Take me back to Destin, please!

Michael & I on our way to Seaside

A few weeks ago, Michael surprised me with a (very) spontaneous trip to Destin, Florida. When I say very, I mean very -- as in, he asked me on a Friday night after counseling & we left on Saturday afternoon after Sara's birthday party. Now when you have children, especially young ones, this is about as spontaneous as it gets! I was thrilled because he NEVER does things like this anymore (and neither do I) and when we were dating it was all about spontenaity. So, we packed up & we were off.

To be honest, I can't recall the name of the resort we stayed at on Saturday night. I do, however, remember leaving to go out for supper & forgetting the top lock on the door was still latched....and I broke off the lock and the TRIM! The wooden trim just ripped in half and was hanging in my hand! Thankfully, the resort was very cool about it & said that way worse things happen all the time. It was kind of weird being in a condo hotel room again, seeing as how the last time I was in one, I was in labor with June! Anyway. The first night we had supper at The Back Porch, which I TOTALLY recommend. I think they just opened one up in PCB, too. It's great, even if you have a husband like mine who insisted it was just a 5 minute walk up the beach, and how romantic would it be walking at night on the beach?

Remind me to take what he says with a grain of salt from now on, mmmkay? Try FORTY-FIVE minutes...on a beach that smelled really, really bad. I was appalled at just how bad it smelled. But that hike was romantic, and it was worth it. Even if I was covering up my nose the whole time! Sorry I don't have any pictures of that night -- I forgot my camera when we left the room. :)


The second night we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. It was still very nice, and I'd absolutely stay there again. Both rooms had a beachfront view and that's really all that matters to me! Sunday during the day we did a little shopping, spent some time out enjoying the fresh air, and drove over to Seaside, where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Bud & Alley's. It was great atmosphere, right on the beach, and pretty dang good food!

At Bud & Alley's on the beach



I had the shrimp & grits...for the first time EVER -- and boy, now I know what everybody's been talking about! I will definitely be making those at home for the rest of my days.

Before we left out again, we went out onto the balcony to take some pictures. Because I'm a picture freak like that. And I'm really glad we did! There was a gorgeous view. See for yourself:

That evening, we went to Fuddpuckers for supper. That usually isn't the type of restaurant I'd choose, but I've always wanted to go & it looked really fun -- and we were definitely up for fun things! I had the crab cake sandwich, which is usually what I get. It was just okay. Not amazing, but not bad, either. I got the usual t-shirt, we watched alligators, etc. I did take this picture:

Monday morning, we packed up & headed home. It was a blissful 2 days! Special thanks to my mama, Tammy & Baylee, Kayla, and my sisters & BIL who all took turns watching the girls for us. We definitely appreciate it!

Sara turns THREE!

Sara's third birthday was on September 29. I KNOW -- that was almost a month ago! But I'm trying my best to get back in the swing of things. It will just take a minute. :)

On her actual birth day, we celebrated with just Michael, June, Sara & myself. Michael got her cupcakes, and she opened a couple gifts. We went for supper at TGI Friday's beforehand -- and it was pretty good!

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Then that weekend, we had a party in my hometown with my extended family. I had great big plans to make princess cupcakes, but ran out of time (and energy, due to a baby who was awake most of the night before!) so I picked up a simple sheet cake from Wal-Mart and had my aunt write Happy Birthday on it.

We tried to keep it simple this year, and invited just the family members with small children....but we still ended up with a good number! I am sooo thankful each & every day to live near family that we're able to see often.

We had a princess theme this year....definitely well received from all the little girls! Sara asks us about 4 times a day, "Is my birthday coming up?" She already can't wait for next year!

Sara, I am so happy God chose me to be your mama. We love you so much!

Happy 5 months, June Claire!

June Claire is FIVE MONTHS!

This post is a little late, but better late than never, right?!

June Claire turned FIVE months on September 21. Where has the time gone?

You wear size 0-3 month clothes.

I haven't put shoes on you yet, but I'm pretty sure they're a 0.

You are still in NB or size 1 diapers, depending on the brand.

The last time you were weighed, you were 8 pounds 13 ounces.

