Orange Beach {fall} 2015 part two

We are back from a wonderful week in Orange Beach, Alabama with my sister and brother-in-law. None of us had ever been to OB (we have been to Gulf Shores several years ago) so we were excited to explore a new beach. Marcus and I love to travel and we hope to instill that in our children. We are always planning a trip or jotting down ideas for our next vacation.

 

Orange Beach was amazing. I grew up going to Destin every summer so I was a little resistant to jumping ship from Florida to 'Bama. We love Destin but Orange Beach has a little piece of our hearts now. Beautiful beaches and amenities, exceptional seafood and just a wonderful southern atmosphere you don't feel at other beaches. I think our family will be frequenting the redneck Riviera!

This was Jack's first beach trip and his first "dip" in the Gulf of Mexico. He decided that his idea of beaching it was napping under the umbrella :)

Georgia Grace loved it all. She learned how to sift sand and look for treasures with Uncle Eric. Look at the stillness of the water, it was unreal.

 

The front part of the week was a little cool for me so I stayed in my coverup in the mornings. My girl was almost too busy for a picture with her Mommy.

 

Every night we went out to eat. Some people buy groceries and cook in their condos or bring food from home but half the fun of the vacation for us is trying different restaurants. I had a lot of good recommendations from friends on places to go so we had great food every  night we were there. This night we went to The Original Oyster House featuring the two best catches in the sea :)

 

Family pictures are fun with an almost three year old and a five month old. You just snap and accept at least half will not be looking at the camera.

 

Sweet girl was sleepy this night. Most days she did not nap but you wouldn't have known it besides the tired look in her eyes. She is like her Mommy and doesn't require a lot of sleep.

 

Back to the beach for more sand castle building and wave jumping.

 

So excited!

 

We let brother play in the sand with sister this morning since it was cloudy. I know clouds at the beach are usually not a crowd pleaser but when you are beaching with babies it is a blessing. We loved the overcast mornings. I love this picture so much. So far they play well together and share.

 

I am always the photographer but I tried to be in a few more snapshots this vacation. I want to be where the memories are taking place. Hopefully these two will want to know what their Mommy looked like at 28!

 

GGH had a playmate everywhere she turned this week. There was lots of aunt/uncle and niece/nephew bonding. My sister cried when she pulled out of our driveway the day we came home. We are all having withdrawals!

Our friends were staying a few condos down from us so we walked up the beach to visit one day. Ava, Georgia and Thomas playing in the sand.

 

We went out to eat with them at Cosmo's. These two are so cute and funny. When we got there she said, "Mommy, I am going to marry him, go tell him" HA! We talk about marrying Thomas everyday.

 

We have so much material if that does come true one day :)

Hometown friends beachin' together. Love all of them!

Will, Thomas, Cooper, Ava, Georgia and Jack :)

 

We decided ice cream for dessert one night was a must. Even this little ice cream shop had a sweet, southern touch to it.

 

I was up early to book some important surprises for our next family vacation and took advantage of the quiet morning. Good for the soul. Jesus feels closer when you're at the shore.

By the middle of the week it was full sun without a cloud in the sky. The Pirate Ship Adventure Cruise went by one day and shot off cannons, it was so neat. We didn't know what it was but my IG friends had the scoop. I would love to do this someday when Jack is a little older.

 

Right now baby Jack is most interested in doing this :) Love his heart he was the best thing the whole week. However, we brought home a spoiled baby!

 

Our extra pairs of hands this week. We love them so much and I'm so thankful for this week we were able to spend with them. They are easy to please and just did whatever was easiest for us and the babies. This is a week we will never forget!

 

"What do I do with my hands?" I'm certain we brought some of this sand home with us.

 

Awake and ready to play in the shade. He really perfected his ability to sit up this week. There were a few face plants in the sand but he took them well.

 

Because he actually loved eating the sand. This was his sand beard. Boys will be boys!

 

My sand angels <3

This was our last day so we tried to soak up the sand and ocean as much as we could.

 

Snack time for Georgia Grace. It was a constant battle of keeping her hands de-sanded so she could eat!

 

Wild boy was hilarious this week. He just squeals all the time. What a face!

 

We caught a beautiful sunset at Sea-N-Suds before dinner. My new favorite picture of my family of four.

 

The whole gang

Matching sibling picture fail but they still look adorable. I am a proud momma!

 

"If you won't give me baby food I will just eat sand instead"

 

Probably my favorite picture ever. My heart skips a beat every time I look at it. My cup overflows.

I made it into a watercolor, I love this type of medium. Definitely being framed and hung soon.

 

Our last night we went to The Gulf for dinner and this was our view waiting in line to order our food. We had no idea what a gem this place was!

 

GGH playing with stranger kids. She doesn't care, she just loves to play!

 

A beautiful setting and wonderful food.

 

Our week in a collage. At least I have these pictures to savor until our toes are in the sand again. That can't come soon enough! Until next time OB.

