Georgia Grace's 1st Beach Vacation

We are home from a wonderful vacation to Panama City Beach, Florida! We had the most relaxing, stress-free and fun week. It was hard to pack up and come home. I took the week off from blogging so this post will be extra long with oodles of pictures.

We stayed at Calypso Beach Resort and this was our view for the week. Life was grand! After the adventure we had coming down we saw this when we entered our condo that made it all worth while. We had a flat tire that had to be taken to a body shop & replaced, Marcus got stung by a bee 3 times at a rest stop, & we had to endure bumper-to-bumper traffic. But Georgia Grace was the best baby despite all the obstacles. She played with toys, drank her milk, watched MMC and laughed and talked the whole way. She's the best! Now for the marathon of beach pictures...

Daddy & Georgia heading to the beach for the 1st time

My baby in the sand! She would have went hog wild in it if we would have let her. And her swimsuit may be my favorite thing I have bought her. It is swimwear perfection!

Having so much fun!

Yes, she's wearing a bow at the beach :). She wore her floppy hat the whole time to protect her from the sun but it was overcast this morning. Thankfully I don't think she got any sun! We tried hard to keep her out of it as much as possible and lathered sunblock religiously.

She would NOT look at me for a picture. She was way too busy playing and eating sand.

She wasn't feeling the ocean. I think it was too loud for her. Maybe next year.

Spitting out sand ha!

Maybe my favorite picture from the trip. You don't get any happier than this girl.

Gammy and Georgia at our favorite restaurant in PCB-Angelo's.

Family picture in front of the 20,000 lb bull. This is a tradition dating back to before I can even remember. I love this picture!

This girl is fearless!

Beachin' it with mommy! I caught her mid-jabber :)

My two favorites

Gran Stan helping GGH get dried off after playing in her "ocean"

The perfect place to nap

So we had a fake plant in our condo that Georgia LOVED. She gravitated toward it instantly and we spent a lot of time trying to keep her out of it ha! She successfully ripped out a few branches and pulled it over on her a couple of times. She is a wild indian!

Playing hard in her own "ocean". Having her own kiddie pool at the beach was a smooth move on our part. She was able to stay cool and shaded. I would recommend any mom with a baby to do this!

I was SO glad she loved the beach.

Marcus had a pre-existing sunburn from Kentucky, so he spent a lot of time with his shirt on and in the shade ha! Georgia didn't mind that one bit.

Can't get enough of this beauty 

Lovin' on daddy and sticking her tongue out ha!

Family picture on the beach with tropical storm Andrea in the background. Thankfully the storm stayed east of us so we weren't affected by it. We love this picture except Marcus' wind-blown hair :)

Grinning from ear to ear. Her swimsuit was from Uncle Jake and Aunt Shanna when they went on their honeymoon-it's the sweetest!

Her 1st sandcastle-daddy helped :)

Enjoying a "cheeseburger in paradise" at Margaritaville. We met the Jenkins family there and had a great time and GREAT food. They had a girl on stilts walking around making balloons and even baby Georgia got one! We were praying it wouldn't pop...thankfully it didn't.

A precious picture on the Pier. My baby loves the camera.

Pool day with my babe

Our friends Dennis and Jennifer Robbins let us borrow their son Jace's pool float and it was big hit! Thanks to them for letting us use it.

Fun in the pool with daddy. She majorly loves him!

We like big hats and we cannot lie :)

As southern as it gets, folks! Maybe we can wear these to derby next May...

Mamaw Carolyn enjoying herself pool side. I am so thankful for her, my mom, and Stan for relieving us from some of our parental duties this week. It was nice to have 3 extra pair of hands for diapering, bathing, feeding, and playing.

The gang minus Marcus who was behind the camera. I loved how the pool was right on the beach and that there was no fence in between. Paradise!

Our last night shopping at Pier Park and modeling her dress from Hawaii!! Thanks Aunt Rhonda!

Georgia's week in a collage-total beach babe!

And that's a wrap! It was good to come home to see O-dog and our other family who we really missed. This will be a trip we will never forget. And I'm already planning our next vacation! :)

Beach Trip 2013

I probably won't be posting much about our trip until we get home but I wanted to share a few things and of course a few pictures of our beach babe (just phone pics)!

1. We had an eventful trip down but we made it safely & Georgia Grace was a great little traveler.

2. She LOVES the sand & her kiddie pool we took to the beach.

3. We couldn't ask for better weather. I hope it sticks around!

Now for a few pics...

Thankful for a portable DVD & Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. This baby is a trooper!

Georgia Grace's 1st beach experience! She LOVES the sand. And I love everything about this picture.<3

Daddy & Georgia enjoying a beautiful day in sunny Florida!

Georgia Grace on duty! ;)

We are having a blast! Nothing much better than a beach vacation.

Georgia Is Seven Months Old!

Georgia-you are SEVEN months old!

