BEACH! - day 1

Ahh...the sound of rushing waves, the breeze blowing off the water, the fresh seafood, the getaway!! We are at the beach :)! Our original plan was to go to Myrtle Beach this summer for just a few days to get away. Because Will recently started at the church, he didn't have but a couple vacation days to take so we figured a few days away was better than nothing! We had been bidding on a hotel with priceline in Myrtle Beach for weeks and it never would accept our bid but we thought the closer to our actual leave date it probably would. Well Tuesday evening rolled around, we were leaving Wednesday morning, and no hotel! Will and I spent probably three hours surfing the internet for a place to stay and calling everywhere imaginable with no luck. Myrtle Beach was completely booked! So plan B :). We decided to try Hilton Head. Now most of you know, Hilton Head is our favorite place on earth but we thought we would go somewhere different and cheaper but that didn't work out so well. So we placed a bid on priceline for a place in Hilton Head and it took our bid for a great deal! We were SO excited. So we took off Wednesday morning at around 10 or so!

Got to Hilton Head around 4:30...I absolutely love this island. I love everything about it! This is probably because growing up, we came here every summer with my Grandaddy and Grandma, so every memory I have here, is with them. So as we rolled in to the island and I started to see familiar surroundings, I got quite emotional. I SO miss getting to share this place with my Grandaddy and wish he could see Emma enjoy it as much as I did when I was little....

We got checked in to our place and it was pretty nice to have gotten it last moment like we did! 

And there it was... one of God's most beautiful creations... the beach!

Emma was not real sure about the sand at first  ...but she warmed up to it!

We then went to dinner at our absolute favorite place to eat on the whole island...

My Grandaddy found this place and we are SO glad he did. The food here is incredible and the atmosphere is just as great! Our very favorite item on the menu is the Shrimp and Grits served with fried green tomatoes. We have eaten shrimp and grits many places and none compare to Kenny Bs!

We ended our evening walking around Coligny Plaza which has a beautiful public beach access. Can't wait to spend tomorrow on the beach with my wonderful family!

Christmas in July

Those of you that know me well, know how much I LOVE Christmas! I really do love it! There is just something about the whole season that makes me feel such joy. And about this time each year, places like Hobby Lobby start to transform the store in preparation for Christmas. To most this is aggravating and even somewhat ridiculous, but I secretly love it :).  Now I know, its July, but I am SO done with the summer heat and ready for the crisp fall nights that turn into the holiday season and the snow! So we went to Will's grandparent's house in South Carolina this weekend and his Nannie had a Gooseberry Patch Christmas book. I started looking at it and I just got so excited about Christmas! I'm looking forward to the holidays with Emma this year, I think she is really going to enjoy it so much more as she is a little older. In this book, I found so many great Christmas crafts I'd love to make but there was one that I am in love with and I am going to definitely make for her!

~Peppermint Advent Calendar~ 

Growing up, my Grandma cross stitched us an advent similar to this that had a message from Santa on it and each day we pulled a candy cane off marking down the days til Christmas Eve. I cannot cross stitch :), so when I saw this peppermint advent, it reminded me so much of when I was little and I want to share that same excitement with Emma! I can't wait to make it! 

July 4th!

I always love the 4th of July but this year it was exceptionally great! Will, Emma, and I went to Jonesborough Days on Saturday. We met some of our new friends from church there and we had such a great time! We missed the parade that morning and it was incredibly warm but it was so nice for the three of us to be our together. We had two straight weeks of bible school so it was some much needed family time :).

On Sunday, we went to my great aunt and uncle's house for a cookout! We used to do this every year growing up, but we haven't been able to be there the past 4 years with us living away so being back to celebrate with everyone was fantastic!! We had the most wonderful spread of food - hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, cole slaw, cucumber salad, baked beans...and for dessert - triple layer lemon pie, pecan pie triffle, 4th of July sugar cookies and red white and blue mints.

Monday, we pretty much relaxed and awaited the arrival of our very good friends from Texas! 

We hadn't seen our friends in a very long time, so needless to say, we were so excited when the Lakes got here Monday evening. We all went to Dollywood on Tuesday and had a blast with all our little ones. Wednesday we went to the park, had a great dinner together, and enjoyed all the kids playing!

It was so great to be with our friends. Not too long after we moved from Texas, the Lakes moved to New Mexico so we have been thousands of miles away from each other for way too long! But now, we are in TN and they are going to be in Louisville, KY, only a short 5 hour drive away from each other!

Lydia, the oldest is 2 1/2 yrs old. She is beautiful like her mommy and is so sweet! I've watched her grow from this happy little baby into this fun, loving, little toddler. I love to hear her talk! And my favorite thing she says in response to every question is, "sure!" It amazes me how after being away from us for almost a year, she still says Emma is her friend and gave me a hug as soon as she got out of the car  at our house! Love her!!

Cohen, is just about 20months old. He is only 8 days older than Emma! It was a huge surprise to all of us when he came into the world 12 weeks early but he was the strongest little boy and overcame every obstacle thrown against him. Today, the only difference between him and Emma is he weighs about 6 pounds less than she does. He runs around like a little boy should grinning so big at you! My favorite thing he says is "yeah" in this sweet drawn out way. He is a little doll and an absolute miracle!

Charlotte, the almost 18month old baby, is one of the most content babies I've ever seen! Her daddy calls her snuggles, and that is exactly what she is. She just loves on you, smiles and laughs, and takes in everything her big brother and sister do. The last time I saw her, she was only a couple weeks old, so to now see this happy, growing, precious little girl is just amazing! She is so stinkin cute!!

I am so very thankful for our friends! We were so blessed to have met them in Texas and so blessed that distance has not caused our friendship to change in any way. I am SO excited that we are now just an easy drive away from them and will definitely be seeing more of their precious family in the future!!