Seaside, Florida...2008

Memories were made and fun had by all...

Fun N Sun

The fresh air and salty water continue to encourage long restful naps for Lily Grace in the afternoons. (not that she needs any encouragement in the sleep department) While she was napping yesterday, I went out and purchased her one of those real digital cameras for toddlers. She has been quite fascinated by ours for a while, so we decided to give her one of her own and she could chronicle her vacation as she sees it. I'm going to save all the pics for her in a little book, kind of like a through Lily's eyes sort of thing. I imagine she will have many more enjoyable picture taking opportunities when we return home as well, like the zoo and DARBY. HA! HA! poor dog
Well, be sure and check out Lily Grace's own little blog post below. All the pictures were taken by her.
Enjoy!

A look from Lily Grace

Vacation pics from our littlest photographer, or as people on the beach refer to her, the best little "beach baby."
Lily Grace has asked about Darby at least once per day. Matt and I are hoping that Darby will be incentive enough to get her back in that car for the long trip to Memphis.

Beach Fun

We are still having a wonderful time. Each day just gets better and better! While Lily Grace napped, I walked up to the town square and did some shopping. There are several really cute open air shops. Seaside is so unique and everything you need is right here in walking distance. While on my little excursion today, I found the most adorable little dog for Lily Grace. This little dog is so soft and the baby pups stick to the mommy's tummy. The little pups can be taken on or off thanks to the magnet sewn inside each. It's adorable and Lily Grace just loves it. We surprised her with it when she got up from her afternoon nap.

We enjoyed another beautiful day on the beach today. The water was clear and inviting.

This evening after dinner (on the porch of course), Lily Grace got the biggest surprise at a time when I don't think she thought things could get any better. Our bikes were dropped off. Bicycling is quite popular in Seaside and you can bike anywhere. There are awesome brick paths throughout Seaside. Lily Grace has been intrigued with all the bikes since our arrival. Tonight she got to enjoy her own bike ride. She got the giggles the minute she tried the little helmet on. She was so cute. The only way we got her off the bike was to tell her that the bikes had to go "night, night."

I have a feeling that tomorrow daddy will be logging a lot of miles.

Happy Father's Day from Florida

A little something from me

Daddy and his girl

The best way to start the day

Building sandcastles

Hard at work

Water!!!!!!!!!!!

Snack just taste better this way.

This pool is just right!

I love this thing!

Happy Father's Day to the world's best daddy, ours! Matt is a wonderful man, husband and father. He is such a blessing in our lives. We love you very much daddy! -the girls

After sharing Father's Day cards with daddy, we started our morning at Starbucks. There's nothing quite like strolling down a little brick path to your local Starbucks, taking in the fresh sea air, shaded by palm trees and all without a care in the world. Ahhhhhhh- vacation!

After breakfast, we went down to the beach and had a great time. Lily Grace and daddy spent a lot of time building sandcastles and Lily Grace decided it was so much fun that having the sand on her was no longer a big deal. She had sooooooo much fun. So much so that she took a three and a half hour nap after lunch at Bud and Alleys, (named after a dog and cat).

We spent the afternoon at the pool and the evening swinging and eating dinner on our wrap around porch.

We are having the absolute best time!!! And for me and Matt, most of that has to do with watching and being with the best little girl in the world.

Miles Traveled

We left home yesterday with the car packed to the max and filled with much excitement. We set off on our first family vacation to Seaside, Florida.

After about 9 hours in the car we made it to our first stop, Dothan, Alabama. Lily Grace did awesome and it is amazing how listening to the same Elmo music CD over and over again can keep you entertained. (Matt and I- not so much!)

Gran (my mom) drove up on Friday evening and we all went down to relax at the hotel pool.

On Saturday morning we visited with family and had a wonderful meal and great time. Lily Grace got to see Honey (her great-grandmother) and meet Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Pam and cousins Jessica and Zane. She absolutely adored them! We were treated to a delicious lunch and had a lot of fun. Oh! And less I forget, Shasta the cat. Lily Grace LOVED this cat. Shasta on the otherhand, well surely the recovery time won't be that long. HA! HA! It's the fist time Lily grace has really been up close and personal with a cat so....

We left Dothan Saturday afternoon and arrived with what seemed like a million other people going to the same place.

Seaside is beautiful and the cottage we've rented is so cute.

