Our Days at the Beach

YAY!  We're finally (almost) to the beach!

Tasty orange juice from the Orange State!

A first night visit to the beach!

My little sand baby!

Ready to ride the waves!

 Don't worry - John was close by!

 Getting a little tired.

 A perfect pose!

Greeted by a beautiful rainbow on Sunday morning!

 My boys!

 A little unsure and.....

 a little cold.

 My little green frog!

 A pillow fight with daddy!

 Lunch at Pier Park followed by....

 yummy ice cream!

 Our last night at the beach.

John, Jax and I took a fun family vacation to Panama City Beach last week. Our journey began with an overnight visit with Grandma in Huntsville then we headed South. Yes - we heard many times during the trip "Are we at the beach?" All in all Jax did great on the way down. He just got restless a few times but we took a few breaks and he was fine. We promised him that he could go to the beach as soon as we got there so even though it was already dark we gathered a bucket and shovel and went to the beach. He was so happy to touch the sand and play for a few minutes. Needless to say he had to have a bath when we went back to the condo. He was covered from head to toe.

The next day we were at the beach bright and early for a fun day of sand and sun.  Jax loved playing in the water.  I got a little nervous a few times because he was so brave and was not afraid to swim around on his own but John stayed close to him and he did great.  We enjoyed walks on the beach.  Jax found lots of seashells to bring home.  The pool was a little cool so John and Jax spent more time swimming than I did but I enjoyed sitting poolside watching the fun.  We went shopping one morning for a while but Jax was anxious to get back to the beach.

It was a fun time for our family.  We left CoCo with my brother Jay so she had fun playing with Tyler and Scruffy.  I missed her a lot.  She may have to join us next time.

An Apple a Day

Almost too cute to eat - I said almost!  These yummy treats were so fun and easy to make.  I found the idea for these adorable cupcakes and decided to make them for Jax's MDO teachers.  Jax loved taking them to his teachers.  A great way to say "Happy Fall".

Scruffy and Tyler - Another Visit

 My little buddy - Tyler loved hanging out with me.

Tyler and Scruffy came for another visit while my brother enjoyed a fun week at sea.  He took another cruise so his doggies stayed with us.  CoCo loves playing with them and the weather was nice so they stayed outside a lot.  Jax had a great week chasing them around.  I'm not sure how much they enjoyed it but Jax had a blast.  He loves for them to visit and can't wait for them to come back.  Tyler hung out with me a lot - I think he was trying to escape from Jax.  He was often under my feet while I was making dinner.  Jay took a longer cruise this time so they stayed with us for an entire week.  Jax never got tired but I think they finally did.  Come back soon Tyler and Scruffy - we miss you!

First Movie

John and I took Jax to his first movie in July.  We went to see Toy Story 3 in 3D.  We were not planning to see it in 3D but the other showing was sold out and the next showing was not for a couple of hours.  Jax did great with the glasses.  We all loved the movie and look forward to going back soon.

Candy Apple Fun

There is a book that Jax and I read often entitled Where Is Baby's Pumpkin?  It's a Halloween book but we read it throughout the year.  On one page it talks about candy apples so Jax has wanted to make candy apples for a while now.  I found this adorable idea here so I decided this was the perfect opportunity to make candy apples.  The recipe was so easy although it made both John and I a little nervous to have Jax around the hot candy mixture.  He did great and followed directions so all went well.  Jax took a basket to each of his Mother's Day Out teachers and they were thrilled.  A very sweet and simple idea that was easy and fun!

Labor Day

My brother Jay and I participated in the Franklin Classic 5k on Labor Day.  This was my third year and Jay's second.  We had a lot of fun.  Jay ran a fantastic time and I came across the finish line a few minutes later.  It's an easy and fun course to run (and walk).  Ready for next year, Jay?

John, Jax and I enjoyed a relaxing day after the race.  We went to visit Mema and Granddaddy for a while and then had a delicious lunch at Corky's in Brentwood.  The remainder of the day was spent at home just enjoying the day.  Jax loved having Daddy home for an extra day over the weekend.

First Day of School 2010

The first day of school went great except that I could not get my little guy to pose for a picture.  This is the best I got.  Jax had a half-day his first day back which was different than last year.  He went a full day on his first day last year.  I think it would have been better for mommy to have had a half-day last year on his first day!  This year brought no tears from either of us (yay! mommy).  Jax walked into school like a big boy, gave his teacher his folder and marched into his classroom.  I was very proud of him. 

Snoopy Day

It's time for school again!  Jax and I went to Snoopy Day a couple of weeks ago so that he could "snoop" around his room.  He has two wonderful teachers.  One of his teachers is a friend from our church so that certainly helped with the transition this year.  He also knows several boys and girls from his class last year and from church.  We had a fun day exploring his classroom and getting to know his teachers.  This year I made him a cover for his rest mat (my first sewing project).  I found him a super soft cuddly blanket for nap time, too.  I embroidered his name on both and I think they look fantastic.  I'm excited about this year.  I know he is going to have lots of fun and learn a lot of new things.