These Little Moments...

One of my favorite things to do during the month of October is to take a family trip to the pumpkin patch. We've brought pumpkins home from the same patch, hosted by a local church, for the past 5 years. This year, Gracie was very excited about choosing the perfect pumpkins for our family. Ethan was also excited... and spent his time throwing every "ball" he could get his hands on. It was a much different experience with him this year!  Pumpkin Patch 2011 - Ethan was only 4 months old! Ethan tried to lift some of the larger pumpkins. He soon realized those weren't any good for picking up and throwing, but were fun to sit and bounce on! In the end, both kids chose their own small pumpkins and we chose a larger "family" pumpkin. We're now looking forward to dressing up and celebrating Halloween! I can't wait to get Ethan in his costume and I think Gracie has made a final decision on "who" she wants to be thi...

A couple of weekends ago, our family was invited to celebrate a special little girl's birthday. Raegan is one of Gracie's best friends from school. They were in the same class last year and are in the same class this year, too! Her party was held at Cash Lovell Stables and Riding Academy. This was a new experience for most of the kids and it was a huge hit! Gracie has been asking us for a 5th birthday party at the stables!

...has kicked my behind. Honestly, I can't believe it's only Wednesday night. It would be easy for me to blame the kids for this "off" week, but really, I know it's more me than them (although stuffy noses, new teeth, and restless nights haven't helped). I literally walked in the door this evening after running errands with Sean and the kids, before even starting dinner, and ran a hot bubble bath. There was no other option; I had to selfishly take 30 minutes for myself. My selfish bath worked wonders and the rest of the evening went well. After three rough days in a row, I'm actually feeling optimistic about tomorrow. As I settle in for bed tonight, I'm just praying for patience and perspective. I can easily get caught up on all that went wrong in one hour of a day and forget how truly beautiful the many hours before and after were... I'd rather just admit I wasn't my best, forgive myself, and move forward. Tomorrow will be better. :) Movin...

Well, I did exactly what I didn't want to do. I procrastinated and now I'm posting beach pictures weeks later than I'd hoped! These were taken during an evening walk on our last night there. It was so amazingly beautiful. Gracie was once again totally in love with being near the ocean. We literally stood back and watched her serenade God's gorgeous creation. She had the hand and hip movements going! Ethan was still not a sand-fan. Gracie was very sweet and tried to convince him it wasn't all that bad. :) We took a short golf cart ride each day to get ourselves to and from the beach. After our beach walk on this final evening, we decided it would be fun to take Ethan and Gracie to get ice cream. Sean's dad and step-mom took Ethan in their cart; Sean and I had Gracie. After we'd arrived, we got a call from Sean's dad telling us that their golf cart battery had died half way to the ice cream shop! Luckily, a very nice individual stopped ...

Before we even left for the beach, I knew that I wanted to take the kids to Ripley's Aquarium. Gracie was just a little older than Ethan when we all went for the first time. Since she obviously doesn't remember that visit, I really wanted to go again. :) Both of my kids had a great time. Ethan was mesmerized by the tanks of fish. We stopped by the sting ray exhibit, where Gracie was able to touch those that passed by. She was fine with the small ones, but was more cautious of some of the larger sting rays. I can't say that I blame her. She kept asking if they were going to sting her. The employee nearby explained that these sting rays didn't have stingers, so she was perfectly safe. Gracie also had the opportunity to touch and observe a group of horseshoe crabs. The coolest exhibit of all was the aquarium tunnel. I didn't take any pictures, but we traveled on a moving path, winding through a tunnel that left us surrounded on all...

Last week, I was lounging on the beach with my family. It was our last family get-away of 2012. We were blessed with beautiful weather, perfect for days spent digging in the sand and splashing in the ocean. We went without a plan. Instead, we followed the cues of Gracie and Ethan. When they needed to nap, we let them nap. When they were rested and ready for more excitement, we took them places and stayed busy. It seemed to be the way to go. We often push our kids to their limits on vacation, which results in cranky moments and frustrated parents. I loved the relaxed vibe to this vacation; we just did what we wanted, when we wanted.  We were also vacationing with Sean's dad and step-mom. They seemed to enjoy chasing Ethan down the beach so Sean and I could sit and stare at the wonder that is the ocean. We even managed to fit in a date night at Liberty Steakhouse and Brewery while the kids hung out with their grandparents. One of the highlights for our family was visit...

We've been enjoying the beach this week! We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather. Gracie has been loving everything about the beach. Ethan is still unsure of the waves, but has enjoyed digging in the sand and exploring. I'm looking forward to sharing more about our beach get-away once we're home again.