Luke's Birthday Weekend

For his birthday this year, Luke asked to go to Clearwater Beach to visit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.  If you've seen the movie Dolphin Tail, that's where it was made and the home of the dolphin, Winter.  We got a hotel on the bay for the night and swapped Judah for cousin Cole.  The boys had fun jumping on the beds, eating out and playing in the water.  And, of course, being silly.

 The boys collecting treasures.

 Proud of his find.

 Silly, I tell you.

 Attempt at a couple's photo.

 Their collection.  Every piece (Except for the seaweed. That, I refused.) came home with us.

 Friendly fella'.

 Okay, so maybe just Eli was silly all weekend.

 Yep, it was just Eli.

 The birthday boy.

 Spotted eel

 Rehabbed turtle.  It's back legs were damaged, so it was unable to be released.

 Winter

 Winter's prosthetic tail

 I kept waiting for someone to stop the boys from practically swimming with the sting ray, but no one did.  It was probably their favorite part of the day.  It was pretty cool to actually pet it, even if I did keep asking Kris nervously, "Isn't a sting ray what killed Steve Irwin?!?"  He ignored me.

 Nicolas was a true star.  He loved his audience (or maybe all the treats they kept feeding him for every trick he did).

 It was just fun to be with the boys and to be able to say "Yes" to Luke's request.

 When we got back into town we ate dinner at Kris' parents' house and had Luke's favorite. Key Lime Pie!

 Judah getting his dance on.

 Luke really didn't care about having an official party as long as he got a cake and presents. 

It was a fun time for him and for us.

Nashville!

Kris and I spent this past weekend in Nashville visiting family, attending a wedding and enjoying tasting every bite of food that we put in our mouths.  It had been a while since that last happened, so we really lived it up.

My cousin, Heather, is much better at capturing moments than I, so I am freely admitting that I did not take a single one of these photos, and I stole every single one of them off her facebook page.

After Heather picked us up from the airport, she took us to a YUMMY meal at Loveless Cafe.  Let me just tell you, a BLT with fried green tomatoes is an excellent way to start a vacation.

 I had a great time getting to know my cousin better.  She's a really neat person, very kind and fun.  And, she gives a mean massage!

 Raeanna's house is beautiful, and I love seeing her in her own space. Being with her reminds me of all the reasons I always admired her growing up and still do.  She's strong, generous and nurturing.

 One of the many yummy meals we ate out.  Kind of dark, but if you look closely you can see the absolute satisfaction on my face of having a meal I didn't have to cook, didn't have to clean up after and didn't have to make anyone sit down during.

 Kris' cousin was married in Nasvhille, so we got the chance to get pretty.  Only, no one mentioned to me until the day of that the wedding was being held outdoors.  And it was COLD!  My Florida dress was not appropriate, and Raeanna had to step in and save the day.  The dress is new, and the rest is a mix of hers and Heather's.

 Kris.  That's all I can say about the shoes.  He is my love.

After our trip home (we were supposed to land in Daytona at 1:30, but didn't actually even leave Nashville until 2:00 - Booooo, Delta), I seriously needed another one of Heather's massages and another Mimosa.

Next time!  Thanks, girls!

May, In Moments

It seems like our lives have been in a whirlwind since Christmas, but especially the months of April and May.  We have had lots of fun and made some special memories:

Luke's Mother's Day Tea

(This was such a special time.  You could see all over his little face that he knew he was loved, and he was proud of his mama.)

Eli's Mother's Day Tea

(Once he realized that Mama was in the building, he would have nothing to do with his teachers or friends.  We left school early that day.)

 The next morning I left for a trip with my parents and sisters in Puerto Rico. It was beautiful.

 At the top of a lookout tower.

 Daddy had a little trouble figuring out how to work my camera, and this was the result.  We're not a very patient bunch.

 We hiked down a trail in the rain forest to a waterfall.

 And even though it was worth it, the hike back up was...intense.

 There were these crazy iguanas at our resort that would do a belly flop out of the trees into the pool.

 In the meantime, Judah is growing like a weed and figuring out all kinds of ways to get into trouble. I have to shut just about every door in the house these days to keep him contained.

 Luke's preschool graduation was this week.  He is thrilled that he will be in kindergarten next year. I have mixed emotions!

Luke with his friends Maggie and Haley.  (Yes, this Haley.)

Luke with his best school bud, Cole.

Luke and Eli were signed up for soccer.  Luke had a great time playing, and Eli says he'll just wait and play next year.



So, vacations are done, parties are done, school is done, soccer is done, MOPS is done and Mama is DONE!  I'm going to go lay on the couch with my boys.