Beach Bound Part II

The latter half of our Destin vacation was filled with more fun. We went to Baytowne Wharf one evening to take a look at the boats and to dine at the waterfront. After a great dinner we walked around a bit and the girls got to "donate" to a animal charity and take fun pictures with some parrots.

Charlotte had fun carefully holding the bird so he could "play dead".

We also found a restaurant that offered Bananas Foster for dessert, so we stopped in and introduced the girls to the deliciousness of Bananas Foster. They were impressed with the fire, but seemed to like their overpriced ice cream just as much. Perhaps when they get older they will enjoy it more?

On Thursday morning we caved in and took the girls to Big Kahuna water park. I was dreading the park a bit and tried to convince Charlotte that we (she and I) could do something fun and "special", but she wouldn't have any of it. She wanted to do what her big sister did, so we all went to the water park.

We were pleasantly surprised. It turned out to be a nice day (if you ignore Dewayne's motion sickness towards the end). Charlotte declared that I would be her "partner" at the park - so that left Dewayne to tour the park with Shea. There was a nice area for younger kids with a pretty big water slide that Charlotte loved. She spent most of the day climbing up and sliding down. I had the pleasure of standing in knee deep water watching!


Dewayne got a much needed break after a bit and I got to go on a few rides with Madison. At the end we took a "family" ride down Thunder River and headed back to the condo for some rest.

We spent our last night at another restaurant with a beach view. I must add that we had to eat outside because it smelled "too stinky" inside. Madison can't handle the fish smell and we didn't want to hear her complaining the whole time. She actually walked through the restaurant with the neck of her shirt covering her nose and mouth. Overall, our outside dining turned out good because we got to enjoy a nice sunset.



To sum it up - family vacation was great! It was nice to spend time as a family outside of the house. The girls still talk about it and and I know we will remember it for years to come!

Beach Bound Part I

Earlier this year, we booked flights to Destin for a family vacation (let me clarify - we booked two weeks BEFORE the oil spill and were questioning what to do AFTER the spill occurred). After quite a while of "up in the air" plans, news of oil-free beaches came and we booked the condo.

We went to Destin two years ago (when Charlotte was 18 months and Madison was just shy of 5) and were sold on the white sand and blue water. We were excited to have older kids this time in hopes that it would be a bit smoother vacation (last time we had a round of ear infections, one trip to the on call doctor, etc....).

We left for the airport early Monday morning with two kids full of excitement and energy (see picture below - Charlotte has gotten in the habit of these crazy poses while taking photos).

The flight was uneventful (thankfully) and after we were packed into our rental car, we headed to check into the condo. We opted for a first floor condo this time that had balcony access to the beach. It was much more convenient and was a pretty quick walk to the beach.

Location was perfect, beautiful beaches (with the exception of a little "June weed") and we all enjoyed ourselves. Charlotte was set on building sandcastles every day and Madison became the expert shell hunter (as evidenced by the 8 lbs of shells in my carry-on bag on the flight home).

Knowing Madison is an early riser, we told Shea that she couldn't wake us up until the "first number" on the alarm clock had a 6 on it. Tuesday morning, she peeked in our room at 6:03. She said she had been waiting until she saw the 6 on her and Bug's clock. This was how it was pretty much every morning. For the most part, after breakfast we would head to the beach and "ride the waves", build sandcastles, shell hunt and monitor the flag color (Shea was very observant of the changing flags indicating the water safety). After lunch we would head back to the beach or go to one of the 500 souvenir shops in Destin to scout for the perfect treasure to take home.

More beach fun to come!

Fun at the Lake

When I was growing up, some of my fondest memories were of weekends at the lake. We were happy with an ice chest full of drinks, summer sausage and Mars Bars (the perfect thing about loading an ice chest full of Mars Bars was that they were half frozen by the time we acutally ate them). We would leave early in the morning and spend the entire Saturday at the lake. Sometimes one of us girls would fall asleep in the boat and we would have the "carpet" imprint on one cheek. I remember being jealous of Alex (older sister) when she was old enough to ride in the boat without her life jacket on. And, being the middle child, I remember when I became old enough to do the same, leaving Amanda the only one required to wear her life jacket.

