Florida 2012

So I know that most blog posts from anyone are the highlight reel.  We don't post pics of all the laundry we fold, the messes we clean, or videos of temper tantrums we have to deal with.

You would think that a blog post about a vacation would fit into the highlight reel category, but this one not so much.

Nick and I were packing up Thursday, and my mom called. We talked about important things like waffle irons and sand toys, and then she let me know that there could be a developing hurricane in the gulf.  I was so disappointed!

We left Friday around 10 AM and drove to Troy, Alabama.

We had just passed Montgomery, and we saw this little treasure on the side of the road.  It took a few minutes to talk Nick into turning around, but he did, and we got to meet Sweet Pea! They say she produces strawberry milk, and it makes the best strawberry milkshakes around!

We planned on getting to the beach before check in so that we could get in some beach time, but it was raining before we got there. We met my family at Subway, and then we headed to Pigly Wiggly. We stocked up on food, and headed to the house. The weather wasn't very good, but I had to take Presley down to the beach! It wasn't looking too pretty!

Just for comparison, here is a picture from last year. This is what we had been looking forward to, but we tried to make the best of it!

After dinner, Nick, Will, and Betsy headed to the beach to try to catch some waves.  Presley couldn't stay out of the water, but I wouldn't have expected anything else!

Nick got his exercise in that day. The waves were really rough, and the current took him down the beach fast!

Presley had fun while Betsy pulled her around on the board!

Maybe not so much fun when daddy did!

This is what the beach looked like Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday morning. Every now and then, there would be a break in the rain, and we would run down to the beach. We found out that the rain was only part of the problem, but the wind blowing the sand was the other.  It felt like being sandblasted!  The storm broke up Tuesday afternoon, and we were so excited to see the sun!

We spent lots of time playing with ponies, watching movies, and working on puzzles. One day we went to Appalachicola to eat and shop only to find that many of the stores had sandbagged their doors and closed!

 We went to Port St. Joe on Tuesday morning to shop. The sun came out before we left! I thought this picture of my dad and Presley window shopping was so sweet!

Nick, Presley, and I had to hunt for some crabs Tuesday night. We weren't very successful, but we laughed and laughed running down the beach in the dark. I don't know what happened to the sand because of the storm, but every now and then you would take a step on what looked like level ground, and you would sink to your knees! Nick went running on the beach one morning and had to take his shoe off to get out of the hole he sank in! Then he had to get his shoe out of the hole. I wish I would have caught that on video!

Wednesday morning, the guys got up and went fishing, and we spent the entire day on the beach. It was much needed, and we enjoyed every minute of it!

Presley posed like this for a picture. It was so sweet that she wanted to take a picture like this. Maybe she will love pictures as much as her momma does!

The boys came back eventually, and joined us on the beach.

 On Thursday, we loaded up and went to the bay to snorkel. We saw lots of marine animals, but the best finds were a spotted eagle ray and a really big nurse shark. 

I made my dad pose with these beauties! Apple murex and a slimy sea hare.

After we left the bay, we headed back to the house, and we went right to the beach.  It wasn't very late in the day, and as I looked down the beach, I noticed no one was in the water. I thought it was strange, but I didn't think much about it until I got in the water and saw all of the jellyfish. They were all over the place. I took this picture of Presley that day. See? No one anywhere.  We still stayed on the beach until the sun set, but we stayed out of the water!

Friday we went out to check the water, and there were still jellyfish! We drove to the state park a couple of miles down the road to see if they were down there too. The wind was blowing away from the park, so we thought there might be a possibility that they weren't there. We didn't see any, so we loaded up a BUNCH of stuff and hung out there for the rest of the day. We had a couple of hours without jellyfish, but they followed us! It was so pretty down there, so we stayed anyway! 

We left Saturday morning, and drove home. We will probably go back next year, but we will have an extra passenger!

Uncle Eric and Anna. My aunt Theresa and Anna's friend, Gracie came too, but somehow I didn't get their picture!

VBS and Hot Springs

A couple of years ago, I taught 5th and 6th graders at VBS and I thought that it was a little too much like my job. I had a hard time turning my teacher mode off, so I thought that I would teach 4 year olds this year. We had about 15 in the class, and I don't know what I would have done without the sweet people that helped me with the! I have already started praying for Presley's preschool teachers.  I called the director yesterday to check and see if there was anything that I could work with Presley on to make her life easier! Working with kids that young is a challenge! I enjoyed teaching the kids about Jesus, and I loved seeing them having fun at church! 

