we have been to the beach many, many times since we’ve been married and before kids, and always to the generally same place. seagrove beach … with a few forays to other florida beaches. a frequent activity was seeing the sunsets. here is how it would usually go: we would leisurely walk out to the beach. we would be showered, clean and looking cute in our simple-enough-that-no-one-thinks-you-tried-but-stylish-enough-that-you-think-you-look-like-you-stepped-out-of-a-catalog beach wear. ha. we would set up chairs in plenty of time, have some drinks and snacks and soak in the quiet and the beauty as we were expecting to be served a beautiful sunset. after it, we would be amazed and glad, but sometimes critique the amount of haze, the not-as-vibrant color, etc. what a stark contrast to what we’ve more recently experienced.

on our trip, we had a real gift that involved the sunsets. as stated in the previous post, we had some cold weather and some rain so we had low expectations of beautiful weather and we had our two kids so we had low expectations of leisurely, relaxing time although i think we did a good job of having high expectations of memories. the 3rd-to-last night, we went out to the beach expecting more whining and not wanting to get on the sand by maddox and some fussiness by cora as it was “that time” of the evening. well, something clicked and everything changed. maddox met a new friend who was running around and he just started running and loving it. FINALLY. cora was also so happy watching.

as we were running around with maddox and thinking “THIS is what we were hoping for,” time passed quickly and all of a sudden, the sun was setting. we never dreamed we’d still be on the beach by sunset, but we just all of a sudden stopped and noticed it. maddox thought it was great. “BYE SUN! SEE YOU TOMORROW!” and in my opinion, it was literally the most gorgeous sunset we’ve ever seen there. not only were the sky and water crystal clear and full of vibrant colors, but it was unexpected. we were served this miracle of a day and of a moment without sitting there and waiting for it. maybe being there with our new kids made it top all the previous sunsets or maybe it was how unexpected it was. either way, what a gift. Lord, you make each day perfect and give it to us as a gift. may i look up and out from the details i get so consumed with and be aware of more. you are big and yet you’re here with me.

AND the capper is that we had almost identical evenings with the sunsets the next two nights. more gifts! here is a cute reminder of our last night’s sunset.

WHEN … you never don any bathing suit whatsoever … the locals are wearing uggs and toboggans … you visit the community pool and the only thing getting in is the resident frog … you are trying to find a sunny spot and no shade … you are wearing 2 pairs of pants,  4 shirts and hoods … you’re drinking coffee outside … the only thing seen on the beach is your eyes … THEN YOU KNOW you are on vacation at the beach and it is FREEZING!

WHEN … you are on vacation at the beach and it is freezing but you don’t care … THEN YOU KNOW your kids are happy and that is so what matters to you.

aunt B, uncle D and thomas

we just got back from our first just-us vacation – no parents or extra helpers. brooke, david and thomas joined us for part of the time but since they have a 2 year old of their own, can you believe they were not dedicated to our beck and call?! we loved having extended time with them and especially for the cousins to have more time to play together than they ever have. it was truly special. THANK YOU, aunt b and uncle d, for lending us your condo and making this vacation possible! we wish you could have stayed longer!

so i exaggerated a little. it was only really cold for about 4 days of our week there. those days were spent with lots of toys inside as well as finding any and all playgrounds in the area. the boys loved that! the first and last days, we did put on shorts and had some great times at the beach. we will not forget:

> experiencing the most beautiful sunsets with our children the last 3 nights on the beach  > maddox praising the Lord at the top of the hill at alys beach playground (see video)  > thomas and maddox playing with each other and not just around each other  > cora having such happy times with her aunt b  > maddox getting his clock cleaned by a slide that he whapped his head on at the rosemary beach playground. he was flat on his back and did not move for what seemed like an eternity, but was FINE about 1 minute later. whew.  > maddox running, wrestling don and throwing sand on the beach after something clicked for him and he started loving it after … um … NOT loving it back in may. THIS is what i envisioned.  > cora following in her brother’s footsteps and getting her first taste of the beach (see video)  > uncle d reading green eggs and ham  > maddox sporting cora’s pants (think tight knickers) at a playground after wetting through his. what a perk of having a skinny 2 year old who doesn’t care what he’s wearing or that it’s 50 degrees outside.

praise the lord

cora gets her first taste of the beach. [see maddox's first taste here.]