You have become such a JOY in the past month! If we lay you on the floor on a quilt, you will roll and roll and be at the other end of the room before we know it! You lift your head up SO well. If you're on your belly, you will pick that little head up and look all around you. You are nosy just like your sister! Your occupational therapist, Victoria, says that she is so proud of you for how far you have come! Those prayers and her hard work is paying off. You coo and even laugh sometimes at us. Your daddy loves it so much when he talks in his ridiculously high pitched voice to you, and you smile and giggle in return.

Over the past month, we have started having babysitters more frequently. For one, Michael & I are in marriage counseling, so every Wednesday night we have someone keep the girls for us. So far Mamaw, Kayla (and Brittany & Meme!), and Baylee have kept them. June is NOT a fan of anything other than my boobs. She fusses herself into exhaustion before she will take a bottle. However, my sister Elizabeth must have the magic touch, because June NEVER fusses for her. It's crazy! The weekend after Sara's birthday, my mom & cousin kept them for one night, then my sister Kayla and another cousin kept them for a second night while Michael and I took a two night getaway to Destin, FL. I have a few really nice pictures to share with ya'll from that, but later though. :) Aunt Kayla was amazing! She got up with June all in the night and even went to work the next morning! She has proven herself to us (after accidentally putting on diapers backwards....twice -- but we still love you!!) and I told her she is officially inducted into the "Babysitters List". She is pretty excited, because she loves her nieces & they love her right back!

PS -- if anyone can tell me how to work this new picture thing, I would appreciate it! Thanks!

Back in the land of the living

Thank you for your comments & e-mails during my blogging break. First of all, I would just like to say thank you for the prayers that went up for my dad. He is recovering well and to hear him tell it, he's ready to jump in his truck and take off to build a house.

Yeah. Okay, dad. We'll get right on that!

Now, for the bad news. :( I have to say it sometime, so I might as well just tell ya'll now. Michael and I have been separated for two weeks today. We begin marriage counseling this coming Friday. There are a LOT of reasons why we are separated, so I hope that this counseling will help us grow and tend to the problems before they become even bigger. If anyone has any advice, I would appreciate it. And please keep us in your prayers.

Blogging Break

I have some major things going on in my life right now -- taking care of my dad post open heart surgery leaves little time for the Internet, and I also have some personal stuff going on as well....so I'm taking a little blogging break. I have lots of stuff I want to say, and I still read others blogs, but I can't commit to making any worthy posts right now. Please keep us in your thoughts & prayers, and I'll be back before you know it!

I can't believe I'm typing this

I didn't think this would affect me the way it has.

We found out on Thursday that the lower half of my father's heart is 100% blocked. They will be going in next week for a quadruple bypass. He is a severe diabetic and has a myriad of other health problems, so this is a serious, serious surgery.

My dad and I have not always gotten along. Both of us have made poor choices in our relationship and we've never worked through them; instead, we just swept them under the rug until they were just too big to approach. But when I heard this news, it hit me like a sack of rocks.

I went to see my dad yesterday. It was the first time in over a year that I had seen him. He played with Sara and held June. It was good. We didn't talk about anything, but I didn't want to. I didn't think he needed any undue stress.

I am asking for your prayers this coming up week. My dad is single, but he has four girls and we are all giving 100% to be with him. He cannot be alone at any point. He can't work, and he was a sub-contractor....you know what that means. Poor insurance (but thank God he has it!), no FMLA, no vacation time, no sick time. No paycheck for 2+ months.

Maybe this is happening to wake us up and make us fix our relationship.

Sometimes you have to be broken before you can be fixed.

Weight Loss Wednesday -- Week 1

203.6.

Week 1 was a FAIL. I GAINED .1 ounce! Honestly, I can't say I'm surprised. Even though I ate healthy, my week still included brownies, wine, Coke, burgers, and cookies. :/ Oh -- and did I mention it did NOT include exercise?

I found my 30 Day Shred DVD and I popped that bad boy 30 minutes ago and gave it my ALL. I plan on doing the DVD every day for 30 days and my yoga/pilates DVD 3 times per week. That's my goal -- now I just need to force myself to stick with it!

I'm going to take comparison pics next week. I'll probably post them. I'm kinda scared to.