Georgia what have you been up to this month?!?

• You are 16 pounds and 26 inches long to my measuring. You are wearing 6 month clothing and you can still get in a few 3-6 month pieces depending on the make/brand. You are wearing size 2 diapers.
• You are constantly on the go! You do not like to be laid back unless you are sleepy. You prefer to be sitting up on your own or standing on our lap-little miss independent!
• You are taking about five 6 oz breastmilk bottles per day and eating breakfast and dinner. Typically breakfast is whole-grain oatmeal and dinner can be a variety of apples, bananas, sweet potatoes, peas, or green beans. You seem to have liked everything you've tasted so far except bananas, I don't think you care for them.
  

  

  
  
• You still seem to prefer your milk over food. You may be a hard baby to break from the bottle! You have drink water also and did good with it.
• You love to be naked and kick your legs on your changing table. Sometimes when you aren't wanting your diaper changed you throw a "mini-fit" and I'm pretty sure you think your life is horrible in that moment ha!
• You love to jump in your Jenny Jumper while mommy cooks supper.
• You have started reaching for us when you want to be held which we absolutely love. You sure know the way to our heart!
  

  

  
  
• When you wake up in the mornings you are so happy and excited! The mornings I get to be there when you wake up are the best mornings.
• You still take your paci but only when you are sleepy. You put it in and out of your mouth with your hands during the day. You like to be in control ha!
• You continue to sleep through the night and your napping has improved! I'm pretty sure you go so hard during the day you wear yourself out. Most days you take a morning 30 minute nap, long afternoon nap, and 30 minute evening nap. And the last few mornings you have slept until 9am (bedtime:10pm)-woohoo!!
  

  

  
  
  
• Mommy blow-dried your hair for the first time this month. We were getting ready for church and your hair wasn't drying fast enough with a towel so I used the blowdryer! I doubt many 7 month old babies are having to do this yet ha!
• You are right on the cusp of crawling. I feel like if we really pushed you you would be crawling right now but this mommy is in no hurry for that.
• 

  You LOVE Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. When you hear the Hotdog song, you stop whatever you're doing and direct your attention to the TV. I am amazed at how observant you are. To get your attention for a picture we have started singing the Hotdog song to you ha!
  
  

  If you can't tell from the variety of pictures, this photo session was a challenge! All she wanted to do is grab the chalkboard and chew on it. I didn't get one decent one of her with the board sitting beside her and did you notice the attitude she was giving me?!? Lord be with me through her teenage years :)
  

Happy 7 months Georgia Grace! You keep us on our toes and our lives are so much more fun with you! We love you oh so much.

(The pillowcase dress Georgia Grace is wearing was made by my church's youth girls and our friend Esther Givens. It is a special piece to me and I am so glad she was able to wear it!)

Memorial Day Weekend

Shew what a weekend! We celebrated Memorial Day big and officially kicked off summer. Here is a recap in pictures:

Friday night my little cousin Payton graduated from high school. I was pretty sad about it! I remember the day she was born (the only day I was EVER allowed to skip school ha!) and I don't see how there is anyway possible 17 years has passed since then. She graduated a valedictorian of her class and is headed to WKU in the fall to become a Kindergarten teacher. We are SOOO proud of you Payter Poo!

Payton and Marcus-two babes ;-)

Payton, Elijah, and Georgia Grace. She was drawn to Elijah's tassel so he let her wear his hat. Three peas in a pod! What a blessing both of them are to us.

Saturday we had a relaxing day at home and it was beautiful outside so I attempted to get some pics of GGH. Y'all this child never stops. If she's awake, she is busy doing something. This is the best pic I could get! The rest were blurry and/or she was completing ignoring the camera. I want her energy!

I hung out my first load of clothes for the year and I took her outside with me so she could watch. She loves being outside and observing nature. I gave her some clothes pins to play with and she probably would have been content with those for hours.

Sunday afternoon we went to a graduation cookout for Payt and Elijah hosted by Elijah's parents and Georgia Grace got to meet her friend Aimsley. These pictures pretty much explain themselves. Oh my goodness my child was in attack mode! She literally could not get enough of sweet Aimsley.

She is such a wild woman. I don't think Aimsley knew what to think ha! I love exposing Georgia to other babies and watching them interact.

Sunday night we went to our friends Brandon and Sara's house for a Memorial Day cookout and yes this is Georgia slapping Abbott! She was in rare form needless to say. Poor Abbott, he was tough though and didn't cry!

Three sweet babies at the cookout-Caroline, Abbott, & Georgia. They were all born within 7 weeks of each other. We laughed and laughed watching them interact. Caroline and Georgia were after my phone and Caroline took a 2 minute video of herself :). Abbott is such a ladies man. So precious!

On Memorial Day we took Georgia Grace to James and Ashley's for her first swim! My bikini babe took cuteness to a whole new level today. It was over-the-top sweetness! I could seriously kiss those little fat rolls all day.

