Father's Day

We are so lucky to have these wonderful fathers in our lives. Being a Daddy is a big job and they both do it very well. Sunday afternoon we had presents and a yummy dinner for the daddies, complete with our traditional chocolate pie.

Of course, the presents are really all for Tessa.

Even though Tessa hadn't been feeling her best she didn't miss a chance to snuggle with her Daddy and tell him Happy Daddy Day.

Shipwreck Cove

Saturday we visited a local water park. The childen's area had slides just the right size for Tessa and she had a great time playing in the water. The misting palm trees kept us cool and the zero entry pool is a nice touch. The pirate theme is cute and Tessa crawled over, under and around the pirate ship. I liked floating on the lazy river where we would get hosed down by the water cannons. Tessa liked watching Daddy ride the big slides and make big splashy landings.

We took a break from the water and had a picnic in the park. Then it was back for more splashing fun.

Summertime

June started with a visit from one of my long time friends, Kristin and her adorable son. We were so glad they could make the trip. The kids played well together despite the fact that B is over a year younger than Tessa. In this picture B has just discovered an interesting bug.

How 'bout ... is one of Tessa's new favorite phrases. Can't you just see her saying "How 'bout a ride?"

We did all kinds of fun things with our visitors including a trip to the strawberry farm. Both munchkins had a blast picking and eating strawberries.

We played in the patio pool and ventured up to the neighborhood pool.

We visited the downtown farmer's market and Touch a Truck. The kids drove the trolley and an electric police car. The fire engine honked at us, the ambulance had lots of cool things to investigate and B even got to sit on a huge tractor. Then, to cool off, we headed to the splash park across the river. They loved the disappearing fountains.

Tessa was so cute, if I do say so myself, that a local artist requested my permission to allow her to be a part of his portfolio.

With summer in full swing, we spend most of our days at the pool. We love having friends join us. Tessa is a little fish and loves to jump off the side into my arms. She floats in her Ariel ring all by herself and is learning how to swim. Since I don't use floaties and Tessa has no fear, we have had a couple of underwater experiences. She does great, holds her breath and floats.

Ryan has been hard at work on our deck. Since it's fifteen feet in the air this has been no small project. He ripped up all the boards and then, thanks to days and days of rain, I had a nice pergola for a while. It was kind of strange to watch our kitties tiptoe across the boards to their food. I was so worried Tessa or Anabelle would go charging out the back door that we actually child locked it. Ryan is now almost done and it looks terrific. He was working on it one night in the rain and Tessa begged to join him.

The Beach

For our summer vacation this year we headed to Destin, Florida. It is every bit as beautiful as we remembered. This is the view from our room, definitely worth the extra time in the car.

It's hard to say who was most excited to be there. Tessa ran onto the balcony, jumped for joy and kept hollering "BEACH!!!" She could hardly contain herself while we changed into swimsuits and, of course, took pictures.

Our days were spent playing, swimming, relaxing and just soaking up the warm Florida sunshine.

Daddy built wonderful sand castles that Tessa took special delight in demolishing.

I loved letting the waves lap at my feet while sitting on the sugar white sand.

Occasionally Tessa would lounge in her very own beach chair.

But most of her beach time was spent convincing one or both of us to take her in the water. "Momma let's go water!" or "Daddy turn, come on!" were sentences we heard over and over. Tessa was delighted to ride the waves on her boogie board or sit on a float and look for dolphins.

She and I took a pretty serious dunking one morning. A wave caught me off guard and we both went down and rolled in the surf. Thankfully, I had a nice tight hold around Tessa's middle and there was no real danger. Can't say that was a very fun experience though. Miraculously, this didn't diminish her love of the ocean and the brave little thing went back in the water the next day.

Tessa was a fantastic traveler this year. She slept in a big girl bunk bed and did great at restaurants. Ryan and I were able to enjoy a very romantic anniversary dinner on the balcony after she went to bed one night. Happy 11 Years!

Walks on the beach, photo shoots and trips (yes plural) to Whataburger made me a happy girl.

We took a sunset dophin cruise one evening. I was thrilled to see so many dolphins swimming and jumping with the boat and these two were excited to "drive" the boat.