I don't know how my parents did it with three girls, because after one day at the lake with Madison and Charlotte, I was beat (not really sure how tired Dewayne was).

Back on topic - Richard (Dewayne's dad) bought a boat and we went to the lake August 7. In a nutshell, we all had a blast. We were pretty sure Madison would have fun, because she is somewhat "lake experienced". She was the tubing queen. Hopefully next summer we can get her started on the kiddo skis.

We didn't know what to expect with Charlotte, as sometimes she is our daredevil and sometimes she chickens out. She loved it. She wanted in the water every time we stopped and she even tubed on back of mom and dad. She didn't do well holding onto our backs, so we didn't go to fast, but I think she now shares her sisters fondness of the lake.

A fun time was had by all and I think Richard enjoyed the lake outing as much as we did. Thanks Richard!

Time With Vivian

During the poison ivy debacle, we were able to watch my niece, Vivian, for a few days. It was nice for the girls to spend time with her that wasn't too compressed (like most of our Giddings visits). We had a lot of things planned, Gattitown, Justice, American Girl store, etc...

Vivian had saved up a pretty good pile of dough for shopping while with us. Our first shopping outing was to a kids/tweens boutique in Plano. I had all three girls with me (I must add a visual image here - Charlotte had on daycare issued clothes b/c she had an accident at naptime. She had orange shorts with a sharpie marked across the bum and a non-matching orange shirt - we didn't really look like the clientele that shops there...and I have spotted legs from the poison ivy.....). Madison and Vivian were great, but Charlotte was completely fixated on a head-to-toe sequined dress. She could not handle that I wouldn't get it for her. She said "this is what you didn't let me do....try on a dress, buy a dress...." - all the while numbering her points with one hand. The hand actions were cute, but the whining was unbearable. Lesson learned - next time I go to that store, it will be without a 3 year old in tow.

That night we went to Gattitown. It was a fun, non-eventful dinner. We had pizza and played games. Bug rode the carousel and Shea and Vivian were super fans of the bumper cars. After Gattitown, we braved Justice. We should have stopped after Gattitown. Madison was obsessed with buying something with her own money and Charlotte couldn't understand that Justice didn't have her size. After convincing Shea that $30 for a pair of pajamas was a bit excessive, we went to Target where she purchased a cute pair (her picking of course) for $13. Bug also picked out a pair of pjs (princess - not a surprise). Score one for the parents!

Saturday - Saturday was our "big" day. We went to Sam Moon, the mall and the American Girl Doll store. Sam Moon was great. Based on the previous day's experience, I was a bit gunshy bringing Charlotte into a store with so many sparkly things within reach. She did good and made me feel better about the American Girl plans later that afternoon. (I was tricked!)

We went to the mall for Vivian to pick up a t-shirt for Bailey and a few other things. We headed home to have lunch and prep for the American Girl Doll store. Our "dessert" reservations were for 1:45. We got there around 1:15, so we looked around for a bit - all was good and calm (I'm thinking perhaps the boutique store incident was a fluke). We were seated for our dessert and each of the girls sat their doll in the little high chair provided. A chef came by to talk to us and ask about their dolls seated at the table with us.



Charlotte's American Girl Bitty Baby (who was naked because Bug stripped her down in the car prior to parking) looked like Big Baby from Toy Story 3. The lazy eye and all. It didn't help that Bug's doll is all scuffed up and was naked. The girls giggled so much. It was quite funny. The girls ordered brownie lollipops and strawberry lemonade slushes. Very tasty!





After dessert we headed back downstaris to make the purchases. Madison selected two American Girl dogs (Coconut and Sugar). Charlotte stated she wanted a big American Girl Doll (which is not geared to a 3 year old). I told her she wasn't big enough yet. She said "I am big, see.". She stretched her arms straight above her head making herself as big as possible. Very cute (we got some snickers from onlookers), and then the implosion occured.

