Beach days . . .

Our first couple of days in RB

We just got back from another fantastic vacation in Rosemary Beach! It was just the five of us this time, no lovely Lin to help us out. We were a bit nervous about taking the kids by ourselves (not that we can't handle our children, LOL), but we did it! AND we had an awesome, uneventful time doing it! There are tons of pictures on this post and this is only the first few days, so more to come!!!

We stopped in Seaside first to have lunch and to let the kids stretch their legs and burn off some built up energy.  It was much warmer and crowded than expected, so we ate lunch and headed down the road to RB.

After unpacking and getting acclimated to our new digs for the week we put the kids down for a much needed nap. This is a rare moment. Both sleeping soundly cuddled up next to each other. So stinkin' sweet. 

The front porch was amazing and it's where we spent every morning. It had a table and chairs for all of us to eat breakfast at and an awesome porch swing. The kids absolutely loved it. (This picture is quite fuzzy due to the lens trying to adjust to the humidity - I know y'all were totally wanting to know that).

Out to dinner at Pompano Joe's in Destin. Best grilled crab legs, ever. After this trip, we never had to get in our van again. Glorious. 

I'm not completely sure how, but no matter where we are or what we're doing, Evan ALWAYS manages to find something to throw. At our house in RB it was acorns. He stood at the end of the boardwalk every morning and threw acorns into the street. I love his energy and spirit. 

The weather was a bit cooler than we are used to (we're used to spring/summer), so we made the most of our mornings by going to the park and on bike rides. I felt like we got to explore a different side of RB that we usually do. Very fun.

Not sure if it was the time of year or what, but there were what seemed like a hundreds of butterflies. 

Our sweet Lukey turned FIVE while we were down there!!! I won't get too weepy on this post (that'll come later). We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, opened presents and headed to the beach (Luke's pick!). Such a great way to spend a birthday, if you ask me. 

Our sweet boys . . . more to come . . . 

Vacation Countdown

We're headed to Florida for another family vacation very soon! Soooo to help build the anticipation (as if we need that!) I thought it would be fun to put together a paper chain and cut one link off each day and write the remaining number of days on the chalkboard. 
This was a great activity to work on with Luke. He has been taking fewer and fewer naps lately so one afternoon last week I let him get up with the promise of not whining and letting me continue to clean and whatnot until I could sit down with him and work on something. Thankfully, he cooperated. 
All I had to do for this project was crease the paper (and make sure he didn't' staple his fingers). Luke cut, folded and stapled each link himself. He did great. 
Each morning (the boys alternate days) we cut a link from the chain and countdown how many are left and change the day on the chalkboard! They look forward to it each time. In addition to building excitement about our upcoming trip, we're building cutting and counting skills. Bonus! 

Ev needs some lovin'

After posting yesterday's entry, I felt like Evan needed a little blog loving. This little guy stirs up all kinds of emotion when I think of him. He is my snuggle bug, he just makes me smile. At times I feel like he's trying to find his place among Luke and Kate. Luke can be quite dominating and Kate still needs more attention than the boys, for the most part. Evan is an emotional kid. He loves to laugh, smile, joke, make silly faces, he's just a funny boy. He enjoys doing whatever Luke is doing - from playing with dinosaurs or cars to drawing alongside him. It's very sweet. He's adjusting awesomely to being in pre-school - he absolutely loves it. 

I am thrilled to have these three amazing kids call me mom. I love them more than words can describe. 

2 of my babies . . .

Today the weather is gorgeous. It's one of those days that just begs for you to be outside. And that is exactly what we did. The kids played and played until I realized I should probably put them down for naps at some point. As I was reviewing the pictures I took while I was out there with them I was overcome with emotion.  

Luke is going to be 5!!! Where has the time gone? How has it been five years already? I can remember the day I had him so vividly. There are so many memories that I already have about this guy. He was the easiest baby. He traveled well, slept great, and even transitioned into being an older brother effortlessly. He's super smart. He asks questions that I can't even begin to answer at times. He loves to draw. In fact, he continues to ask me on a daily basis when he's going to be able to draw . . . fill in the blank. I smile and tell him to keep practicing and I'm sure he'll figure it out before long. He has a strong interest in learning to write and learning how to read. He's already started sounding out words and spelling a few three letter words by sounding them out on his own. He amazes me. He is his brothers best friend and amazingly patient with Kate. We love him to pieces. FIVE . . . wow. 

Then there is little miss. Goodness. Two? Now I'm really reeling. If five years has flown by I can not express how quickly the last two have gone. Kate is by far the most strong willed of our three kids. She blows my mind with how quickly she can change her mood if something isn't what SHE wants. However, MOST of the time she is sweet, loving, compliant and entertaining. She adores her brothers and she adores pestering them. Luke is much better with handling her peskiness than Ev. Evan tends to take her very personally (along with everything else - but that's another post in itself:)). Kate enjoys coloring, playing kitchen and pushing her babies in the stroller. Honestly as long as she's got something to entertain her, she's good to go. 
Now it's time for me to wrap my head around two upcoming birthday's and how my babes are growing up so quickly. Sheesh. 

Phone Dump

 Build a Dino

 Dinner at Panera after "meet the teacher" night

 Sidewalk chalk fun at Crown Center 

 Labor Day road trip to Springfield 

 More Springfield 

 The kids most favorite perch.  Seriously.  They spend all their time at the "art" table

 Ready to be out of the car!

 Ev holding Kate's had while we went through the car wash. Super sweet big brother moment.