I don't want to forget....

I feel like this is more the rule than the exception sometimes. If you know me personally, you know I'm a typical first-born. I like to plan, have structure and a routine, and know what to expect and be prepared. I don't like sudden change, unless it's a good surprise. I'm not usually a "go-with-the-flow" type personality, although my children have taught me to be much more flexible. I'm not proud of it, but I get easily stressed and frustrated when things DON'T go according to how I thought they would/should. All that to say, this past week has been full of changes. Keith had been dealing with gall bladder issues for over a year now. It got so bad last week that he finally decided to get it out. He went in Tuesday morning with the assumption that it would be outpatient and he'd be home that evening. The Lord had different plans. Tuesday morning was hard for me especially. Keith hadn't been sleeping well for about a week so I hadn't been s...

Ok, this really will be picture overload, but it's my kids, so bear with me. I really wanted to try and get some decent pictures of my three cuties. I finally have a good camera that does a great job, even if I don't know what I'm doing yet.  So, EK wanted NOTHING to do with pictures. I tried for a few minutes and then gave up when she kicked AK in the face.  So, Keith took EK and I got a few of the other two. They are much more cooperative. :) You can really see AC's missing top teeth in this picture. Ha! I finally decided to try and get a few of just EK. That worked better. She's so pretty. I hate when I can't get pictures of her smile. Mission accomplished here. What a beauty with a beautiful background! Me with my girls (baby girl #4 included). Ha! My boy and me...wish his smile didn't look like he was hurting. It does look like I have a death grip on him though. Maybe he was in pain... The sky was beautiful tha...

After our friends left on Sunday, we just hung out a little. Keith offered to keep EK and AK so I could take AC to a movie. Dolphin Tale 2 had just come out so I knew what AC would pick. She loved the first one!  Monday was our last full day there so I thought we should do a few "local" things, rather than just stay at our condo and swim. There's a small zoo there and we decided to go that morning. ( Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo ) We love our Fort Worth Zoo. It's awesome, but this little zoo was neat in a different way. You could get much closer to the animals. They had several "encounters" that you could pay additional money for. We didn't do any of those but we saw others doing it. Here are the kangaroos, just lounging.  Here's an encounter with a baby tiger. WOW! I'm not brave enough to try that. They are wild animals after all, even if they have always been around people. AK doesn't look so sure about standing so close to a goa...

WARNING: There are a lot of pictures. I'll at least break it up into two posts. :) We left early Thursday morning to drive the 13 hours to Gulf Shores. It really shouldn't have taken that long, but with 3 small kids and a pregnant mama, it happens. We were VERY thankful to get to our condo Thursday night. Plus, we met up with 2 of Keith's good friends and their families. LOTS of kids between the 3 families!! Friday morning we met up with them at the beach. The last time we were there (6 years ago) EK strongly disliked the beach. Her sensory issues at age 2 1/2 were very intense. Thankfully, she's a lot better. She LOVED the water. While this was great, she can't swim and had no idea how to keep her head above water. We had to watch her like a hawk b/c the waves would take her out into the ocean quickly. No telling how much salt water she drank. YUCK! It was AK's first time to the beach and he loved every part of it. Playing in the sand, playing i...

Questions below are from this site ( Layers of Learning ) Who is your favorite person in the whole world? God What is your favorite color? Turquoise What's your favorite TV show? Adventures in Odyssey What's your favorite outfit? pink dress with butterflies What sport do you like best? basketball What song do you love? Shout to the Lord What's your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms Who is your best friend? Gracie Rae What do you want to be when you grow up? Teacher What is your favorite book? The Bible What are you really good at? cartwheels Where do you wish you could go on vacation? New York What is your best memory? When I went to the beach What would you buy if you had $1000? A present for my baby sister What vegetable do you dislike the most? peas If you could have a wish, what would it be? For EK to talk What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? mint chocolate chip Who is your biggest hero? Jesus What do you like to do best with your friends? ...

AK's birthday is August 20th and AC's birthday is September 6th. For the past 3 years we've done a combined extended family party. This year we also invited a few friends and had it at an indoor playground in a nearby church. It worked perfectly and I think everyone had a good time. :) Even EK was happy just chilling and watching the other kids play A group picture minus one of AC's friends, but I LOVE how EK is crossing her leg and smiling! Here's the whole gang! :) AK had a PLANES birthday party. I had a friend make his cupcakes (gluten, dairy and egg free). They were SO good and she decorated them with fondant toppers.  They were super cute! (If you're local, let me know if you want her info. She also makes non-allergy cakes and they are amazing!) AC wanted a luau theme. AK liked the cupcake so much, he decided to get it all over his face. Crazy boy! AC with one of her good friends. Their birthdays are only a few days ap...