Sunny Seaside, Florida

There's a beautiful, almost mystical, little city here in Florida ---- SEASIDE!! 

Interesting facts...  Seaside is only 30 years old.  Food, clothing and realty in Seaside are very expensive.  Seaside is the town where they filmed the Jim Carrey movie, "The Truman Show".

Thanks to Angela, we knew that we had to discover this beautiful place for ourselves.   So we set out for a Saturday adventure  (twice in the month of January :-).     It's about an hour west of us -- a perfect little jaunt for the day!!

Eve and Anna LOVE holding the birds and learning their names.  No one got pooped on -- except mommy's wallet  (cost $10 just to take the picture -- YIKES!).

Blake loved sitting, crawling, and walking in the grass in the center of town.   The sunshine always feels so good.

Beautiful, beautiful beaches.   Just a stone's throw away from the restaurants and shopping - the beaches are calm and full of white shining sand and shimmering waters.   The girls could play on the beach all day!!

This one is for you Lindsey -- I know how you love pictures of bikes.  Well, here's a picture of bike pictures.  HA!!   Seaside has a great little area set off the main strip with cute, small shops full of art, clothing, jewelry and some antiques.  

(I've already found Carrie's birthday gift and her birthday isn't until December. :-)

"Sand Angels"

A very different sunset compared to the ones we're used to seeing in Germany.   It's a BEACH sunset!!  So amazing and beautiful!!

Hang on Blake -- hang on!!

Our big man -- walking :-)

Susie -- aren't you proud of this beautiful jete' ?    My little Anna Lyrical  is becoming quite the dancer!!  I could watch her dance all day while Eve plays and rolls down the hill.     LIFE IS GREAT!!!

Isn't he so adorable??!!

We also had the chance to bring Grammy to Seaside this past weekend.  But, I know Grammy doesn't want her picture out there on the internet.  So, out of respect for your wishes, Grammy, you are not seen here --- but we know you were with us and what a BEAUTIFUL day we spent together!!!
To those of you visiting us in the future .. we'd be more than happy to bring you to beautiful Seaside any time!!!   (Saturdays are best -- because I always love a good Saturday morning market!!)
Thank you, Angela, for telling us about this wonderful place that we will be visitng often.  We LOVE it!!

Birthday Boy BLAKE!!!

My sweet Birthday Boy BLAKE!!!   I can't believe he's ONE!!

B is for BOY!!!!   (I know, I know it's not like we have 9 girls and then finally a boy -- only 2 girls -- but the BOY is surely a treasure in this family full of estrogen!! :-)

L is for LOVEABLE!!!

A is for "Ain't I sooooo ADORABLE?!?!?!"

K is for KISSES and sucking my bowling fingers

(Some of you may not know this -- but my mommy sucked her bowling fingers too!!  I get it from her! :-)

E is for EXTRAORDINARY

(The cake that is -- it is extraordinary that mommy made my cake!  She must love me!!)

I think my sisters had more fun than I did opening my gifts.   THANK YOU everyone for your kind gifts.  

Now -- you knew the cake pictures were coming...... in the beginning....

....... in the end....

a well-deserved bath!!

 My very FIRST picture -- only 1 1/2 days old in Germany!!!   My, how I've grown!!

 It has truly been such a blessing to share Blake's life with him!!!  He is truly sweet, fun and so loving!!!  I think we'll KEEP HIM!!!    :-)    Here's to another blessed and fun-filled year, Blake!!  We ALL love you!

CHRISTMAS 2011

Ok................ see if you can keep up........  the 2011 Christmas season  (our first in Florida)  kept us very busy this year!!!!   I always have LOVED Christmas and this one proved to be WONDERFUL!

We started off with Wayne playing Rudolph at his squadron's Holiday party.   Such a CUTE reindeer!!

Our sweet little Blake turned 11 months old.  He's so much fun and keeps us smiling and laughing all the time!!   He shares his food with his sisters and laughs at their silly antics!!!

