Beach, beach, beach!!!!

The sun was shining and it felt so good! After several days of rain last week the sun came out on Valentines Day and it was just gorgeous! Amazing how the sun coming out can give you so much energy!!! It was a wonderful Valentines Day. It started out with heart shaped cinnamon rolls. Pretty simple and CK and Jeremy liked them! Last year I made Nutella French toast with strawberries cut into heart shapes and CK said "can I have my waffle?" ( meaning her frozen one) haha so this year I kept it simple. 

These days simple is just as exciting. Then Jeremy brought me some Gian Marcos for lunch. I love that place... just food, but it sure was a good meal! Then off to the beach we went. That in itself is enough to make a day of love fabulous!

We needed this break to the beach in more ways than one. There has been a lot happening and we have looked forward to a break away! Charlee Kate has been wanting to go to the Beach for a long time. We had a countdown for her and she waited patiently for the day to leave and we actually left a day earlier. Our friends, Steven, Lisa, and Harper went too. The weekend was filled with time on the beach, lots of giggles and laughs from the girls, yummy food, a little shopping, but lots and lots of relaxing and Mexican train. I felt like we were able to do things we haven't done in forever. Every night we slept with the doors open bc it was cool out and we could hear the ocean. So peaceful. There were a few good runs on the beach, which is always fun but challenging with the sand. It was nice! The trip was great and long... Of course, I could have stayed a month. I love the beach in the winter and after moving from Tampa I didn't miss it as much. However, that "itch for the beach" is back! I am not like most people, I like the beach better in Winter and Spring than summer. It was also so nice to not even pay attention to email, internet, etc... I had my phone and ipad but it was like I forgot about it. Super nice!!! The pictures can tell the weekend story better,.... sooooo here they are:

This picture was probably one of the sweetest sights I had! She was in heaven at the beach

The sun was getting ready to set at night. 

This was my view the very first day while watching CK play and drinking my coffee

She was running all over the place... Silly girl!

The first day at the beach! She was playing and playing... so excited for Harper to arrive

The night that we got to the beach, she was trying so hard to look out and see the ocean

Valentines day.... after a long day of parties for her, fun, and a drive to the beach!

The day after we got to the beach, Steven, Lisa, and Harper came. The girls were just beside themselves excited and they see each other every day. It is just so cute! To watch them play together is so adorable. 

Not sure why Charlee Kate kept wanting to lean in on Harper, but they were so cute!

The first moment of feeling a little tired! They were playing hard and staying up late. They would do really good until it was time for a snack or just a little break.

At night time right before bed. Really getting tired by this point.... I loved how Harper was in a dress up costume at this point. 

After the girls are in bed, Lisa and I had this fabulous dessert that we came up with! It was so good!

BEACH TIME! It was a little chilly but we still stayed out there for awhile

I mean the beach was just absolutely gorgeous!

Heading out to eat an early dinner

Such good friends! So glad these two could spend a long weekend together and we look forward to many more of these types of weekends!

On the way home... she was exhausted after several fun days at the beach. She slept all the way home from Dothan. 

Randoms

Thank you dear God for this day, for health and my family and friends. This is probably something so many of us say so often, but lately there have been several things that have happened to someone else, to something, or in passing that make me really stop and think of how wonderful life is and how much I Have to be thankful for! I don't say that lightly either... Thank you so much for every day and every blessing!!!

We have been at the beach for 5 days.... I have a post coming but haven't put it up yet. Playing catch up since I am back to reality!!! Coming soon......

I love this little picture that Haley posted on Instagram!

Bonus room is getting there... almost finished. The refrigerator now has a place in there and the new TV now has the perfect hole for it! Love sac pictures are coming! That is what we put up there instead of a couch. We saw them at Lenox Mall about 2 years ago and loved them!

What a fun weekend!

Man... I love weekends. Saturday was absolutely gorgeous too! This weekend was very special though! We drove home Friday after school for a celebration for my Grandparents 70th wedding anniversary. Friday night we had a rehearsal (for the wedding on Saturday) and a rehearsal dinner at The Classic. Saturday was the wedding. Everyone was in town and Charlee Kate was absolutely beside herself when she realized she would get to see Ella and Hunter. The whole weekend was wonderful!!! I did not take nearly as many pictures as I should have, but we had a photographer there and I know I will get a CD of her pictures soon, so those are the ones I will post when I get them. Mike Royer from NBC 13 news also came to video and interview the whole event. That airs this week on Channel 13.

