Life Lately

I've had a real struggle for a couple weeks now when it comes to keeping this little blog of mine going.  But on it shall go..I truly enjoy blogging just sometimes life keeps me more busy!  Here is a little of what is on my mind today...

• Vacation.  I'm sad it's over and am already thinking about it next year!  Going back to the beach after not having been for 10 years really made me see how much I'd missed it!  And seeing it through the eyes of a child?  Priceless.
• Pictures.  I haven't taken a single picture (on the big camera) since we have gotten back.  Need to pick it up and get busy, especially on these beautiful late summer evenings when the light is oh so perfect.
• Bible school.  Ours for our church is coming up next week!  Very exciting, especially since we are doing it all on our own this year!  Glad our new pastor believes in us!
• Babies.  So many of my blogger friends are working on their second and third babies!  If we had started sooner, Makayla would have had a sister or brother (if the good Lord allowed).  But, I am content with my blessing in my blonde haired blue eyed girl!
• Buying the Beach.  Love this show and watch it every time it's on!
• Anonymous commenters.  Hate this.  If your going to comment on my blog, be a man (or woman) and own up to your identity.  Sometimes think of doing SOMETHING, just not sure what.  I mean, I had someone comment on a blog post several weeks ago about how much Makayla had grown and I have no idea who it was (though I do have a person in mind).  Advice???  Thinking my blog friend, Callie, has the right idea about having a private blog for pictures. Might be something I do in the very near future.
• Gardening.  It's awesome and I think everyone should at least try it once!  We've had an abundance of green beans, yellow squash, green tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, and potatoes.  And have had tasty dinners to boot.  Yum.
• Eating.  Good thing we've had fairly healthy meals thanks to the good old garden.  My eating habits (at night) have gone down the tube since vacation and my new love affair with Sweet Frog ice cream.  Ice cream is what I want every night now!  That darn frog..she's cute though.
• And sewing.  I have several projects on my plate right now.  Pants for Makayla, a Kindle case, and, wait for it, a man bib!  Basically an oversized bib for the messy Marvin in your life!  And no, its not for Damon!

The Doc Is In!

Before we went on vacation, I took Makayla down to the consignment shop where I consign her clothes at for a special event.   They were having Doc McStuffins there for the day!!

Makayla had never been around anything like that before..aka..a human dressed up like a cartoon character.  I had no idea how she would react.  So I planned for the worst but hoped for the best!

 

It took her a bit to warm up to the Doc.  At first, she'd give her toys from the store and then run away squealing.  Then her and some of the other kids dressed Doc up with hair bows and lots of accessories.

 

 

 

And then she got brave enough to dance with Doc!

 



 

And then I got my "Kodak" moment.

 

Now I have hope for future cartoon character meetings! And can't wait!!

How important is routine?

As I was thinking today about routine, I was going through my own.  Damon had just left for work, so I offer Makayla a sandwich (or whatever she's in the mood for, aka her mid-day snack) and I set out to sweep and dust the house.  I realize that by not cleaning any over the weekend, just how much my routine of not cleaning for 2 days (which I don't clean on Sundays anyways) makes a difference.

Dust piles are pretty big.  :-)

Then I think about routines relating to children.  How a baby changes a couple's routine before baby came along.  It changes so much.  It changes how much sleep you get and how you view everything around you, right down to the type of products you buy.  And how routine is what establishes good sleep habits (or bad!).  Routine is what builds prayer time.

And reading God's word.

That's a routine I need to get back into, I realize as I'm pondering on all of this.  Reading God's word is like fuel.  I read several chapters the other night in 1st Corinthians.  Scripture I had read before, many times, but God's word never fails to touch our hearts right when we need it. 

I was reading on the importance of spiritual gifts and how they are to be desired.  And the order in which they are deemed 'important' (at least that's how it came off to me).  I realized things that I was taught by preachers from an early age weren't factual according to scripture.  What they were deeming most important, actually wasn't.

Interesting.

So, how important is routine?  My routine of not being in God's word like I should was an eye opener to me. 

You never know what you might learn if you break free from your routine.

:-)

Toes in the Sand {2}

The second half of our vacation was spent in Virginia Beach!  I was really excited about this because I had never actually been there before (only drove through a small section, which wasn't nowhere near where we stayed).  I booked our hotel for here way back in January when I knew our vacation would be, on Priceline.  Let me tell you, I am so glad I did!  I got a fantastic rate (especially considering it was during the July 4th timeframe) and our room was awesome!  Oceanfront with a balcony, can't beat that with a stick!

Not a bad view to wake up with!

 

 

If we looked down to the left on the balcony, we could see King Neptune's statue, Makayla's favorite!

 

 

We spent our time here doing a lot!  We shopped, visited the aquarium (the turtles were a big hit with Makayla), spent time on the beach, walked the boardwalk at night, watched fireworks, and oh yeah, we survived a category 2 hurricane!!  Slept right through it! 

 







Makayla on the bus..she loved it!

 The big turtles, her favorite!

 



They made stuff from junk they get out of the ocean, pretty neat!

Fish outside the motel..too cute!

Bikini babe!

My favorite!

Us :-)

Muah

Enjoying the beach late in the evening.

And during the heat of the day!

Fireworks.  Awesome.

King Neptune

I honestly can't wait to go back!  It was such a different experience for me seeing the beach in a more 'livelier' form than the laid back Chesapeke Bay that I was used to all my life. 

Oh and did I mention, our rental car ended up being my 'dream' car!!!  You have no idea how stoked I was to get to drive the Buick Enclave!!!

Awesome vacation, awesome times!!

Toes in the Sand {1}



Excuse my lack of blogging the past couple of weeks.  I was busy packing one week and busy last week on vacation, with my toes in the sand!

We hadn't been to the beach in years.  Like 10 years!!!  We were long overdue for a change from our regular vacation spot (Amish Country in Ohio) and Makayla was at the age this time to enjoy the beach and all it has to offer.  Let me tell you, she LOVED it and we had a great time!!

 

For the first three days, we went to my old vacation stomping grounds growing up, the Eastern Shore in Virginia.  I can't count the number of years we spent going there and I always loved it.  Its not crowded, tranquil, and the motel we always stayed at has a private beach.  Score.  Its just as lovely then as it is now.  Plus I scored us a king suite at a GREAT price!

 









Stay tuned for part 2 of our trip, Virginia Beach!!