Memorial Day Weekend: Saturday Highlights

On Saturday our good friends came to visit and play with us at the beach! Ashley and Brian brought Abby and Allison and Lisa and Corey brought Hannah and Connor and we had such a fantastic day together. The kids exhausted us running and swimming and it was nice for the adults to meet my other friends and have time to relax and catch up. It made the vacation even more special and memorable!

 Abby and Allison got right in

 very into making faces at camera these days

 Ethan and Abby buddies

 Jillian and Allison call each other sisters

 making sand castles

 Ethan and mommy taking a swim-so glad he gets in the gulf now

 Jillian got adventurous with me too

 Ethan and Connor played some shuffleboard like the Chipmunks on  Chipwrecked

 moms and dads taking a dip-it was in the 90s folks

 The 6 amigos having fun in the surf

 so hard to get all looking-on a sunny day

 moms want to come back by ourselves another weekend too

 my clowns

 new diva pose

my spy kids

Memorial Day Weekend: Arrival Night

Memorial Day weekend was a hoot this year! On Friday after school the kids and I headed to Bellair Beach resort hotel (near Clearwater beach but so nice and quiet) to meet up with some great friends. My friend Kendra's family has been going here for years and I hadn't been since before Ethan was born in 2006. So glad we decided on the last minute beach getaway-we ALL had the time of our lives. The motel is right on the beach with heated pool and shuffleboard and we had a kitchen so only left in the car one time all weekend to get traditional beach vacation ice cream! So this first post of three is the night of our arrival. So many good pictures, make sure to look at them all!

The view from right outside our front door

 Jillian, Ethan and baby Selah (Kendra's daughter). Nicole and her kiddos on the background too

 They headed straight to shuffle board

 Winner!

 Ethan loving the warm gulf water

 Jillian is my beach baby for sure

 Me with Kendra-so happy we got to spend time together

 E footprint on left and J on right-priceless

 Beautiful sunset from our balcony

 In the morning we woke up and painted magnets while we waited for friends

Watching Saturday morning cartoons



Sheraton Vistana

Right before Memorial Day the kids and I were able to spend the night with Mia in Orlando at an awesome resort having so much fun! We played miniature golf, made an awesome craft, swam a ton of course, ate yummy ice cream, played in the arcade and Jillian got her hair braided for the first time vacation style! Ethan passed on a tatoo and lived in the pool! Thank you Mia so much we had a fantastic couple of days.

Ethan says "I win!"

First you make an outline in the sand and fill with gems

close up of J's heart and E's starfish

fill with glue/plaster/water mix

awesome souvenier and decoration to take home-they are rock solid

next time we'll really take these bikes out

my fish

Jillian and Mia braved the waterfall

hilarious aqua zumba class we watched

kid splash pool too

my girl

She sat so patiently

pink, purple and white braid and beads

finished product

that is popcorn in her nose

Ethan is loving air hockey these days

biker babe and dude

Fishies at the Pool

So for the last month and half since the weather got warm in Florida we have spent at least one day per week and sometimes more at the pool! The private swim lessons we did last summer have turned out to be the best investment ever as the kids are now swimming very well on their own this year. I have to get video soon, but Jillian can even go all the way under as of this week and pick up dive toys off the bottom of the pool! Ethan is now comfortable going under and even loves to wear dive flippers to go faster. They are fascinated with the old Taylor Lauitner movie Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava girl, so you will see Shark boy in photo one and where they are laying by the side of the pool is a scene from that movie. It's too cute-and a great way to have playdates now and through the summer. Loving the pool!

 Shark Boy

 Too sunny to keep our eyes open

 Lava girl just rescue shark boy and it takes a minute for both to wake up

 my fishies

 Big jumps from Ethan

Jillian is a natural in the pool



A Mother's Day to Remember

We spent a relaxing evening having dinner at Palm Pavilion on Clearwater Beach and playing as we watched a beautiful sunset. The kids really love the beach these days and ran Mia and Poppy ragged playing duck duck goose out there! It was simply put a great evening spending quality time together. Happy Mother's Day to my amazing mom, and all my friends and family out there who are fantastic moms. Thanks to Ethan and Jillian for allowing me the best job in the world-loving them every day!

 This girl climbs all over her Poppy

 made their own pool

 love this gorgeous face

 cool dude

 prettiest girl on the planet

 peek a boo