One of Tessa's favorite things to do was throw sand or shells into the surf. She would gather handfuls and wait for a wave to crash before sending things out to sea. Absolutely adorable to watch her darting around at the water line.

Picking up a seashell.

We were lucky to visit before any oil damage occurred. The beaches and water were pristine. A thoroughly enjoyable vacation.

Happy Momma's Day

I cannot seem to put my Mother's Day joy into words so I'll let our happy faces tell the story.

Artist for a Day

I freely admit that I am neither artistic nor fond of messy projects. Fortunately, there is a wonderful place just down the street where kids are encouraged to make a mess and explore their artsy side. I have wondered about this 1920s bungalow that has become progressively more colorful over the years. Now I know, it's an open studio for budding young artists.

Each room features a different type of project, most involving paint. The ideas are so creative and teach colors, textures, cooperative play, cause and effect, and more. Tessa and her friend rolled and bounced golf balls through wet paint to create unusual designs. Who thinks of things like that?

T-shirts are provided for moms like me that stress about paint stains on clothes.

Tessa's favorite station was the Spin Art table. With her light touch, we were able to add several colors to each card and produce interesting and fun mini masterpieces. The girls were even good about taking turns. I think this was my favorite station too.

Happy Birthday Gamma

Happy Birthday to my wonderful mom!

We started her birthday week off with a trip to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia. It was fabulous!

Tessa liked the animals but was more interested in the carousel. She wanted to ride again, and again, and again. We were all happy to take a turn with the parade princess.

We also had ice cream and rode the train but the best part of the day was the pony ride. I really can't believe my baby is big enough for things like this! She loved it and was absolutely adorable perched on the little pony's back.

Watch her blow a kiss to my parents. Such a sweetheart!

The birthday continues at our favorite Mexican restaurant where Tessa insists Gamma wear the birthday sombrero. Pretty cute. We love you Gamma!

Happy 101 Award

I was tagged by a fellow blogger to list ten things I am happy about.  I have so many things I am thankful for that it was hard to narrow it down to just ten things.  

1. 
   
   Ryan - he's a wonderful husband, fantastic father, good provider, and overall great head of our household
2. 
   
   Tessa - my sweet sweet baby whom I love more than words can express
3. 
   
   My parents - they have taught me so much and always loved unconditionally, I love the closeness that we share
4. 
   
   Anabelle - my fur baby who follows me everywhere
5. 
   
   Friends - the ones whom I have known forever and the new ones that I am getting to know
6. 
   
   Balancing work with staying at home - I love that most of the time I am home with my Tessa, but the extra money and adult time is good too
7. 
   
   Vacation - there is just something special about getting out of town 
8. 
   
   My camera - I use it to capture all these wonderful moments I never want to forget
9. 
   
   Sunshine and warm weather - I really need my vitamin D
10. 
    
    DVR - yes this one is a little silly, but it makes watching TV so convenient 

Lists like these are great ways to remind us to look at the good things in life and not focus on the negative.  I pass this Happy 101 Award on to three of my friends:  Claire, Caroline, Tobie.

Happy Easter

Alive, alive, alive forever more. My Jesus is alive. Sing hallelujah! Sing hallelujah! My Jesus is alive forever more ...

Just a couple of quick pictures before church. We were almost on time for once, because we were actually trying to be early on such a busy day.


Tessa looks so sweet, she is really reaching for the peanut butter egg in Daddy's pocket.


After church we headed to Gamma and Gampa's for an Easter Egg hunt. More yummy candy for my little sweet tooth baby.

By far, the biggest treat of the day was Tessa's new Princess SUV. My parents have a knack for picking the coolest toys. She loves it! It even has a radio so she can bebop down the road to Disney tunes. Look how happy she is.

Of course, I had to hop in and show her how to drive it. Tessa would push the gas pedal and let go making for a pretty jerky ride. She gets so excited when the car lurches forward that she forgets to hold her foot down.


Such a look of concentration as she turns the steering wheel, so precious!

Here she is hanging out on the back deck with Nanny, my grandma. They are adorable together, I love watching the young and old relate to each other.




My parents fixed a fabulous lamb dinner and my mom's table was so pretty. Thank you for making Easter such a special treat!

Needless to say, we had tons of fun driving the new car.