Orange Beach {fall} 2015

Good morning from the gulf coast! I am up super early to book some special reservations for our next family vacation (more to come!) so in between the two time slots I need to book I thought I would make good use of my quiet time and get ahead on my vacation blogging.

We are spending the week in Orange Beach, Alabama. Marcus and I have been to Gulf Shores when we were younger but neither of us have been to Orange Beach. We are excited to see what the redneck riviera was all about! And of course break in Jack boy to the beach life.

Six people in one vehicle packed in like sardines. Thanks to my devoted husband we left at midnight to beat the fall break traffic and let the babies sleep. Both babies did indeed sleep the night away, it was so wonderful!

We arrived with all of our precious cargo! 9 1/2 hours start to finish and happy, sleeping babies the whole way. We are grooming two little travelers!

Any beach view is amazing but I really love the view from this condo. It is at an angle so you have a better panoramic view. This condo was a very affordable VRBO find so I was nervous about it but we couldn't be happier with it for what we paid. We call it our Golden Girls condo :) A touch of the 80's and a little granny style. Georgia even asked when we arrived, "Is this Mamaw's house?" HA!

Sittin' on the beach with our sweet Georgia peach. She plays in sand like it is her job! She stays so busy all day long running from the water to her sandy spot. I love her contentment with just a bucket of small sand toys her Ma sent with her for the trip. 

Morning shenanigans. We are never short of entertainment with these two.

Beach snacking. Extra sandy of course.

"Go in the water with me, Mommy!" The waves have been super calm and clear, she loves going out and wading.

My whole heart. The gulf coast is our happy place! It is also Jack's new favorite nap spot.

Our pretty condo. It's not fancy and probably hasn't been updated since it was built but the rooms (and decks) are spacious and the views are amazing. This is all we need!

He likes to cuddle, smile at pretty girls and walks on the beach (no wind, please!). I think have another beach baby.

Uncle Eric and Aunt Paigey didn't get the message to make the "I'm sooo tired of having my picture made" face! No nap and playing at the beach all day will warrant this.

Riding a dog statue helps though!

Lambert's Cafe, a family favorite. And we actually saw some family while we were eating here! My mom saw on Facebook they were coming the same week as us and luckily we ran into them and got to catch up. 

For the rest of the week, you know where you can find me. I'll check back in soon!

Life Lately

My heart is super heavy as I write this post. A tragedy struck our school system on Monday as a kindergartener was struck and killed in a school bus accident. Please pray for the family, the bus driver and her family, the children who were witnesses on the bus, his classmates, our administrators and MES. We are a devastated community that covets prayers. Days like this make my heart long for heaven even more so than the ordinary days. My humanness cannot comprehend this type of incident but I know God's plan is sovereign. My faith is in Him alone and I know He will show up in big ways through this tragedy.

Sweet boy has found his toes and loves them. I videoed his new discovery this weekend and it reminded me so much of a video of Georgia Grace at the same age.

Sunday afternoon our friend Sophia came over for a playdate. These two had the BEST time playing together! Neither of them wanted the playdate to end. Sophia's papaw is undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer and he could also use your prayers. He has served The Lord in song for years and he's not ready to be finished serving Him. Pray for a miracle for this family.

Jack ate his first bites of "food" this weekend and lapped it up! I had intended to wait until he was six months per pediatrician and my recommendations since he is still on breastmilk but I caved. He has been very interested at meal time. His first food was a whole grain rice cereal (I chose to skip single grain cereal due to lack of nutritional quality). 

Sometimes you just have to go with your mommy instinct. He will be six months in a few weeks so we are close enough and oh boy did he feel like a big boy eating from a spoon!

Mmm mmm good!

Of course sister mommy helped feed him. She has been pretend feeding him so we had to remind her that this was the real thing and she couldn't shove the spoon down the back of his throat :) (yes that happened)

Double trouble. He should be able to maintain his stocky physique with this arrangement. #fatjack

For sure seeing a resemblance in these pictures. I just love both of these pictures of my sweet babies.  I wish I could bottle this up and keep it forever.

This weekend continued with headlining news when we switched Jack from a swaddle blanket to a sleep sack. Jack has been a hardcore swaddler since about day ten so this is HUGE. He even likes to be swaddled in the middle of the day or when he is eating. Comfort is very important to hiim :) We are on day three and so far so good. We will probably try moving him to his crib when we get back from the beach since he has absolutely no room left in his bassinet. 

 Our cousin from Louisville met Jack for the first time this week and said she thought he looked like the dentist from Rudolph. This side by side makes me a believer! It's the hair and eyes. Love my beautiful boy.

I am counting down the days until we are sunny and 75 with our toes in the sand!

Favorites for Jack

I had planned on doing a post about Jack's favorites closer to the three month mark but we are closer to the six month mark. In turn this has forced me to rely on my memory of the early newborn days which haven't been that long ago but things change so quickly it is hard to keep up. Here we are on the cusp of half a year and I have no idea where the time went.