Our sassy southern belle

Checking out her swimsuit. I found her teeny bikini at the LAA sale I went to back in March and I couldn't wait to see her in it. And the floppy hat was the perfect accessory! She never bothered it and it shaded a good portion of her body which was great just in case I missed any spots with sunblock.

Georgia's 1st swim! The water was a little chilly so she mainly sat on the raft. She enjoyed it but I think she would have rather I just turned her loose ha! I don't think so sister.

All smiles after a dip in the pool (& nap)!

After our swim we strolled to my mom's house. They live a couple holes down on the golf course so it is convenient for us. This baby loves to stroll!

And just because 3 cookouts wasn't enough-we had one more tonight! My dad and my Embry grandparents joined us for some hamburgers and brats on the BGE. And for dessert I made some strawberry homemade ice cream that we hand cranked just because we are awesome like that :)

Georgia even took a turn. She's earning her keep!

I'm feeling very blessed after this weekend. We have some pretty great friends and family that I am very thankful for. This weekend couldn't have been much better.<3

And thank you for our service men and women who honorably make sacrifices daily for our country. We are thankful for the brave so we can be free!

Happy Memorial Day!

And Happy Birthday Grandma Harrison!!

Schools Out For Summer

It's time to celebrate because summer has arrived!

Marcus came home yesterday singing School's Out by Alice Cooper. And then proceeded to spend the majority of the rest of the evening repairing our Big Green Egg for grilling season. He is PUMPED!

I don't have school-age children yet but I do have a husband that is a teacher so I think that earns me the right to make a first day/last day collage :). Isn't this just precious? He was two months from being a daddy at the start of the school year and now we have a healthy, vibrant 6 month old! Three years down, ??? to go. We are thankful he already has 3 under his belt.

This was a daily routine for daddy as he dropped baby girl off at grams before going to school. Yes, he walks her to grams and then walks to work. The man has it made!

But the end of summer does mean that Georgia Grace will be home with daddy now. I know two great-grandmothers that are probably a little sad about this. I'm sure the duo will make frequent trips this summer to visit them and I know my mom has already requested to keep her one day while Marcus golfs and does other manly things.

She has enjoyed her days with her great-grandmothers so much. I can't begin to tell you how thankful we are that they are able to keep her while I continue my career. If it isn't me/Marcus-they are the next best thing!

We have fun things planned for this summer that I'm really excited about. Can I tell you how excited I am to see this little princess in a 'kini on the beach? Oh my gracious it's going to be amazing!

So here's a sweet sugary cupcake to celebrate another school year in the books.

Let's get this summer party started!

3 Years Of Being A Bride

May 22, 2010

Three years ago today I married my high school sweetheart on the most beautiful spring day in our small town surrounded by our family and friends. I heard the man of my dreams read me the most endearing, heartfelt vows that were ever written. We cried, we laughed, we danced. Our special day was perfect in every single way.

The story really starts in November of 2003 when he asked me to be "his girl" :). I was 16, he was 15. Babies-just babies! This picture was taken his senior year of high school. (And now you see how our daughter inherited the hair gene ha!)

We dated through most of high school and college and were engaged in June 2009. Here we are the day he proposed on the BEACH! Oh how I love this man.

We have honeymooned in Hawaii, spent New Years Eve in the Big Apple, left the country for the Bahamas, been big kids at Disney World, watched the Cats in NOLA for March Madness, beach vacationed all over the southeastern coast and traveled countless other places in our short married life. We are trying to leave no stone unturned!

And one year ago today this happened! I don't think we will ever have an anniversary that tops this one. Our little family has grown in years and number and I'm thankful more and more everyday for our marriage and for my forever groom.

Happy Anniversary to us! These past three years have been good great the best. And it's only just begun...

Weekend

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This weekend I didn't clean as much as I had planned or sew as much as I needed to but I spent quality time with my family and that trumps all the rest. I can't get enough of this picture. It's my new favorite. My heart just melts!

Sunday evening we went to have our pictures made as a family for the first time since Georgia was born. Oh my goodness they were so much fun! When I took her for her newborn portraits I felt stressed and overwhelmed. It had only been my second time of taking her out of the house and I was still Nervous Nellie trying to take care of a 10 day old baby. This experience was totally different and SO much easier.

Here is just a little sneak preview that I caught with my iPhone. Oooohhh the sweetness of this picture! The whole shoot felt very vintage-y and classic. Georgia Grace did wonderful. She thought she did wonderful too because she is giving herself a round of applause in this picture :). Love my girl!

And how sweet was this welcome when we pulled in the driveway!?! Thank you Jessi & Jack!

This week is going to be a fun one-last week of school, celebrating our 3rd anniversary, and watching cousin Payt get her high school diploma. And I will be sure to post our pictures when they are ready!