Once we settled in and aqauinted ourselves with the area a little, we took Lily Grace down to the beach for her first feel of white sand between her toes. Now for those of you who know Lily Grace, she isn't particularly fond of thigs stuck to her and the sand was no exception. She's not quite sure about it. Nonetheless, she is really enjoying this whole vacation concept and all the extra time with mommy and daddy.

We are already having the best time and can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Early Father's Day!

Want me to read it to you daddy?

       Special Delivery

A special invite

Dressed and ready to go

      Too funny!  Lily Grace decided she needed to 

accessorize on the way out the door.  Sorry daddy!

Matt said this is what he turned around to

in the car. Too cute!

Out to dinner

Yes!  She made a statement when they entered

the restaurant.  She was still accessorized.  Daddy

walked her in with pride.  Your the best daddy!

Daddy and I are having soooo much fun!

Father's Day came early to our house this year.  We will be at the beach next Sunday on the actual day, but wanted Daddy to enjoy his special gift before we left, so we gave it to him this weekend.

I thought long and hard about this year's gift.  I tried to think of things that he didn't have and would enjoy.  Then it hit me!  As for a tangible gift, well I couldn't come up with one.  He had wanted a new briefcase a couple of months ago and had already gotten it.  Besides that, "things" are pretty insignificant these days.  It's amazing and a blessing the way having a child changes your priorities and thinking in life.  All for the better I must say.  

Then it hit me, the one thing that Matt desires most, but rarely has is more time with his little girl.  Matt is such a good daddy.  He's very hands on and involved in Lily Grace's life, every aspect of it.  It's not very often they get one on one time either as we cherish our family time. 

So this year Lily Grace and I surprised daddy with a very special invitation.  We created this invitation with her picture on the outside.  The inside held a special message inviting daddy to dinner alone with his little girl.  It was even requested that this be an ongoing thing between them.

And so it begins...daddy date night.  They bathed, dressed and with only the request of some pictures by mommy, they were on their way.  Lily Grace was giggly with excitement and her daddy beamed with pride.  They enjoyed a nice dinner and then ended their first daddy date with a trip to Barnes and Noble for a new book.  (And through it all, mommy managed to show some restraint and only called once asking for details.)

Upon returning home, Lily Grace was still all giggles and both were happy to share their evening. 

Matt says that this is one of the best and most special gifts he could have received.  According to him, he and Lily now have a special "thing" that he looks forward to enjoying for years to come. 

Always Thinking

Each morning as Lily Grace wakes, you can hear her laying in bed talking to herself.   Lately, she has really been into counting.  You are never quite certain how far she is going to go, as the clap and "yeah" will let you know she is finished.   This morning I overheard her counting several times and I thought I would try to capture it.  Did I mention that she is in the 'I don't like to perform" stage?  Thank goodness she is a happy riser. 

Not to push my luck, I asked her to share colors from one of her favorite books.  Of course each color is initially red because it's her favorite. ( Do you know how much red is in Target during a shopping trip???)  I am happy to say that pink is running a close second among the favorites but, it's hearing her say purple that really tickles Matt and I. 

It's little moments like this that remind you how much Lily Grace has grown.  It also tugs at your heart a little too.  You are also reminded of just how fast she is growing and evolving.  Her vocabulary is really starting to explode and to think that she heard only Chinese for the first  nine months of her little life make it even more the milestone.

With any luck, I will be back to post  her retelling one of her story books, with expression and all.  Too cute!

                   123....Numbers...456

                    C OLORS

The Girls

This morning I took some video of Lily Grace counting and naming colors to  put on the blog. While waiting for the video to upload, I caught this cute little moment. One of the videos from this morning is large so I will have to upload it later when the server isn't so busy.  Until then, here is a cute snip of the girls!

Wet Behind the Ears

Over the weekend Lily Grace and Darby enjoyed water-park fun in their own backyard. Darby is an awesome sister.  First of all, she really has no idea that she is a dog and that she can't do everything Lily Grace can do but more importantly, she loves to have fun, especially when water is involved. They both had a GREAT time!  They each had their own pool (which only lasted so long before they were splashing together) along with a big spraying water ball and water table.  And what do you do when the sun gets hotter and you want to play some more?  Well your daddy puts a tent over the pool and puts the water table inside the pool as the water ball shoots through the tent.  That daddy!!!!

Those two had the best time and we ended with lunch outside.  It was the first dip of the summer and the start of many more giggle filled days to come.