Lets just say she ended up with a dog named Grace (which she is happy with - now). After paying we did have to exit the store (after peeling her off the ground). We sat outside in the 100 degree heat while she attempted to calm herself. She did apologize for crying and asked for "lovin". I held her while she calmed down more and we headed home.

Overall it was a good weekend, fits and all. No matter what buttons your kids push to lead you to the brink of frustration, the innocent smile or snuggle from them makes it all better. I do love my Girls!

VEGAS and the Aftermath.......

So, after Madison's party my mom took the girls back to Giddings with them for the week while Dewayne and I went to Vegas. We met up with my older sister and her husband and some of their friends. After arriving in Vegas, we took a "not to stressful" taxi to Vdara to check in. I must say Dewayne did very well on the hotel selection, as you can say my standards are a bit high (due to my parents!).

After check in I headed to the MGM spa for an aromatherapy massage, which was wonderful! At the spa, you can use all the amenities (whirlpool, sauna, steam room, etc...) for the day, so before the massage appointment, we (Alex, Sharon and I) were going to head to the sauna, only to find a "not-so-shy" lady laid out along the bench. Not my style, so we abandoned the idea and decided to try again later. Note - after the massage the sauna was unoccupied by totally bare ladies, so Alex and I enjoyed the heat (not that it was different that the outside temp - 112 degrees when we arrived). Overall, Vegas was fun. Food was good, luck not-so-much, but then again who goes to Vegas thinking they are going to win.

On to the Aftermath........

The last day we were there, Dewayne noticed a slight rash on his arms. We called the doctor and made an appointment for the day we returned (Wednesday). We figured out it was poison ivy (apparently it can take up to 2-3 weeks for it to show up after exposure). We also determined exposure occured a few days before Madison's party while doing backyard work for the party. Anyway - Dewayne got a cortisone shot and I thought I was in the clear (no signs of it on me yet.....I stress yet.....).

Thursday I was scheduled to meet mom in Waco to pick up the girls. I got a phone call Thursday morning that Bug was sick. She was vomiting and had a fever. We kept the planned "switch" and Bug puked in mom's car on the way to Waco (NEW car - YIKES). We eventually made it home and I called the pediatrician. The advice was to keep her hydrated and if she gets super uncomfortable to go to Acute care or the ER. Well, Thursday afternoon around 5pm, Bug's fever was at 105. I have never felt her so hot, so off we went to the Children's Hospital ER in Plano. They were able to get her temp down and get her to rehydrate (with popscicles and liquid). We made it home Thursday night and things seemed to be improving.

I stayed home with the girls on Friday with still no signs of poison ivy. However, Saturday morning I noticed a few bumps on my arms and even more on Sunday. I visited the Minute Clinic Sunday afternoon to get my meds. Long story short - it got progressively worse all last week and weekend. I saw a dermatologist yesterday and I have lots of good medicine now. Hopefully this will do the trick!

Party Time!

On Friday, July 16th, Madison celebrated her 7th Birthday with a swimming party at our house. The party was attended by both friends and family and everyone looked like they had a fun time. We started out with swimming, which all the kids were happy with (considering it was pretty hot that day). After a bit of swimming we worked on our "activity", which consisted of making jeweled flip flops. We moved on to pizza/hamburgers and the infamous Blizzard Cake (Madison's choice was Oreo)!

With the party being on a Friday afternoon, we decided to "help" all the parents out and wear their kids out as much as possible, so we also let each guest take a few swings at the pinata! Now that I think about it, all the sugar each kid brought home probably combatted the tiredness felt after the party. Sorry!

After the party was over, Gillian and Avanly (two of the girls cousins), spent the night awaiting the MUCH anticipated trip to Grandma and Grandad's for the next week (while Mom and Dad headed to VEGAS - only to battle poison ivy upon return). I'm itching just thinking about it!