Beaches and birthdays!

The past two weeks have been a lot of fun! On Friday (7/9), we headed down for a week at St. Simons. It was such a fun family vacation! My parents came down with us on Friday - Mom left with me and the girls in the morning and Dad and Ryan came down after getting all of their work done. They left on Sunday for a conference Dad had in Amelia Island (at the Ritz) - but it was fun to have them around for a few nights. We got a room in Amelia and went down there for a night (two days) and had so much fun! Spending our days at the Ritz and getting spoiled with beautiful weather - it was soo nice there! It was also nice to add a little variety to our trip! Luckily, it's an annual conference, so I hope we go back there every year and maybe stay longer!

Anyway, our beach trip was filled with lots of good food, LOTs of pool time, playground time and finally some good beach time this year!! The girls LOVED the beach this year - especially Rhodes, she dove right in the ocean and they both giggled every time the waves came up! Of course my camera started having issues before we even left for Amelia on Monday so my pictures are very limited - I was so disappointed. But, here are a few pictures from our beach trip 2010!

This was actually the night before we left....while I was on the phone and left Rhodes alone for a few minutes, she came dancing in, cracking up, to show me the beautiful artwork she had done all over her legs... She is also on her 3rd (maybe 4th) outfit of the day! What a character this kid is...love her!
Dancing bedtime sisters..

Ocean time!


Ready to go out to eat!



While we were at the beach, Ryan celebrated his big 3-0! I had given him a set of golf clubs for his birthday so he went to go play (by himself, poor thing!) one day while we were at the beach to celebrate a little! Then, on his actual birthday, we spent the day going to breakfast at his favorite breakfast buffet in the world - Sandcastle! Then, we had a busy day of playground time, beach time, bike riding, pool time and then out to dinner! Phew! It makes me tired just thinking about our day! I think (and hope!) that he had a great 30th! We got back home in the evening on Friday night and invited a few friends out for dinner at the brand new Mexican restaurant in Marietta, Vaquero's. It was really yummy and a lot of fun! Ryan's only request for his 30th was to have karaoke and I was so stressed just trying to find a place that had karaoke (on a weekend night) where we could have some friends meet us - and was starting to turn hopeless. Finally, thanks to Ryan, we decided to just meet friends out to eat and rent a karaoke machine to sing on back at the house! Ha! He was in HEAVEN! And, it was such a fun night! Thanks to Grandmommy and Granddaddy for keeping the girls so Ryan could celebrate his birthday singing karaoke until the wee hours! :) Again...my camera started working briefly when I put new batteries in it before the dinner - but, stopped working way too early!

Happy 30th birthday Ryan!! We love you so much and can't wait for the next 30!!

Monkeys, munchkins and movies!

Look at me - 3rd time blogging this week! On a roll - hopefully I can keep this up!

When I think about what we have been up to this summer, it seems like playdates galore and lots of time at the pool! I have finally gotten to a point (about 2 weeks ago) where I am finally comfortable taking both of the girls completely by myself to swim. Ali has been taking swim lessons since March (I think) and all of a sudden two weeks ago it just clicked and she took off swimming by herself and LOVES it! :) (and I love this new found independence/freedom too!) After many different tries, we finally found a contraption that worked to keep Rhodes afloat- a vest or swim ring and floaties - although this past week she has made it clear she does not want/need the vest and has gone straight to floaties - she is everywhere in them! She is so independent and all over the pool - such a big girl! Everytime I say to her "Are you Mama's baby?" she says "NO BABY!" - it's too cute - she thinks she is such a big girl, just like her sister.

Anyway, it seems like the past 3 Wednesdays have been our extra fun playdates. (Just somewhere other than our house, a friends house or a pool, I mean!) 2 weeks ago, we went to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens with my cousin Brooks and her two daughters, Virginia and Gibby. We absolutely loved it! I wasn't sure what it would be like but it had a great children's area complete with a water play area (you have to bring swim diapers/bathing suits to play!) and we all had such a great time. Then, last week we went with a fun group to the Children's Museum in Atlanta - which was so much fun. There are a lot of fun things for both of the girls to do and they loved it. We will definitely be heading back up there again! Unfortunately, I did not have my camera for both of these - trying to be better about this!