We had a VBS wrap-up party Sunday night. Presley was so funny up there singing! She loves to sing, but she usually sings a few words behind every song. My friends and I were cracking up while she was singing in her style very loudly!

Here is a link to the video. I couldn't get it to embed right!

We gave awards for the "VBS Challenge" this year, and Presley won one for her class! She earned most of her points from learning scripture. I was surprised that she did so well at remembering the words and the books. My favorite that she learned last week was "Be strong. Do not be afraid. God is with you always." Joshua 1:9.

After the kids showed us their awesome skills, we had hot dogs, chips, and snowcones in the Fellowship Hall and then we headed outside for carnival games! Some of the teachers even volunteered for the dunking booth and pies in the face! I refrained from such antics, but I had fun watching! It was such a fun way to end the week!

After all of that fun, we headed to Hot Springs for a few days. Nick had to go to some professional development, and we couldn't let him go by himself!  Presley and I went to Mid-America Science Museum Monday and headed to Magic Springs Tuesday. We had so much fun at both places!

Will

On Tuesday, my brother graduated from high school.  It is hard to believe that he will be in college this year.  He is going to go to Henderson this fall, and he has big goals.  It is an exciting time in his life, and I hope that he enjoys every minute of it! Congratulations Will! We love you!

Bryant High School graduated over 480 students this year, and their scholarships totaled over 8 million dollars. That is amazing!

I happen to know that it takes 30 minutes for 480 students to walk out 2 by 2 in Verizon Arena. Yep. Half an hour just to sit down. We paid $10 to park, and they sold popcorn, drinks, nachos, hot dogs, and I even saw some pralines. There were even a few air horns to add to the excitement!

Will on the big screen!

Finally! I wonder if he knew that folder was empty?

All smiles!

Alma Mater for the last time as a student at BHS!

I love these 3 people more than they know!

Baby Emma Grace

After a lot of baby name discussions we decided on Emma Grace.  Her daddy picked it out, and Presley and I think that it is perfect. Presley wants to call her Emma Grace and Nick says Emma. I think that I will decide when I meet her!

I had a busy day at the doctor's office today! I had to have a gestational diabetes test, an ultrasound, and a check-up.  The ultrasound went well. Emma had her fingers in her mouth part of the time and her other hand was over her head.  It was so neat to see what she was doing in there. I feel her all the time, but it is so fun to see what she is doing to cause those little bumps! I think that she might have big feet!

 The glucose test went well too. My sugar was 54 which they said was pretty low, and they offered me something to eat!  My anemia is getting worse, so they gave me a prescription for an iron supplement. Then my doctor told me that he has to quit practicing due to health issues, so he referred me to another doctor in their practice. He said he was funny, bald, and he drives a motorcycle. He gave me a hug and I was telling him that I wished he didn't have to leave.  He assured me that by the time I have the baby I won't care if the janitor delivers her. He is probably right. 

Graduation 2012

DAHS graduated the Class of 2012 last Friday. Nick had to speak a lot since he's the boss man.  It is so weird to see him up there in a suit, tie, and boutonniere speaking on a microphone in front of a crowd. Presley thought it was neat to see her daddy up on the stage, but she was ready to go pretty soon after it started! She kept telling me that she missed daddy. I think that she wanted to run up there on the stage with him.

Nick will have a bigger graduation in August, but he won't be the MC and he won't be wearing a flower. He will have a gown, a mortarboard, and a hood! He will have his Masters Degree in just a couple of months!

He recently took a huge test for administrators, and he was checking to see if those scores were posted everyday.  He was so worried about it, he even called to check on them.  He got his scores in yesterday and he passed! I knew he would, and I honestly think he was just worried about having to pay for the test again. He would rather spend his money on a worthwhile cause like duck hunting.

Presley and I are blessed to have him in our lives!

The Bee's Knees

I don't know why that was ever considered a good thing. Bees + Knees =

Fun Friday

Miss Judy wanted to take the kiddos to Disney on Ice this year, so most of the moms took off of work and headed to Little Rock for a fun-filled day! We had so much fun at the show, and when it was over we went to Chuck-E-Cheese for more fun!