Jack is a baby that likes his comfort. He likes to feel safe and snug. It has surprised me how different both of my babies have been in their early days. Different gender, different season, I guess we were destined for different personalities as well.

Jack's favorite things

1. Swaddle blankets

When Jack was 10 days old and only sleeping 1 1/2-2 hours through the night, I decided to try a swaddle blanket a friend had loaned me. Georgia hated being swaddled (and still doesn't even want a cover at night!) so I really hadn't considered it but nothing else was working so I thought I would give it a try. He instantly started sleeping 3, 4, 5 hours at a time! And now here we are 5 1/2 months later and he still loves to be swaddled. Yes, you are suppose to stop swaddling when baby can roll over but he is still in a bassinet by our bed so it's not really an issue. We're breaking all the rules! He is my burrito baby.

*Update-Jack has slept in a sleep sack the past two nights successfully!! We may have found our replacement to the swaddle.

2. Fisher Price Snugapuppy bouncer

This was a lifesaver in the early days. We still use it some but mostly use the bumbo now for a seat. Jack loves the vibrations and lullaby it plays. It is set to 30 minute intervals so I knew when I put him in it I had half an hour to shower and get ready, cook supper, etc. When it kicked off it would wake him but if he was really sleepy he would sleep another 30 minute round. As he got older he started playing with the mobile. He loves to be in it in the kitchen and watch me cook supper or watch Georgia eat, color or play. This baby gadget is worth every penny.

3. Britax B-Safe infant car seat 

I'm just going to be honest here. The main reason I chose this car seat was because it was Prince George's car seat. I thought if Duchess Kate thinks it is good enough for her royal baby then it is good enough for our Jack :) It is a great seat, we have loved it so much more than the one we had with Georgia. He naps in it well and the straps are easy to secure. The only downside is it is super heavy. We have had two Britax carseats and have been very happy with both.

4. Boon grass

I was drawn to this because of its uniqueness but in reality it is a smart invention. The drying rack we used with Georgia had big prongs that stuck up and I was constantly trying to squeeze all the parts on the rack. This "lawn" allows you to place any piece anywhere. It's easy and looks cute in my kitchen!

5. Medela bottles

These have been a game changer for me. For some reason I did not know that Medela made bottle parts when I was pregnant with Georgia so I would pump milk in the medela reservoirs, pour over into Avent bottles, add the nipple and parts, and feed. Using all medela parts I get to cut out one whole step and lots of bottle washing. I kept the old bottles in case Jack wouldn't take the Medela kind but he has with no issues. I have been lucky on that one, both my babies tolerated the first type of bottle I gave them. Being able to pump straight into the bottle and then simply adding the feeding parts when it is time to use has made my life so much easier!

6. Wubbanub

Jack goes no where without his wubbanub. We have only left it a couple times and we went back for it both times :) He is an easy baby and rarely fusses unless he is hungry or sleepy but he loves the comfort and security of his wubbanub. I think he likes his toy dog just as much as the paci portion. He will just hold the puppy and wave it around proudly. In true sibling opposite fashion, Georgia took her wubbanub the first three months and was done with it. I feel like we are in for the long haul this time...

7. Gowns and rompers

They are only little once, right? I have said it before but I love dressing my babies like babies. There will be plenty of days for big boy clothes so for now his wardrobe consists of gowns (more so early on, he is very close to sitting up on his own so those are phasing out) and rompers. Almost everything he has is one piece and I have only put pants on him a few times. I have loved putting him in sun suits all summer. Let them be little is my motto!

Just a few more things that deserve recognition related to our Jack-

Honorable mentions

Baby Jogger City Select

Since my babies are close in age and Georgia is on the small side, I thought a double stroller for a few years would be advantageous for us. We haven't used it as much as I thought we would have but both babies love it. We found a used one cheap on craigslist and then bought the infant adapter so Jack's seat would fit until he is big enough for a regular seat. We plan to take it to the beach next week so we should get some use out of it then. It is a super swanky stroller that I would not have paid retail for but would gladly take it for my craigslist price!

Before Jack was born I took Georgia shopping for a present for him from her that she could bring to the hospital. I gave her full reign in the baby department and this Infantino musical bug is what she picked out for him. It is his favorite toy by far. He gets so happy when we pull it out and it plays the lullaby. She knew all along how to take care of her brother!

It is hard to comprehend how Jack has already been with us for close to six months. His birth seems like it happened yesterday but yet it also feels like he has been a part of our family for a long time now. I have listed all of these items that we have used to make Jack happy and healthy but his favorite thing is playing with his big sister! He longs for her attention and proximity. When she leaves the room cue the water works because he misses her already. They have the most precious bond that continues to grow deeper and stronger. And that is my "favorite" thing as the mommy to those two :)