We are so blessed to have such a big family who is all still close and was able to be a part of the 70th wedding! It was definitely one of the sweetest events I have been to and many people I am sure. I hope I live to see 70 years with Jeremy. That is amazing!  Here are a few pictures from our week and weekend (last week).

Charlee Kate.... getting ready for choir practice. We had the best, random Wednesday last week. Jeremy and I took CK to choir, then we went and had coffee at a local favorite here in town, then we picked her up and decided to go for a late night run with her in the stroller. It was such a gorgeous night and that sounded fun. We did enjoy it!!

She loves Hello Kitty and I found this little boutique dress at Nordstroms. I thought it was precious and she loved it! I am not a big "character" fan for clothes, but this one was worth it and very cute!

Wedding Day! They couldn't wait!

Pop with his grand kids. This is really the only posed picture I got. It was a busy and fun day, but definitely busy!

All the great Gran girls!

Sunday before we all left... we got the kids in their National Championship shirts that Dad bought them.

Living instead of thinking...

Now this is the best thing I have heard in awhile... If we all acted like kids and starting living instead of thinking about living... life would be just a little sweeter. I relate this to my 4th graders. They don't have time to "think about their life and where they have come/going, etc...". They are just in the here and now and boy do they live it up! Sometimes, I think that is the best advice to go by! I guess that is what I have been doing for a week, living instead of thinking about living and I have missed out on some blogging so here it goes...

We are still here... I just feel like its been forever since I have blogged. Somehow I have just missed out on pictures the last few weeks so there is really nothing to post about. A few "catch ups" though. At the end of every year, I print my blogs into scrapbooks. It is a way for me to see what has happened through the year so I try not to let many days go by without some kind of post. I will have lots of pictures soon!

The happenings:
* Charlee Kate had her first ear infections since tubes last year. She is such a trooper when it comes to being sick! However, my gut told me that she had an ear infection b/c she would have random fever days, not eat, and wake up in the middle of the night. All of those are symptoms of an ear infection. Luckily, we now have drops and antibiotics so I hope she starts to feel better!
* January flew by, both at work and at home. That is so shocking because January is usually a slow month.
* Charlee Kate's imagination continues to just TAKE OFF! She absolutely begs for school everyday. She loves to play with her friends Harper and Sofia. She tells me that they play "doctor, ballgame, airport, and mommy". One day they played doctor with bark (being a shot) and the bridge on the playing (being the bed). Just listening to her describe what they play and the times that I get there early and get to watch her play, are just priceless. That imagination is one of those things I absolutely love about her.
* Jeremy thinks Charlee Kate's feet are her imaginary play friends. Sometimes at night she just says "Mommy can I talk to my feet before I go to bed". I laugh... and just hope she isn't doing that at 10, haha
* We enjoy our weekends at home.... that is usually where we are. Enjoying the outside, walking to downtown Homewood, spending time with friends, and just being home! We love our new home
* This is a little minor mishap in the house.... 2 places on our kitchen countertops cracked. Alabama marble (for people who don't know... is like the thing to have in kitchens at the moment). Well this shouldn't have happened, but it did. So... I am thinking they will be replacing the countertops in the kitchen. We had an amazing guy who did our renovations and has no problem with that, but great... that sure is going to be fun. I can't complain... glad thery are fixing it.
* We joined our church here! We absolutely love the SS class and the church itself. We have also become close with our new neighbors next door that we enjoy doing as much as possible with. They have 3 little ones (5, 3, and 6 weeks). We both bought and moved in our new houses within 1 month of each other. Its so much fun to think our kids will all grow up together, for awhile at least. Every month, week, and day, something new happens that makes it more and more like home!
* Lastly.... I joined the Service Guild here in Birmingham. It feels like I am in a sorority again, yet this is all for community service. It is part of the Bell Center here in Homewood and I am so excited about my opportunities with it. The Service Guild is in charge of the Mercedes Marathon which is huge here in B'ham! They also have a big fundraiser called the Gala... I am excited about that. It is black tie formal/dinner/auction. I love to dress up and can't wait. However, working with these families that are part of this center is going to be an amazing opportunity!

Pictures to come soon! I will be back on top of it soon!