Rain, Rain, Go Away!

It has rained every day for weeks, and we sometimes resort to letting Em play in the garage some, just so she can blow bubbles, paint, etc. without worrying about the mess in the house since she can't go outside.  One afternoon, she found her rain boots and (appropriately) put them on while she blew bubbles in the garage.

I just love this little outfit :).

I hate washing the car when I know it's just going to rain again, but it was so bad I waited for an hour of sun and we headed out.  Em said she was going to "scrub it till it shines like new!"  She did a great job.

Come to think of it, I never posted about my new car--since I'm no longer traveling full time for work, I turned in my company car and we bought a Honda CR-V.  I have looked at these for years, and knew it was what I wanted, so even though we looked at some other things, the decision wasn't difficult.  We bought it on the day of Em's birthday party, so we've had it almost four months now, and love it!

Pool Party!

Our neighborhood had the annual pool party on Saturday, and even though it wasn't really sunny, we were just glad it stopped raining long enough to get in the water.  Em was excited to see Brady, our neighbor and one of her favorite friends.  As soon as she set up her chair, he brought his over to sit with her. 

 It didn't take her long this summer to get used to the water again, and she loves it.

She kept getting her mouth full of water, so we told her to close her mouth when she felt the water on her chin--she ended up just swimming around with fish lips.

Such a happy little fish.

There were kids' games--a sack race that I wasn't sure she'd want to get in.

Boy, was I wrong--look at her go!

She came in second place!  I was really proud of her, and she was thrilled to win a prize.

So of course she had to enter the limbo contest next...she didn't win this one though :).

We had a late lunch there and then headed home so she could grab a nap.

Princess

Em had a touch of an upset stomach for a couple of days when we got home from Brunswick--she seemed to feel fine, but all she wanted to eat was bananas!  She loves to dress like a princess these days, so here's Snow White eating a banana :).

4th of July Weekend

Since the holiday fell on a Thursday this year, we planned to take Friday off and go down to Brunswick, GA to spend the weekend with Mick's family.  At the last minute, Aunt Julie decided to come down and go with us, so we left Wednesday night and drove until a little after midnight.

 

We stayed with Uncle Robbie and Stacy at Pat's house on St. Simons Island--Pat is a close family friend, and Mick's mom's boss.  He has a couple of condos and a huge house that he doesn't live in full time, and he generously offered for us to use it for the long weekend.  It was fabulous!

Here are a few shots of our awesome weekend getaway.

It was so nice to have the pool in the backyard, and we spent a lot of time there.

It didn't even matter that we weren't on the beach, because we had our own island paradise.

Thursday was July 4, so we got together and spent the day with the family, mostly in and around the pool relaxing--that afternoon, we went to the waterfront in BrunswickW for fireworks.

We ate, and Em got an American flag sticker that she proudly showed off.

She made her rounds to see everyone...

and was so excited to have Aunt Julie with us for the weekend!

Lots of love for Uncle Stacy,

and Uncle Robbie,

and of course Grandma.

She just loves older kids, and was super glad to see her cousins, Zachary and Landon.

Zachary was so patient with her when she wanted to dance :).

We weren't sure how she'd do with the fireworks, because she's always been afraid of the noise, but she stuck with it this time--she kept her fingers in her ears the whole time, but loved watching them!

 The next day, we spent more time in the pool and the kids enjoyed popsicles on the patio.

Em decided she wanted to spend the night with Grandma and Papa on Friday and Saturday nights--it was her first time away from Mick and me both overnight, and she did great.  She said she missed us, but had plenty of distraction at Grandma's :).  The four of us went out for seafood at dinner, and then stayed up and played cards on the patio Friday night.

Saturday, we spent most of the day at Mick's parents' house--they had an inflatable pool for the kids in the backyard, and we had a bubble gun for Em (that's what she's doing in this picture).

Mick's dad grilled a ton of food, and everyone had a good time in the backyard.

Em wanted to go to the beach the whole time, and we regretfully waited until the last minute and tried to go Saturday afternoon.  We got there as a storm was coming in, so when it started raining, we headed under the shelter.

Good timing, because there was a turtle conservation group there doing a presentation.

We played a little, ate snacks,

and met the turtles!

We did at least go down so she could put her feet in the water.

The wind was crazy and it was raining, so we didn't stay long.

Beach toes :).

Em stayed with Grandma and Papa again on Saturday night, so we got some veggies, chicken and shrimp and spent our last night grilling and relaxing on the patio and in the pool.

Our only regret was not spending more time at the actual beach--so now we're deciding when to take Em back so she can build her sand castle!

American Hero

Em's school planned patriotic themed days all this week leading up to Independence Day, and Monday was American Hero day, and the kids were supposed to dress like an American Hero.  I had a lot of good ideas, but it's been 90 degrees, and I wasn't sure Em would be up for a Betsy Ross outfit, as Mick suggested.  I really wanted to try Rosie the Riveter or an American soldier, but finally landed on Clara Barton, "Angel of the Battlefield" and founder of The Red Cross.  I knew she wouldn't be that recognizable either, so we just settled for a nurse.  Honestly, I went pretty low-tech because I knew the costume wouldn't last all day, and I wanted her to be comfortable.

She really looked adorable, and was proud to be a nurse because one of her grandmas is a nurse too!  When I picked her up that afternoon, I found out she was the only one in her class to dress like a real hero instead of a Superhero, which surprised me a little.  She told me she thought her costume was the best though, so that's what mattered :).