Destin

We loved our trip to Destin. 

It rained the first few days there.

So we relaxed a lot in the condo.

And tried out the indoor pool.

The girls loved the pool.

Painting fingernails . . . 

Alaina wasn't satisfied with just fingernail polish.  She also got into my makeup. 

Finally the sun came out and we enjoyed the beach.

Caitlin LOVED boogie boarding.  She did it over and over and over and over!

Alaina wanted nothing to do with the sand in the beginning but once I put her in and gave her some toys, she got busy building some sand castles.

Burying daddy's feet.

We buried Emma.

We loved having Sabrina with us.  She helped out SO much with the girls!

That's our condo in the background.

Rusty and Troy did a LOT of fishing! 

I got some pictures of the girls on the beach.  These are my favorite!

We went out a lot to eat (just the adults since we had Sabrina).  One place we went to was Macguire's Irish Pub where there every square inch is covered with dollar bills.  People sign them and staple them EVERYWHERE.  They are even hanging from the ceiling.

On our last day there, Tina and I went with the boys to fish off the pier. 

We caught several small fish that we then used as bait to catch bigger ones.  Ask Rusty about the one that got away!

We saw lots of turtles and dolphins.

I caught this Pompano.

At the end of the pier, a man caught this shark.  He worked for over half an hour trying to reel it in.  He got it close enough to take a picture and then, since it was illegal to keep sharks, he cut it loose.

Catching Up

Trying to catch up on all my blog posts.  Here's what we have been up to the past few weeks -

Caitlin has been in school.  She's doing well and loves her new teacher.  Grades are looking great so far.  This is her first year of getting As and Bs as grades instead of just being average/excelling/etc.  She got her progress report and had all As and 1 B.

Alaina started Mother's Day Out.  At first she had some trouble adjusting to the rules and schedule but now she is doing well and really loves it.

On the weekends, we try and forget about work and school and do some playing.

 

I found Alaina asleep ON TOP of her playhouse one weekend.  I'm glad she doesn't rollover in her sleep!

We've been trying to all eat a little better.  We all like fruits and veggies!

I have also found some all-natural low calorie snacks that are yummy. 

Watch out - this popcorn is addictive!

And these potato straws are yummy.  38 straws for 130 calories.  The cheddar cheese ones are even better!  I also saw that they make BBQ ones.  I have yet to find those at any stores around here.

And these apple straws remind me of the cinnamon twists at Taco Bell, but low calorie.  I like to use all these as substitutes for french fries or potato chips when I go to Subway or McDonald's.  I can't cut out fast food entirely, but I can make small changes like this.

Things I said to Caitlin this morning while getting ready

"werewolves are hard to kill, aren't they?

"quit trying to make your eyeball pop out and fix your hair"

I tell you it's one of those mornings!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

YAY

Fall Ball

I'm still so behind on posts but here is Caitlin's schedule for anyone that wants to come -

5-Sep	5:45 PM	Field 3
7-Sep	5:45 PM	Field 3
12-Sep	5:45 PM	Field 3
14-Sep	8:15 PM	Field 4
19-Sep	5:45 PM	Field 3
21-Sep	5:45 PM	Field 3
26-Sep	5:45 PM	Field 3
28-Sep	5:45 PM	Field 3
9-Oct	7:00 PM	Field 3
12-Oct	5:45 PM	Field 3
17-Oct	5:45 PM	Field 3
19-Oct	5:45 PM	Field 3

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I am SWAMPED at work and don't have time to blog.  :(  I'm barely holding my head above water.  I get knots in my neck and shoulders multiple times a day from the tension and I am surviving on Diet Dr Pepper.  :)

I am hoping it will end after October 9 (when we have a big release) but I'm not so sure.  Keep your fingers crossed!!

Dora the Explorer

Last night, Caitlin took Alaina on several Dora adventures.  Alaina was grumpy after her nap and didn't want to play at first, but Caitlin really wanted her to have fun.  Once Caitlin told her what they would do, Alaina was instantly cheered up.

Caitlin put the Dora backpack on her and led her around, following the Map, on each adventure.  Alaina LOVED it!!  I let them do 2 adventures before bedtime.  Caitlin promised Alaina there would be more today. 

It allowed me to clean the kitchen and eat some dinner.  It was so nice to hear both of them enjoying each other so much.  I just love them!!

Here's video of part of their adventure.  Caitlin marked the path with blocks.  Thankfully, she cleaned it all up without even being asked.

I wish I had let it record for just another few seconds.  When Alaina got to the room, she yelled out, "We did it!" like on Dora.  It was so cute!

Break out artist

Someone broke out of their locked room last night using toy sunglasses.

Give Back Day at SFL

Saturday was give back day at Smyrna Fastpitch League.  There were free clinics.  Caitlin did the hitting, fielding and base running clinics.

This picture shows how they practiced hitting.  It was an easy setup that I think we might replicate at home.

They had a swap out tent so we traded for a bigger bag.  Since her new helmet doesn't fit very well in her bag, it was nice trading for a larger one for free.

Caitlin's favorite part, of course, was the free cotton candy, face painting and games.

First time bagel

Alaina had a bagel for the first time on Saturday.  She wasn't so thrilled with the bagel but loved the cream cheese.  I caught her several times just licking it off the bagel.

Nighttime Park Play

On Friday night, I took the girls out for fro-yo and on the way home, it felt so nice, so we stopped at the park.  It was nice having the park all to ourselves.

Love this girl!

Fun in the Tub

Why?

Why is this what I get when I want to sneak a cute picture of the girls playing together?

This is what Alaina does during Caitlin's softball practices.

M&S First TV Interview = Hilarious!!

Meet the Teacher

Last night, I went to the Meet the Teacher night for 3rd grade at Caitlin's school.  I really like Caitlin's teacher, Mrs Dunlap.  She seems to really like Caitlin too.

While there, I sat at Caitlin's desk . . . and looked inside.  Yikes!  It's only been 8 days and already a mess.  Oh I hope she grows out of that!

I also found this little guy that a boy in her class made her.  It is from the famous Casey that was in her class two years ago that she professed to "love".  Oh boy!!

GOTR Bristol Videos

These aren't my videos (except the last one) but these show how amazing the show was!

When My Time Comes - Dawes & Marcus Mumford

I Will Wait - their new song

Roll Away Your Stone

Timshel

Dust Bowl Dance

Love the instrument breaks!!!

Where Are You Now

 

The Cave

Being there in person for this one was INSANE!!

Wagon Wheel - all bands

The audio in this video is not bad - that's just how loud the crowd was.  It was amazing!

M&S Horns at the aftershow

Just had to...

She looked so cute this morning, I just had to take some pictures.  I liked how she fixed her hair.  She has the best hair.  I'm jealous!