We're Home...Finally!

After what seemed like a month-long vaca...we're finally home. We took off for Seagrove Beach last Friday with my family for a couple of days, then a few days at the condo with just the 3 of us then back to Opelika for my 10 year high school reunion. If you're wondering, this will be the only mention - as well as no pics - of the reunion b/c it was that horrible! Maybe Sarah, April or Allyson will blog about it (if you're really interested)!
After a short overnight stay in Montgomery, we arrived in Florida Saturday afternoon (we were willing to do anything to break up the 7+ hour drive). We managed to make it to the pool for a few hours before heading out to our favorite spot...The Red Bar! AUsome!!! Sunday Hudson made his way to the beach for the first time since last year...and he HATED it!!! Not much surprise as mommy did the same thing when she was his age!! Since mommy (& daddy for that matter) aren't big fans of the sand still...Mimi and Aunt Cara put the little man "at ease" - almost comfortable - in the sand. And we have a new favorite tradition with the kiddos...taking them down to Seacrest Beach and the Village Fountains. This year we ordered pizza from Spicy Noodle and ate while the kiddos played! Afterwards we went for ICE CREAM! If anyone is interested, the Sugar Shak in Rosemary Beach offers the "belly ache" which is 16 scoops of ice cream + every topping they offer!!!!
Once my family left, the 3 of us headed to Rosemary Beach each afternoon b/c we are in love!! It is much like a Seaside feel but with different architecture and not as crowded...yet! We loved walking around oogling the gorgeous homes, having lunch and perusing the shops! We pretty much spent the last 2 days walking around, eating and playing in the pool. Mommy & Daddy were happy to get some reading in while the little man took is naps too!
(There are LOTS of pics so I put them in 2 slide shows!)

18 Month Portraits

So here they are grandparents...Hudson's 18 month pics! He was quite timid at first, but then mommy pretended to hurt herself & it was non-stop giggles!! Enjoy!!

Warming Up!

Mommy's little man!

All giggles!

Mommy's personal favorite!

Movie Monday

Here's our little dare-devil at work! (And he's only getting better at this everyday! What's a mommy to do?)

Zoo Time!

Tuesday we went to the Zoo! "Aunt" Memorie as well as Christina & Ansley came with us, & we even met some other friends! It was the beginning of June, but already super hot & humid! Our next outing of the summer will definitely be indoors or in a pool! Hudson wasn't quite sure about the whole thing at first, but once he realized he could run and play - and the animals moved - he was all about it! I know we'll definitely go back in the fall!
Hudson's favorite animal was the Meerkat (who knew?) and he LOVED the carousel!

Memorial Day 08

I hope everyone had a wonderful long Memorial Day weekend. We left Friday morning and headed to the lake!! Woo Hoo!! We grilled the annual "butts" and even got in THREE ski runs! We really couldn't believe how much Hudson loved the water! We stayed until late Monday, and life seems to be going on as usual. I can't believe laundry is done, trips to Target and Publix were accomplished and even a little backyard "redneck" pool time was had!
We ask everyone to be with us tomorrow (Wed) as we start swimming lessons for the little man...considering we were literally dragging him out of the water this weekend, I don't think it'll be too difficult...except when we have to leave!

I Almost Forgot...

That's what I get for trying to multi-task my morning...more on Date Weekend...and pretty much the most important part!
Saturday night we went to Married Life Live at our Church!! This is one of my favorite activities at Buckhead Church...and it's a built -in date night! This quarter's topic...sex!! From growing up...sex was just not something that was discussed within church walls but hearing the speaker Sat night opened my eyes and heart. The speaker was Mark Gungor, and I hope to read his book, if only to remember his points to pass along to my children! He's a little annoying but funny and has a great message! On the link above is a partial interview with him! It's only 5-10 minutes but worth watching with your honey! And his key motto is Christians should be known "for having the best sex on the planet" because of the powerful link between sex and intimacy!

Married Life Live's format can be used at any church and I'm sure if you're interested in bringing it to your church, a Buckhead Church staff member would be happy to help! Below is the overview of what Married Life Live is all about....

In today’s world it seems like there is never enough time in our day to accomplish everything that we would like to. Between the responsibilities that we have of raising a family, succeeding at work and keeping up with our own busy schedules, nurturing our marriage can easily move down on our list of priorities.
Join other couples for a night of laughter, small groups, creative videos and a practical message that will help you have a healthier and more successful marriage.
Each MarriedLife Live event is presented around one of the following Six Essentials of a Healthy Marriage:
Trust God - We believe the number one essential is to allow God to control our lives and our marriages.
Cultivate Communication - Feeling understood in your marriage is one of the greatest feelings a couple can have yet feeling misunderstood can be one the greatest challenges in your marriage. We believe that good communication is a major component of a healthy marriage and we to help you to have great communication with your spouse.
Nurture Romance - The power of romance and intimacy can be a marriages greatest ally or it can become its greatest enemy. We want to help couples recognize that we each have unique needs and remember that our spouse has unique needs as well.
Celebrate Differences - God created men and women to be totally different. As couples we can use those differences to complement and serve each other or we can allow our difference to push us apart. We believe that couples should seek to understand, love and accept each other’s differences.
Hurry Home - Spend time together as a family is an important priority in a successful marriage. We believe that the grass is always greener where you water it so our schedules must reflect the priority of home.
Finish Together - One essential that every healthy marriage needs is security. We believe that couples need to know that together they can work anything out.

Date Weekend

What a weekend...although the weather in Atlanta felt much like fall, we had a blast! Friday night we took in a Braves game with Memorie and her friend from Seattle (and PA school), Ron. After what I think had to be the longest Braves game in history - they pulled it out and won then celebrated with fireworks after the game.

Mem and Me

Kevin feels he must be silly since he suffers from the "Chandler Bing" syndrome!

Saturday, we FINALLY finished Hudson's play "area"...Kevin had big dreams of killing the grass beneath the swingset, trimming out the area with wood ties the filling the area with pine bark! Well, his dreams came to fruition Saturday morning! And I must say...it looks fabulous! Much better than me and my sister's dinky metal swingset in the middle of the yard (yea 1980's)! Don't worry - my dad made it up to us by building a playhouse to match our "big" house complete with bunk beds and electricity!

Kevin laying the weed control fabric - ready for the mulch!

All Finished!

Hudson is ready to swing...I'm not even sure he noticed anything was different!
Sunday was supposed to be enjoyed by mommy & daddy at the TPC Sugarloaf Golf Tournament; however, Hudson's LAST tooth is coming in and he's definitely making up for his lack of normal teething symptoms with this one! No sleep, naps, or eating & lots of fussing! All seems better today - Praise the Lord! My Patience was running on empty!
We were able to get out to look at new furniture for our front living room (which was ordered today!!!)...more on that to come....