Trampoline

Is there anything more fun than a trampoline?!

 

We are thrilled the neighbors have one. 

T-shirts and face tattoos courtesy of this week's VBS.

(Vacation Bible School)

"DESTIN"ation Non-Vacation Part Two

Work Trip Part Two:
Gulf Coast TAPPI Conference
Seascape Resort
Miramar Beach, Florida

(There are a lot of pictures so I'll try to keep my commentary brief.)

Destin/Miramar Beach is only 2 hours from Monroeville, Alabama.  It was a pleasant drive.
We were unloaded and ready to go before we got the code to get into our room.  Waiting....

 Matt and Tyler finished unloading the car.  (You can see them below walking across the arrow.)

 Once inside I immediately took a picture from our 16th floor balcony.  Yes!  The Gulf is still there!

 While Daddy worked on his GP proposal L and T acted like super heroes in the kitchen...

Then we got ready to explore the beach (while Daddy still worked on the proposal.)

Night Time Sand Angels...

The next day while Matt attended his conference the kids and I walked a mile (literally) along the beach in the 90+ degree dripping wet sun to find our complimentary umbrella and chairs.  By the time we got there both kids were in tears and I was dripping sweat and cursing in my head.

Still, I took the obligatory "toes, sand, and water view" picture.

After we calmed down we really enjoyed ourselves on the beach.  I took turns taking each kid out to the big waves while the other built massive sand castles on the beach.

To clean the sand off we stopped at the pool on our way back to the condo.  Daddy was able to join us on this adventure.

sippin' on Water mixed with a Pink Lemonade Crystal Light packet

playing monkeys and penguins (don't ask)

The next day we got to participate in the family part of the TAPPI conference.

Pontoon boats were rented and we had a blast.  We drove? boated? navigated! out to crab island.

Lauren learned how to jump off the edge of the boat (and into the 3 feet of water.)

And a gazillion hermit crabs were caught, inspected, kept in a bucket for awhile and then thrown back out (of course.)

I was blown away at how many boats (mostly partying 20-somethings) were out there.  There were enough boats out there that I wasn't surprised when an Ice Cream selling Canoe came by. (There was also a "Hot Boiled Peanuts" canoe too.  I must confess that although I don't care for peanuts, I really like "Hot Boiled Peanuts" (pronounced: Hot Bowled PEAnuts)  

enjoying their ice-cream

 

It was a fun day in the sun.  I can tell Lauren and Tyler had a blast because this is what they looked like 5 minutes after we left the dock.

 

After a quick nap and shower we geared up once again for the TAPPI family pool party.

There was pizza, wings, soda, booze, and best of all PRIZES!

Matt won a cooler, I won a $10 gift card to Walmart

and Lauren and Tyler are proudly showing their loot.

pink pool lounge and a Nerf gun

 

Unfortunately, all work conferences and non-vacations must end. Sunday morning, Matt and I packed up our condo, loaded up the car and headed out.  The 5 hour drive home was pretty uneventful.  We did drive through an afternoon thundershower which rinsed off our vehicle.  It was pretty cool to see zero percent visibility (especially since Matt was driving.)

I'm already ready for the next vacation.  Pacific Northwest; get ready!

"DESTIN"ation Non-Vacation Part One

We're Ba-aaack.  (said in a mocking Poltergeist II voice)

We had a great time during our "DESTIN"ation Non-Vacation.  In my last post I may have made it sound like it was a vacation.  Actually this was a work trip through and through.

Work Trip Part One:

Mill Visit

Monroeville, Alabama

Matt had a business meeting at GP Cellulose (don't tell Matt but I programmed this as "GP Cellulite" in my 'GP'S when I dropped him off.  (The littlest things amuse me.))

 There's my Matt (Daddy) off to talk to the mill about working with them in the future.
(fast forward:  they asked for a proposal after the meeting!  Go Matt!)

Once we dropped Matt off at work we did the only other thing you can do in Monroeville, Alabama.  We visited the Old Courthouse Museum.

This was the courthouse they re-created in Hollywood to film "To Kill a Mockingbird."  Turns out Harper Lee (the author of To Kill a Mockingbird) grew up here in Monroeville, Alabama.

I thought this was pretty cool.  I even told Lauren and Tyler to try to remember this because one day they would read the book and be moved by it.  They blinked their eyes at me and ran into the next room ready to explore.

PS.  Not only did Harper Lee grow up in Monroeville, Alabama but so did Truman Capote, you know, the one who wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's.  While I was there I thought about writing a novel myself.

"DESTIN"ation Bound

(sometimes my titles blow me away from the sheer CRE-A-TIV-ITY)

Obviously? we are gearing up for an up-and-coming trip to Destin, Florida.  Matt has a work conference and the children and I will tag-a-long to enjoy the white sandy beach and bask in the Florida sun.

To prepare we took care of the necessities;  we got our house-alarm active and on-line with the police and fire-department and in light of the recent home break-in at one of our friends' house we even hired someone to house-sit for us.  Over-kill maybe but I'd rather be safe than sorry...ya know?!

We also prepared by taking a few inches off the children's hair.  (to keep cool while in Florida)  Lauren has decided to grow her bangs out so she just had a couple of inches taken off the back.  Lucky for her she was able to play the Wii while Tyler had his hair cut.  We love our Zany Cuts! 