other fun we had this summer was borrowing a jumpy house for a couple weeks. lots of friends came over to play! here’s an excerpt of one of our beautiful summer days.

he was more excited to go than when we actually got there… but he’s getting used to it. after being sick for a week and a half and doing nothing, he is more excited about it all!

another gorgeous summer day with friends. free and fun!

one of the best gifts we got this summer was a free pass to go to the aquarium with our great friends, Miss V and Stuart! my goals were not lofty: do not leave with a missing two year old and keep baby-in-sling relatively happy or asleep. so i met the goals and we even a great time on top of it! imagine that. thank you so much, V, for thinking of us and for this awesome gift. it makes my heart soar to see our kids having fun.

cora is napping in good hands

we had a fun filled end-of-summer which we’ll highlight in this and following posts. a few weeks ago, we had a great summer family vacation with Pops and GG. we did lots of fun things we don’t normally get to do with them.we stayed at their house,  we went out to eat, played at the great norcross playground by the huge trains, went to their amazing workout facility for 2 hours and managed NOT to workout (but we swam and relaxed! our kind of workout!), got a haircut for maddox, don and don went fishing and we grilled out. thanks for a great staycation, Pops and GG!! you babysit for us every week and you are always willing to deal with any mood or situation we or our kids decide to throw at you. you’ve been through so much with us and have given us incredible encouragement and wise guidance. we love you!

the girls!

playin in amazing pool @ lifetime fitness

strike a pose there's nothing to it. vogue.

a moving rendition of zip-a-dee-doo-dah is in store the first minute … then for you who are family, you will enjoy hearing a tribute to each of you!

we have a 2 1/2 year old (today) and a half-year old! our days are different from each other depending on moods and naps … but also they the same as each other in many ways.

Maddox at 2 1/2

we’re so loving maddox’s abililty to communicate with us…

middle of the might convo: M screaming “Mommy! Mommy!” etc

Joy: “what do you need?”

M: “Turn sound machine off. Not sleepy.”

J “it’s the middle of the night. it’s not time to get our of bed.”

M: “Milk.”

J: “would you really drink your cup of milk at 2 in the morning?”

M: “yes. milk.”

so he drank it and for the first time since he was a little baby (!) i laid down with him more than 5 minutes. [it's a hard and fast rule i have because i know it's a slippery slope. but now i've broken it. oh no.] we laid awake for an hour or so before he finally went back to sleep. it is great to be able to tell him why something has to be and he sometimes understands. he is more hyper and social now but still has very chill times too. LOVES going outside, playing with friends, watching certain shows nine million times if i’d let him, “being gentle” to cora, throwing balls, lining things up (like figures) and his newest love thanks to big mo: OREOS.

and we are loving cora’s smiles and fun nature.

Cora - 6 months

we have a “spirited” child on our hands here. we can’t believe a little girl has been in our lives since february 12th. since we felt a little like she’d be a boy, we still sometimes say “you’re a girl!” she is so dear to us and loved to death. some of the most interesting things coming forth are the ways she is different than her brother! >> she makes herself known by … crying > and she goes from laughing to screaming crying in .87 seconds >> she doesn’t like being on her tummy like he did but she loves sitting and “standing” with our help > she is not happy in one place for long. can’t leave her for more than 5 mins in jumpy, on floor with toys, etc. > she’s not obsessed with ceiling fans. > she IS obsessed with anything we are eating or holding – she’s grabbier than he was. so far she’s grabbed salad from the salad bowl, countless baggies and cups that we  are holding and found and “eaten” her sticker from waumba land. hope that is the worst that it gets. >> she does not like the bottle >> she’s sitting by herself a little now >> she can wave!! and >> she babbles mamama pretty consistently. so advanced! happy half-sies to our kids.

i cannot tell you the last time that both kids slept til 745am. possibly never. and we had to wake them both up at that time! of all mornings, we really needed it this morning. i never thought the most glorious gift would be sleep! thank you LORD.

here is cora getting her words in for the day.

and here is maddox showing off a favorite activity: lining up all the bowls across our counter and taking inventory. this was actually a couple months ago. he’s better at counting just by recitation now but still has a ways to go before getting the concept beyond 3 items! he does know all his letters by sight very well though, ok enough bragging…