Wayne was able to visit Eve and Anna for lunch at school.   The holidays make it possible for extra gatherings and time together.   Thanks daddy!!  :-)
                                    

Blake's FIRST haircut!!!   My baby boy needed a little off the sides so we went to the barbor shop on base.   He did well - no crying - just a lot of looking around as if to ask, "What's going on here?"   We missed Aunt Tina -- our official "first haircut giver".  Unfortunately we knew we wouldn't see her for a few months to get our first haircut with her.  :-(   Do you approve Aunt Tina?  :-)

Santa flew in on an F-22 for one (of many) holiday parties.   I LOVE being military when something special like this happens!!!   I mean, how often does Santa come into a party on a plane? -- pretty cool!!!  The kids loved it --- so much so, you could hear the crickets chirping because all of the kids' jaws were dropped -- no clapping and cheering  - just staring!!   Too cool!!

with gifts for the kiddos -- I love their sweet and innocent faces!!!    (Notice the summer dresses and sandals -- for a party in an airplane hanger in December -- YEAH for warm Florida holidays!!!    (I still miss germany -- a TON -- just not the cold :-)

THEN............. Scott and Todd came over to join us for Christmas week!!   I decided to make it special.  So we rented a yacht and cruised around the bay area -- taking in the scenery and enjoying some good food and good times with friends!!!   (I only wish our other family and other friends could've been here TOO!)

sorry it's sideways -- but I love this pic of my brother!!  So handsome!!  :-)

I know it's blurry -- but what a GREAT group to hang out with!!!  When you're military and your family can't always be around for the holidays, it's friends like these who make it feel like family!!!   (Now I'm sending out LOTS OF LOVE to all of our friends around the world who have made our holidays special from year to year.  Love you guys!!  :-)

Christmas Eve...........

Christmas pageant at church   (Thanks Scott and Todd for attending and making your nieces feel so special and loved.)  The girls were in the choir and enjoyed singing beautifully as the teenagers did the acting.    (Anna looks like she's up to something, doesn't she? :-)

sideways again............ don't you just LOVE Blake's little suit???   I want to put him in it every day just because it's so darn cute!!!

Christmas morn.............

Anna was the first to see the gifts left by Santa...so happy!!

Uncle Scott --- his job was to blow up the toys after tediously taking them out of their boxes.   (One of the toys took him an hour ---- such patience, Scott!  THANKS)

Uncle Todd's job -- to read stories and watch movies with the girls!!!   (Oh and bake cookies -- see the pic later.)

just hanging out on Christmas day

I got some "onion goggles" for Christmas .. Thank you Grammy.... they work wonderfully!!!   (Eve wears them too when the onions make her "eyes sad" :-)  :-)

Some fancy children's wine for the girls (and mommy)

Icing our cookies that Uncle Todd helped us make -- they were so pretty and so yummy!!!

Now --- over in Biloxi at Nana and PawPaw's house!! 

An old family picture from Germany where Scott, Carrie, Susie and I threw some leaves up in the air on a brisk fall day and we had the happiest little smiles on our faces!!   I've always treasured that picture and enjoy every opportunity that I get to re-make the picture!!!     Great job with the leaves kids!!!   (can you find little Harbour down there?  :-)

Nana and PawPaw with all of their wonderful grandchildren!!! 

Such a super cute group!!!  :-)

I know I know.... another sideways picture...  ooppsss

I decided that it's been long enough since Wayne has been in Biloxi and NOT seen Beauvoir -- last home of Jefferson Davis -- president of the confederacy.   It sits on the beach in Biloxi and has been renovated after Hurricane Katrina  smashed into it in 2005.  Wayne loves history so I thought he'd get a kick out of the experience.   The girls learned a lot too  (about using the potty OUTSIDE:-)  HA!!

Fabulous view from Beauvoir (which means "beautiful view")!!!   Totally right!!

There are a million more pics out there from our wonderful holidays -- but I thought I'd spare you ALL of the details!!!   Our Christmas-ES were fabulous!!!!  Hope yours were too!!!   
 Keep SMILING and look for my next blog from Blake's FIRST birthday ( tomorrow) and Eve's birthday in a few weeks!!!