Yesterday (Wednesday), we went up to the square for their Movies for Munchkins concert series at the Strand. They are only doing 2 this year and I think it is such a fun thing to do. We made it for about an hour at the movie and realized when we got out that Rhodes only had one shoe on (Crocs, her favorite! The girl LOVES shoes!) - but other than that, it was a success. I love living in a community where you can go up to the square and see a movie like Curious George with friends and see lots of friends you know - and even when you come out shoeless, get home and find a friend who just happened to run into you on your way out hasreturned your shoe! I love this town! :)

Here are just a few pictures from our past few days..

This is one of my favorite outfits of the summer.... (Ali had watched Alvin and the Chipmunks; The Squeakquel that day and wanted her hair in pigtails "like Eleanor" - I was so happy she let me do something with her hair!) :)
My little monkey Rhodesy posing....love these girls! (and yes, her clothes always look like this after eating!) :)


Miss Independent is so ready to buckle herself into everything - including the car seat and baby swing....here she is practicing...

Ready for the Munchkin movie and the Strand!
Can you tell how sleepy Rhodes was - I don't usually let her have her papi unless she is in bed so I hate that she has it in in this picture - she was a tired princess!
Our little group - I love have the Lowerys are picture perfect and the Patrick girls are in the middle of eating popcorn! :)

More 4th of July photos!

Here are just some more pictures from our 4th of July weekend! After a fun morning on the square, we headed to Whit, Emilie & Lee's house for dinner and fun with friends! Everything was delicious and we all had a great time! The girls were so tired by the time we left but it was not completely dark so the fireworks hadn't started....Ali literally ran in terrified when we got home, so scared of them. She does NOT like the noise - not even from the little ones that were put off at Whit & Emilie's. It was so sad! :) We got in just in time and Ryan and I put the girls to bed and went out to see if we could see the fireworks from our house - and we could!! It was great!! From our view outside, I ran in just to check and see if the noise was bothering the girls and saw Ali standing in her window staring at us - not liking the noise even from that far away - and inside our house! :) She came out for the rest of the show with us and once she realized the fireworks were not going to hurt her - I think she finally started to like them! :) We lit our own the next night (on the actual 4th) and she helped Ryan set them up and loved watching and playing with the sparklers that night - such a change! :) Hopefully by next year and after our trip to Disney World this summer - she will start to like them more! :) Rhodes was so tired, she slept through it all - but I think she would have loved them!

Ali and Maggie Beth eating dinner and telling jokes!


Ali and her daddy!

The kids took lots of turns pulling and riding the wagon...



Sparklers!
The next morning, we had another big day! We were so proud of Ryan for getting up at the crack of down to head down to Atlanta for the Peachtree Road Race. He made it back before 10 and we had plenty of time to get ready for church! It was a very special day for us at church b/c my dad actually gave the sermon. I was so proud of him!! It was a 4th of July I will always remember!


Ali loved posing for the camera...

Rhodes was not in the mood! :)


I had to put this picture up - after a very late night with the fireworks (WAAY past this kids bedtime!) and an early morning of playing, church and then the pool - these kids were cashed! Ali got her face painted like a cat (seen here) and Rhodeso got her hand painted like a flag (which she immediately started smearing! :)) - we got to the car and both of the girls passed out immediately. I can not tell you the last time Ali has taken a nap - but, as you can see from this picture, she needed one! :) Fireworks, pool, and fun can wear little girls out!
And just some more posing pictures of the girls - trying to be better about taking pictures! :)




We were so excited b/c while daddy was playing golf - one of my closest friends Kelly (I call her Corn) stopped in from Nashville with her husband Robert and their baby Caroline. It was my first time (FINALLY!) meeting Caroline and she was precious. Honestly, she was the best behaved baby out of our 3 combined children that morning! :) She just smiled and looked around and took everything in. We were in love with her! :) The girls loved just looking at her - after she left, Ali kept telling me she thinks she is ready for another baby or maybe even 2 or 3 (she said) - I told her she may have to hold her horses on that one!!! She is the only one ready around here! :)


That afternoon we went for a hike up Kennesaw Mountain and it was beautiful - tiring, but beautiful. I love that something so beautiful and historic is right in our backyard - I hope we make more of an effort to climb it more often!! :)


Hope everyone had a happy 4th of July!!!