Visit with Jackie and Jerry

Last night I got to spend my last night in Florida with cousins Jackie and Jerry. They have been vacationing at Indian Rocks Beach, about an hour outside of Tampa, for the past two weeks and were kind enough to come pick me up for a night at the beach!

Their condo is right on the water and makes for a great view! We enjoyed some great wine and a LOT of conversation. We also got to watch an amazing sun set. They've been enjoying those their whole trip, but it never gets old!









For dinner Jackie bought some fresh Florida Pink Shrimp and Scallops which she put on top of some penne with a great red sauce. It was delicious, as all of Jackie's meals are!



After dinner Jackie and I continued our conversations and before we knew it it was after midnight!

I was so happy to have been able to visit with them and look forward to the next time that we can get together!

Easter Eggs

Saturday we initiated Adam into our tradition of dyeing Easter Eggs! While he didn't really help (hey, give him a break, he's only 6 1/2 months old!) he was great company and inspiration for a few of our eggs.

With our heat lamp on our deck, we were able to dye our eggs outside while Andy smoked some ribs. It was a great way to end our spring break.




I think our eggs turned out pretty great and I see lots of egg salad and deviled eggs in our future! Yum :)



**(no matter what I did, these pictures wouldn't upload the right way, so I gave up!)**

Spring Break...the final chapter!

We definitely made a great decision by staying an extra day in Myrtle Beach. The weather was gorgeous on Wednesday and it gave us just a little more time with Don and Rosemary.

The main item on our agenda was to get back to the beach for some sun! We packed a lunch and had a little picnic while we soaked up the sun. We brought along an umbrella for Adam and some beach chairs for ourselves. Adam had fun playing and we had fun trying to get some color on our pasty arms and legs!! It was a well spent extra day!

After we brushed the sand off our feet (well, for the most part at least!) we headed to the grocery store so we could buy ingredients to make a "thank you" dinner for Don and Rosemary (that and Andy was itching to get back in the kitchen after a five day hiatus!) We had fun making dinner for them and it gave them some more time to relax and play with Adam.

It was the perfect "bonus" day and we left Thursday morning at 3:00 a.m. feeling fulfilled, but still wanting more--how all vacations should end!

Spring Break....chapter 3

We are having a great time down here in Myrtle Beach. Yesterday we were up early to run some errands and then it was off for lunch at the club house and the back 9!

Our golf games seemed to have improved from Sunday, however the back 9 is just about as challenging as it can be, so have no fear, the course record is still fully intact!



Rosemary had a great afternoon with Adam. She took him for a walk around the neighborhood and was able to introduce Adam to some of her gal pals...I think she rather enjoyed being able to show him off a bit! :)

Meanwhile, the salt air has brought out Adam's first tooth!! And dare I say, without the tears to accompany it! We'll see how long that lasts, but we're armed with plenty of teething rings and more importantly, Tylenol in every purse/diaper bag we own.

After golf, Andy and Adam enjoyed a little play time in the backyard. Adam was able to cheer on the golfers as they drove by (though mostly I think he was just giggling in their back swings...oops!)



We then got all dolled up to head out for dinner. Their neighbor owns a great Italian/Steaks restaurant here, so we went to check that out. Before we left though, we got Don to snap some family pictures for us.





As you can see from the smiles on all of our faces, our Spring Break is going very well, so well in fact that we have decided that three chapters just isn't enough, so we're extending our stay by a day...here's hoping chapter four is full of sunshine, sand, and one more great night with our great friends!

Spring Break....chapter 2

While we haven't had totally sunny skies, we've still had springish (is that a word?) weather and thus, flip flops have been on our feet--and that's enough to make me smile!

We've had some great meals (thanks Don and Rosemary) and even better company (thanks again Don and Rosemary!) Adam has been loving the scenery and seems to be enthralled with the trees outside (I too love blooming Bradford Pears and Palm Trees!)




