Beach Fun

Time to play a little catch up...again! 

One of my favorite things about where we live, is that we get to enjoy our first beach days of the season in March/April! I'm so excited about our beach days this year, as Layla is at a much better age. She LOVES the sand/water, and is perfectly content to spend hours on end there.

The beginning of last month we met some friends at the beach for our first official beach day of the summer.

 It's safe to say Layla had a good time :)

 I had no intention of any of us getting in the water, being that it was so early in the season. Eli had other plans, though!

These two bathing beauties had lots of fun together.

And this one was exhausted from playing so hard!

Last Day

Eli finished up his first year of preschool last week. It was bittersweet, as we'll definitely miss our friends and routine there, but we are also very ready for the laid back days of summer! We're so thankful the Lord lead us to this school in particular, and we're looking forward to another wonderful year there next year. One more year, and this boy is off to kindergarten. So hard to believe!

They had a little end of school program last Thursday, and the kids were able to show off some things that they learned throughout the year. Daddy, Nana and GG came to watch, and Eli was so tickled to see them!

 Eli's class sang a colors song in Spanish, and said the pledge of allegiance. 

Bless his sweet teachers. There were 14 boys in his class, and only 3 girls. 

Mother's Day 2013

My sweet family made this such a special Mother's Day. We spent the day in Savannah together on Saturday. Shopping for mommy, lunch together, and lots of play time for the kiddos. 

They sure did love their carousel ride! A trip to Savannah wouldn't be complete without this.

We actually had time for pictures before church on Sunday, a true Mother's Day miracle!

Mama's don't make it into many pictures, so we had to change that today.

So thankful for the four wonderful years of motherhood this little guy has given to me!

 And for the sweetness that this little girl has added to our lives!

We had GG and Goomba over for dinner Sunday evening. We missed Nana and Pop Pop so much. They brought a nasty bug home the Dominican Republic, so they stayed home to rest. 

 After dinner, the guys watched golf for hours. GG and I sat outside with the kids and enjoyed the gorgeous weather.

Layla loves this little chair. She can't get out of it so easily, so she just sits forever. :)

We are loving our new neighborhood and friendly neighbors. Eli spends most of his time outside playing with friends, and has made the sweetest friendships already. Something he was never able to do at our old house. That in itself makes this move so worth it!

Four Years Old

 Four years ago today, we were about to welcome our first child into the world. I can't help but relive those feelings every year on his special day. He has brought endless amounts of love, joy, and happiness to us, and we love him so!

He was able to stretch his birthday celebrations out over several days, and was able to celebrate with many of his buddies, family, and classmates at school. We started out with a friend party at the park on Friday. Much fun, and way too much sugar was had by all!

 Sibling shot before the madness began.

 Eli and his best girly girl Amelia. They are always so full of laughs!

 We couldn't have picked a better day for a park party. The weather was perfect!

About an hour after the party, the next party rolled into town! Mimi and Papa Tom got here on Friday,and will be here for a week or so. Eli is so excited to have them stay at our new house.

Saturday night we had a little family party here at our house. Nana, Pop Pop, GG, Goomba, Mimi and Papa T were all here to celebrate with us. It was fun to have everyone together at our new place! We had to improvise a little, but it was great!

 The birthday boy could hardly wait to dig into his ice cream cake! 

And little sister made her way around like a little birdie, getting cake from everyone in the room. Her heart was broken when the cake was put up!

 Papa Tom is what we like to call the "expert direction reader." He had all of Eli's new toys figured out in no time (along with our new appliances :))

 Birthday's are that much sweeter with GG & Goomba here!

 New neighborhood, new family pic :)

Happy 4th Birthday to our ever growing, full of energy, tender hearted boy!

Keeping Busy

We've been pulling out all the stops to keep us plenty busy lately. Now that the weather is warming up, we're spending our days hopping from park to park and soon to be beach. We're patiently waiting to close on our new place, and Lord willing, that will happen tomorrow! And now for an update in pictures...

Eli dyed Easter eggs with Nana one morning.

 So proud of the finished product!

 We had a fun Easter lunch bunch with the whole gang.

 And a fun egg hunt!

 These two girls weren't too into the hunting, but more so into socializing!

 Everything about this picture and pose cracks me up. Love this nutty boy of mine!

It's amazing how long little ones will sit still when jelly beans are involved :)

We had a very rare free Saturday last weekend, and spent the day as a family at Dolphin Head. It was relaxing, refreshing, and just the perfect day together.

 So thankful for my sweet babies.

 My girl lives to be outside. This park is one of her absolute favorite places!

Eli's too!

We went back yesterday, and were happy that Nana was able to come along for some fun! Layla has mastered the slide by herself, and is so darn proud of herself! She wants to 'weeee' all day long!

 First time down on her own.

 I think Nana likes to swing just as much as Layla!

I love that my kids have two sets of grand parents that are so hands on. Nana isn't afraid to get her hands dirty at the park!

This would be Layla's fan club at Daddy's baseball games. These are two players' sisters, and they are just the best babysitters and entertainment during the games!

We are ready to tackle the next few busy weeks ahead of us. Bring on the renovations, getting moved in, finishing baseball season(s), and celebrating our birthday boy. Whew!  

Happy Easter!

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

John 11:25-26 

We changed things up a little this morning, and went to the early service at church. We saved Easter baskets and brunch for after the service. I think it really helped keep our hearts focused on the true meaning of the day. I love that Eli finally understands that Easter is not about candy, bunnies, or eggs. He blew us all away by going through his Resurrection Eggs all by himself and fully explaining the events leading up to the empty tomb. He's been studying this at school for the last few weeks, and really seems to understand more than we expected. 

 The Easter Bunny did hide their baskets, and they both enjoyed the hunt to find them! Layla quickly gave her new hair accessories to her brother, and made her way into the jelly bean stash. 

 Love this sweet bunny girl!

 And boy!

We had a wonderful brunch after church, and will have a traditional Easter dinner together tonight. Three cousins are on the way here for a visit, and it's all I can do to contain Eli's excitement!