Day 2

We started our morning off at The Donut Hole. I was craving my key lime donuts, and they were OUT. They were out another day that week too. Either DH is slacking or someone let the secret out. Then we spent some time shopping at the outlets and at the pool. Oh, and we had lunch at our favorite Mexican place, La Paz. Did I mention we LOVE eating out on vacation?

That night we went to our very favorite place, McGuire's.

Where... B-man fell asleep for the second year in a row. Never does this child fall asleep anywhere, but at McGuire's. We couldn't believe it!

Facing Their Fears

Both boys tackled a few fears on the trip. Lawson faced his fear of the elevator aka "alligator". It took us a few days to realize that every time we pulled into the condo's parking garage, he wasn't seeing an alligator, it was the elevator. He finally released our legs and fought his brother to push the buttons.

Briley faced his fear of the top bunk. We did not want to bring the pack and play, so we had already decided to put Lawson on the bottom. Briley was scared of the top, so we brought him a sleeping bag just in case. Once he saw the rails, he was all about it. They thought it was so cool sleeping in the same room. I was just amazed at how big they've really gotten.

Day 1: Part 2

We spent the rest of Day 1 at the beach, then the pool, and then headed to the Crab Trap for dinner. It's become a tradition to go there the first day of vacation. The boys had an absolute blast, were as excited as could be, and crashed that night. B slept on the top bunk and Lawson slept on the bottom bunk. He was so excited to be in a big boy bed!

This is one of the only pictures because Nick was having panic attacks about taking the camera to the beach and pool. So not many pictures until Day 2 or 3 when we ran to Target for a new point and shoot :)

Day 1: My View

Last Saturday, we headed out early for our 7.5 hour (8.5 hours with stops) drive to Destin.

Rough bunch, huh?

But it was worth it for my little piece of this...

Those of you that know Lawson, he has always been awful on long car rides (screaming awful. top of the lungs. roll the windows down. turn up the music. consider turning around. that kind of awful.)

But... he was wonderful! Thanks to his stash of favorite DVDs, we actually had a great trip.

Favorite part of the day: We pull into the condo and Briley recognizes it. In the most excited and sweetest voice ever, he cheers, "Daddy! Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you Daddy!"

Precious.

Can you guess where we went last week?

Best family vacation to date. I'll be sharing pictures soon.

B's First Day of 5 Year Old Pre-K

Today is Briley's first day of school in his new transition class. It is a class specifically for children with summer birthdays. It was really difficult, but we are confident with our decision to wait one year for Kindergarten. Briley met his teacher and saw his classroom last week, and after being really nervous about it, he ended up loving it. He was so excited and got ready for school in a flash this morning.

Briley,
At 5 years old, you have grown into such a big and handsome boy. You have such a loving personality. You are always willing to hug and kiss your family. You are an amazing friend too. You treat all of your friends with respect, include everyone, and make sure to tell everyone hi. If someone doesn't hear you tell them hi, you make sure they do. If you have to repeat it louder and louder, you will. Older kids are your absolute favorites. You'll tag along with them just like you are one of them. You also work on your manners. Making sure to say please and thank you, yes mam, yes sir. You've gotten really good at it. You even reminded the man at the fair to tell you thank you after you gave him your ticket. "What do you say???" is what you told him. You didn't see it, but we were laughing so hard. You learn well!

You love school and learning. Your favorite thing is to build, and you still plan to be a robot builder when you grow up. You are so smart, and we know you can do it one day. We went to the library last week, and instead of picking out the picture books, guess what you wanted? We had to go to the nonfiction section and check out all of their robot books. You know all of your letters and most of their sounds and are getting really good at writing. You've learned about 15 sight words and can sound out simple words. You are even getting good at adding although you use your fingers to help.

Even though we have our trials, arguments, and fits, it is a joy to raise you and watch you grow. I'm so glad to have one more year with you before you go to big boy school. I love the little freckles on your nose and those crystal blue eyes. I love your long skinny legs and how they seem to grow overnight. I love when you randomly hug and kiss me. I love the little boy you are growing to be, and I can't wait to see what this year has in store.

Love,
Mommy

For My Mom and Dad

My Mom always forgets to check the blog because it doesn't send her an email. Sooooooo, Mom.... look what I discovered! There is a link on the right that I added so that you can get an email each time I update our blog :) Go ahead, do it now, add your email address. It's easy peasy!