Tyler told me he wanted his hair cut SHORT.  So SHORT is what we did.  (funny story:  I told the stylist to use gel and spike it up and she did.  After she was through she asked Tyler if he wanted to take a look in the mirror.  He said, "Okay, but it better not be spiky."  lol  The boy sure knows what he likes/doesn't like.)

 That evening while I made dinner Matt took the kids to the pool.

 

Since I wasn't there I'm not sure who this boy is!  I'll have to ask Matt pronto.

Today we continued our "Destin"ation Preparations.

We used up the bag of lemons to make Lemonade.  (to take on our trip)

And for the first time I made a list and had the children pick out their own clothes to be packed.

Tyler's list

Lauren's list

(I even had her take her own picture)

(of course she added a border to her photo)

Sometimes (okay, often) I think I want another baby but days like today (when L and T pack their own clothes) make me realize that I have it pretty good.  My children are healthy, capable and happy...and honestly, so am I. 

And that brings me to Tyler.   (I LOVE HIM and his spiky hair)

My sweet boy has started to stutter again.  He seems to go through spurts.  I'm thinking his brain has a growth spurt and his mouth just can't keep up.  It breaks my heart to see him struggle to spit a word out but I make sure I don't show any emotion and patiently wait for him to work it out.  So far it hasn't bothered him too much (just a couple of times he's quit trying to get the word out.)  Bless his heart.  Please pray this phase passes quickly. 

Random Pool Projects (in no such order)

(pool)

I hate to complain (especially for my soggy Oregon readers) but it has been H-O-T.

Average temps should be in the 80s for this time of year but we've been stuck in the mid 90s for about a week now with no break in sight.

(honestly, I complain in jest because I'll take the heat & humidity over the rain any day)

If we are not inside enjoying the Air Conditioning then you will find us outside at a Pool.

Today Matt took the kiddos to Troy's neighborhood pool.

The trio is ready to splash the camera.

Troy has a fancy pool.

One part kiddie pool with a mushroom sprinkler 

 and one part lounge pool.

You are allowed to mess with your brother in either part.

 

(projects)

While Matt took the kiddos to the pool I made up a batch of my favorite Mexican-Inspired Vegetable Soup and also tried my hand at making hamburger buns from scratch.

Kind of cute, no?

(or as my Grandma from Michigan would have said)

Kind of cute, eh?

I used this recipe from a blog I follow with Google Reader.  She blogs from the Atlanta area as well.  Maybe someday I'll let her know I stalk follow her blog.  If you want some fantastically delicious recipes than I suggest you follow her as well.

I used the hamburger buns to go with the Burgers with Blue Cheese Mayo and Sherry Vidalia Onions I made for dinner.  No pictures but they were delish.  I really like the taste of Blue/Bleu Cheese on my burger.

Other Projects:

Tyler worked on his word search (with Daddy and Momma's help) 

 Lauren connected the dots on a special worksheet made just for her by her Daddy.

(quite a talented duo, eh?)

 And I FINALLY got caught up on the children's baby picture books.

(I've been working on this For. Ever.)

(random)

#1

Lauren can work Netflix via the Wii all by herself.

She can change the input on the TV, search for a Child-Appropriate movie, and start it up all by herself.

(I see parental internet blocks in our near (Very Near) future.)

#2

I've listed my children's favorite songs recently but I haven't owned up to my own.  I realize I may lose some readers and coolness points but I really like the Lilly Allen channel on Pandora Radio.

#3

A friend of mine who lives in a nearby neighborhood (within 2 miles) had her house broken into the other day.

By day I mean during the daytime hours.  I have lived here for almost 6 years and have always felt safe.  I know we live close to Atlanta but it seemed we were in a little bubble free and clear from the violence and theft of the big city.  Today I question that.  I will definitely take more precautions now.

Pool Day

Today was a fun day!  I invited a bunch of friends to the pool and told those friends to invite their friends as well (so I would feel super special if a bunch of people showed up.)  Let me tell you...a bunch of people showed up.  I felt super special and enough people (mostly kids and toddlers) showed up that a couple of pool-bound groups of neighborhood teenagers took one look at the pool crew and turned around and walked back home.  (Hopefully they walked all the way home thinking they DID NOT want to be a parent in the near future!) 

Although I had a great time, I did not take any photos.  Actually, my good friend Pam, who accidentally drove one wheel of her vehicle over the curb in the pool parking lot, forbade any picture taking while she used the jack to get her car out.  (Which she did and by doing so forever earned her a place in my most-highly-esteemed list.) 

Since I didn't take any pictures today I searched through the computer archives for the very first picture taken from our neighborhood swimming pool.  This would be FOUR years ago.  Check it out and smile (or if you're like me cry those happy tears because my children were (and still ARE!) absolutely adorable.)

And that photo got me all reminiscing so I went searching for more photos of my little darlings when they were ONE (Tyler) and THREE (Lauren) years old.

(I think we have the same eyes).

 my thumb and finger(s) sucker

Love Love Love

Stay tuned for many more pool days.  The temps are in the 90s and the pool will be a dear friend of ours for the entire summer.