Gulf Shores 2012

We just returned from a fantastic vacation to Gulf Shores, Alabama.  The whole trip couldn't have been more perfect.  Well, maybe a little more perfect if we'd stayed longer!  We started planning this trip with the Eberharts (college friends) back in January.  We all agreed we would want a babysitter to take along so that the adults could maximize our relaxation.  So, I called up my favorite trusted babysitter, Melanie, and asked if she would come along.  She agreed, her parents agreed, so we started the rest of the planning!  Let me just say that if you have young kids and can work a babysitter into your budget for a beach vacation, DO IT!  Of course, you have to have a good sitter and we definitely did.  She was amazing!  She rode down with us from Bentonville and was so wonderful to have in the back seat to help with the girls.  I could go on and on about our trip but all we really did was eat, lay out, swim, sleep, repeat.  It was a tough few days.  :)  I'm excited about next year!  I think there will be a next year anyway, we were already planning it on our second day there, ha!  Okay okay, on to the pictures.  I know that's why my Aunt Susie came to the blog! 

Caroline's first time to the beach!

 Joshua...such a stud!

 Daniel and SJ relaxing in the water.

 Jacob and Josh

 Our condo had an awesome zero entry pool.  Caroline crawled around and loved it!

 A little timid of the water but always cute!

 Daddy makes her feel safe!

 By the last day Caroline loved the ocean!

 SJ and Joshua building a sand castle.

 Melanie and the Penturfs.

 Dondee, Joshua, Jacob and William

 Daniel and Jacob with their babies.

 I could eat her up!

 The view from our balcony.  

 The Penturf girlies with Melanie.

 Family pics!

Penturfs

 Eberharts

 The adults.

 Melanie and her "children" for the week!

 Will and Caroline with Melanie

 And our view for the week...I miss it already.  

More fun on the square...

College Reunion 2012!

You know when you have a weekend where every little detail and minute is almost perfection?  We just had one of those!  I could really describe several of this year's "getaways" that way and this last weekend was no exception.  Daniel and I joined four other couples that we mostly know from college at Grand Lake in Oklahoma.  

The other 4 wives didn't attend OSU but we've met them or hung out here and there post college.  This weekend was so nice to spend getting to know these other ladies a little better.  All of these guys were like my big brothers in college.  They all have a special place in my heart so of course their wives would be amazing women or they wouldn't have married them!  There were 10 adults and 4 children and we had a beautiful house RIGHT on the water.  We played games, ate (A LOT), built campfires, and enjoyed lots of good conversations.  Everyone seemed on board with turning this into a yearly tradition!  Fun!  I love that Daniel and I got to spend some sweet time with these other wonderful couples.  We look forward to seeing what the Lord does in their lives and praying for them in the coming year.  

And now...MAJOR picture overload...

 Josh and Caroline

 James and Samantha

 Lora and Eric

 Tim and Joani

 SJ exploring the lake.

 Eli enjoying the bounce house.  

 Seriously, how cute is Bennett?!

 Cheeeeeese!

 A fairly normal family pic!

 The guys...

...the gals.

 Giant bonfire!

 Driving Miss Sarah.  

 Buds!

The Square with Kiley and Blair!

We love our town square.  It's always pretty this time of year and just a fun little place to hang out.  We met Kiley and Becca and Blair down there the other day for some fun girl time.  

11 Months!

Happy 11 months Caroline!  We are so close to her first birthday.  What?!  This crazy, sweet, lovable, non-stop-eating-machine is such a big girl now!  She can crawl anywhere, pull up on anything, cruise along anything, and stand alone for a couple of seconds.  I'm ready for the walking to start.  They're a little easier and trustworthy when they're on feet instead of all fours.  At the very least she'll be eating less off the floor, right?

Big Things this month:
-Cruising along furniture.
-Standing alone for a few seconds.
-Still eats any and everything.
-Loves big Sister.
-Wearing 12 month clothing.  She's exactly the same size Sarah was one year ago.  I love recycling these clothes!
-Super happy in the swing at the park.
-Sleeping about 12-13 hours at night and napping about 2 hours a day.
-VERY opinionated.  I love it right now because it cracks me up when she gets mad.  But, when the tantrums start...I'll be less loving about it!
-Hasn't yet gone through a phase of being sad if I drop her off with Melanie, BSF, or nursery at church.  I'm hoping she's like SJ and never really experiences the separation anxiety thing.

We love you Miss Caroline.  Thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives.  We pray for you daily and can't wait to see what God has in store for your little life!

My TWO year old!

 Oh, Sarah Jane, how big you are getting! We love this sweet little lady so much.  She is learning so much and growing up so quickly.  I know people say it a lot, but we really are trying to enjoy each day because something new happens weekly around here!  I haven't done a good job of keeping track of milestones but here are a few of what I can remember for SJ...
-Sleeps about 13 hours every night. Naps for about 2 hours daily.
-Loves applesauce and yogurt.  Not much else.
-Really coming along in her vocabulary.  I don't know how many words she has but she can say a lot!
-She can climb out of her crib and out of a pack-n-play.  I was really hoping she would wait until June for the bed transition because we have a couple of trips planned this month.  But, she doesn't have patience for that!
-Loves to tell me poo poo and pee pee.  Ha, but won't use the big potty.  This is another transition I'm hoping to push off until this fall.  I mean really, who wants to potty train a kid while spending the majority of our summer at the pool?  Wet bathing suits and potty training...umm, no thanks.

-Very opinionated about shoes.  She must always be wearing shoes along with everyone else in the house.  The first thing she shows people when she sees somebody is her shoes.  Must be a girl thing!

-Have I mentioned before that she loves Minnie Mouse?  And in this case, I feel like "love" doesn't quite cover the obsession.  My prayer is that someday she will have this same passion and love for Jesus as she does for Minnie Mouse.  Feel free to join me in that prayer! :)
-Sarah is also such a great helper!  She can bring me nearly anything I ask for, especially when it comes to helping "Sissy"...diapers, burp rags, bibs, toys, wipes, etc.
-On that "sissy" word.  She totally made that name up for Caroline.  For some reason, I don't love the word so I never would say it.  We did say "sister" and maybe that's how she came up with it but either way, it's super sweet when SJ calls C sissy.  The word can stay, I guess.

Cheese face!