Yesterday we left Adam with Rosemary (she was in heaven) and Don, Andy and I played 9 holes of golf. The goal was 18, but the weather wasn't fantastic (nor were our games) so we decided to finish the round another day. We then took advantage of the free afternoon and did some shopping (isn't that what vacation is all about anyway?)

Today we were up bright and early (thanks Adam for keeping us on track) and so we headed to the beach for another morning walk on the sand. In my opinion there is nothing better than the sand between your toes!






After our walk we got cleaned up and headed out for lunch on the beach at a great cafe called, "The Conch." It was great having lunch and watching the waves roll in. After fueling up we were ready for another round of shopping at the outlets!

After shopping, we enjoyed another great home cooked meal and the great company of the girls from next door who were babies when I first me them---they are now 12 going on 20 and 11 going on 17! Imagine how old I feel! :)

Spring break is still a great success!!



Stay tuned for the third chapter...

Spring Break...chapter 1

We woke up at 2:15 Saturday morning to head out on our spring break vacation to sunny Myrtle Beach, South Carolina! We figured we'd leave by 3:00 a.m. so that we wouldn't interrupt Adam's sleep patterns too much. He sleeps in the car, regardless of whether he is tired or not, and so we didn't think him sleeping for 7 hours in the middle of the day was a good idea!

Andy was a trooper and drove the whole time while Adam and I napped in the backseat. He loves road trips, so we didn't feel too bad about it! With the lack of traffic and only one stop to give Adam a "carseat break" we made it to Myrtle in less than 6 1/2 hours.

Our destination was our very dear friends Don and Rosemary, who live on a golf course here at the beach. We love visiting here and were excited for them to get some more "one on one" time with Adam!

First on our agenda was a trip to Super Walmart (where else!?) to stock up on some essentials for the week (and by essentials, I mean diapers) and then we headed to the beach so Adam could get his toes in the sand for the first time!






We went a little crazy taking pictures of Adam's first trip to the beach, but it is a pretty monumental occasion, so no apologies here. We were also able to snatch a few pictures of Adam and Don, which we've yet to do.




So far, our spring break is off to a great start!

Stay tuned for chapter 2...

When Mom's away...

....and I'll never leave again... ;)

Happy birthday Grandpa!

Last Saturday we all gathered at my parent's house to celebrate my dad's birthday. My mom (who only cooks twice a year now---Thanksgiving and my dad's birthday) decided it would be fun to cook, you guessed it, a Thanksgiving dinner for his birthday! One trick pony? I think so! :)

All joking aside, it was a great dinner and let's face it, who doesn't love a yummy plate of turkey and stuffing?!

We had fun opening presents and then enjoyed a very yummy cheesecake for dessert, ala Mark!
Thanks to Lee for snapping some great pics!






Happy birthday Dad a.k.a. Grandpa!!! :)

Swim Lesson

We just got back from Adam's very first swim lesson. He seemed to enjoy himself and we even caught him splashing Andy a few times! It was so fun to watch him as he floated around and even got to "jump" in the pool a few times.

This was just the first class of a package of eight, so who knows, by the end we might have a little Michael Phelps on our hands...time will tell! :)

Swing!

This weather has been so fantastic the past few days and we've definitely been taking advantage of it. We've been taking lots of walks (which Liddy loves) and spending lots of time on our deck. We even took Adam to the playground for his first swing experience! :)

He LOVED it! He just thought it was the coolest thing, and giggled when he would get closer to us, then further away, then closer, then further away...well, you get it.





I'd say pushing your son in the swing at the park is a rite of passage...and boy did it feel good! :)

Play date with Reid and Ava...

Yesterday we had a lunch play date with Reid and Ava (and Kristine and Kathleen). Adam and Ava are only two days apart in age and Reid is almost three.

Adam and Ava had a great time playing with each other and would just look at one another and laugh and smile. It was adorable! Reid is such a big boy and was so good with the babies. He's a great big brother to Ava and was being a great big friend to Adam---complete with hugs and kisses!









A great play date with great friends!