrs. Jennifer passed out the most adorable scrapbook of each child's preschool year. Loved, loved looking back to the fall and seeing all the growth that took place in this school year. It's hard not to get sentimental on goodbye days. One things for sure, I loved finally being the parent in the classroom. This year was a blessing.

Miller refused to wear his shirt at "the beach".

Isn't that a boy for ya? Showing off his muscles.



Look closely and you'll see his blue lips. I was the water gun mom. I decided to call them water soakers to be politically correct. Didn't know if we'd get any looks shooting eachother. Doesn't a soaker sound more kid friendly?
I thought so.

Miller was thrilled that I timed him out of his chasing fun for another photographic memory with his teacher. It's written all.over.his.face.

He was back in the game in no time. There's that smiley boy with the ear to ear grin again. Back to squirting friends to join in the chasing fun!
Cubbies awards was another fun highlight of May.... only adding to the madness of course. We're really proud of Miller's commitment to scripture memory this year. One (short) verse a week is a big task for a three year old to master. Every Wednesday night after choir practice Miller enjoyed his time participating in Cubbies. Not only did Miller learn wonderful character traits & bible stories through the puppet shows, he learned what it means to make a commitment and stick with it until the end. This commitment is unchanging no matter what you feel like an hour before the event.
The best attendance incentive was earning patches for each mastered verse. He was so proud of his blue vest with patches. Miss Tracy made sure to tell me that in whole group with Cubby Bear in front of 75 plus kids, Miller was rattling off the long list of "sins" in his life. If I could only have been a fly on the wall to witness his long list of uh-ohs.

Miller with his certificate of participation. Grandmama and Poppy were there to witness the ceremony. Congrats to you sweet boy on a job well done. Sorry for the blurriness.

Lots of May parties.... Brooks' 4th fireman party was a blast.
Miller's special buddy Mac from church was there to share in the fun.

Sound the alarm, the firetruck came to the party. The kids loved looking the part with boots, hats and coveralls. A ride around the block was the icing on the cake.

Another thrill was holding and shooting the powerful hose to water Brooks' grass. This was the real deal and Miller was in awe of the fireman...and his red truck for that matter.

There's the birthday boy dressed up in his firefighter best. These boys were just too handsome in all their gear. Firefighter Brooks saved the day with his awesome themed party.

Miss Priss loved the party hop this month enjoying big brother's friends. Our strawberry girl enjoyed her first big girl picnic on the deck without her high chair. More to come soon on all the developments in her life. We survived May!!

Open Wide

At a mature four years old, it was finally time that we make our first trip to the dentist. I knew Miller was finally old enough to be poked and prodded in the dental chair. Not sure what I was scared of really with him, but I knew the two year old "happy visit" would not have been so happy with a very active two year old Miller.

I will say that viewing "Toy Story" with headphones passed the time quickly. Whoever discovered that a video babysitter during teeth cleaning made the experience more pleasant for everyone is a genius. This momma surely did her homework researching a good dentist in our area. It's really all about the hygienist though. That's who your child spends the most time with. Kid friendly hygienists make a world of difference during a seemingly uncomfortable experience. She told Miller to "open wide like an alligator" and "pretend my toothbrush is a motorcycle." Instead of tears, she had him giggling with her stories. What put me over the top was the toddler play area right next to the dental chair which entertained little sister. Truly, a happy experience for ALL! Dr. Kimathi said that Miller was right on track to avoid braces with lots of wide spacing between each tooth. Only time will tell if his bedtime thumb sucking will effect his smile. We keep reminding Miller that four year olds don't suck their thumbs.

Laughing at Miller's half awake grin. I booked a "sunrise appointment" for Miller before preschool. We don't let doctor's appointments get in the way of important learning ;) No cavities, a new toothbrush and a prize from the treasure chest sent this boy happily skipping into school with fresh breath and a good report to share!

Tucked In

So thankful for Landon's help with bedtime. Miller has a habit lately of specifically requesting daddy for bedtime. I think it's because he acts out the stories & adds special effects with character voices. Such a cozy time right before bed for reading. I love to hear my men reading, talking, sometimes singing, and praying. Most of the time, I have to remind Landon that he's getting too rowdy for tucking in time. Silliness and tickle time ruin the calm down mood and Miller gets too excited to wind down. It always ends with mommy wrapping up the show for lights out. Miller's new passion is the Atlas which is great by Landon. They study it together. This passion has allowed Miller to memorize the continents. Lots of valuable learning happens before bed, who knew? Of course the Matchbox cars and Miller's favorite blue blanky are involved in the tucking in routine too.

Mothering

Happy Mother's Day to you, mom!
Proverbs 31:28-29 "Her children (and grandchildren) stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: 'There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all.'"
You are exactly who I want to be when I grow up.
Celebrating you today and the example that you have given me through the years. Blessed to enjoy your motherly advice in this season of life. Three generations of women is a lot of fun. So fortunate to have you as we raise a Godly girly. I know grandma Eliza would have doted on baby Eliza Kate.

I could go on and on about my love for these two. Miller is all boy with a big grin on his face. We marvel at all the personality he adds to our house. He warms me over when he says "Mom, I want to love on you," and then snuggles in close. Little miss is my ice cream with a cherry bow on top. She's a dream come true. My dress up dolly come to life.
Thank you Lord for making me their mom and handpicking me to nuture them everyday. Intentional mothering is my mission.... making the most of every opportunity.

Muffins for Mom

What a joy to join Miller in his element for a Muffins and Mommy morning at preschool. I love seeing him in his element. Oh the surprises he had up his sleeve! Miller did let a few of them slip up as he was creating and crafting weeks before our big event. I heard mumbles and whispers of a special wrapped gift. He was beyond excited anticipating our morning together.

A one of a kind blue and orange polka dot wide brimmed hat awaited me outside the classroom to wear to our brunch... such preciousness that I could hardly stand it! Who knew that extra large industrial coffee filters could be so feminine and pretty? Add a fancy streamer sash and it put the hat over the top. I felt derby ready and oh-so fashionable.
Group shot of the fancy mommies

After a special serenade to all the moms, Miller was proud to watch me open the outline of his footprint keepsake gift. It's not everyday we get a special morning together just mommy and Miller. I felt so blessed to share in his preschool experience. That's the best gift of all!

Miller used his fingerprints to make a decorative tile . What is it about fingerprint and handprint crafts that touch a mother's heart?

Miller and Sophia posing with their personalized door hangers. Even the kiddos walked away with gifts. Thank you Miller for such a wonderful mommy and me date. Love to you sweet boy.