Driving & Doughnuts

So, a few weeks back (yes, believe it or not, I'm closing in on getting this blog 'caught up'...just a few more posts!), we found ourselves on a Saturday and realized that for once in a very very long time, we didn't have something going on! I'm sure we are just like anyone else out there in the fact that the weekends are rarely that relaxing and are generally just as busy or busier than the week is. So, it's always a joy to hang out in pj's all morning long and actually relax. So this particular morning, we decided it was the perfect day to take the boys to the driving range. The last time we went, Sam was still confined to the stroller, so this was his big debut. It was so funny to watch him! He is a lefty in everything he does, but we only have right handed clubs, so I think he was a little confused. But I loved watching his chubby little hands pick up a ball and put it on the tee ever so precisely. And of course, I can't ever get enough of the look on Tyler's face when he is trying to hit the ball!

I have no explanation for the look Tyler is giving for this photo. ??? And we won't even talk about how poor my golf skills are looking these days, or the fact that I took a golf ball {one of my own...yeah, I know} to the head that left me with a lump the size of a, well, golf ball and a throbbing head. Nope, not going to talk about it.

And wouldn't you know, after we were done hitting balls, somehow we just happened to find ourselves at Krispy Kreme. How on earth did this happen? Somehow, doughnuts and chocolate milk were the perfect way to end our day. We rarely ever get doughnuts, let alone go to the doughnut shop and watch them be made. So, the boys were in heaven! Tyler has always called it the 'Doughnut Factory", which it definitely resembles. The only bummer was that they were all out of their paper Krispy Kreme hats, the boys were disappointed...but the disappointment was quickly whisked away the minute they took their first bite!






So, I realize this post doesn't include anything amazing that happened with us, but to me I love it because it reminds me that it doesn't take anything remotely amazing to make me happy, so long as I am with this little family of mine. It's always a real treat when we have a chance in our busy lives to take a minute and just chill...and enjoy the little things together. It's so easy for me to get swept away in all the "to do's" and not take those moments to breathe and observe these two little boys. So I was happy to have this particular Saturday and these little moments with the three boys I adore!

But really, though, it is also pretty fascinating to watch the "Doughnut Factory" in action, isn't it?!

Style

Whether he's just rolled out of bed...

Whether there's a rain cloud in the sky, or not...

Whether he's watching a little Elmo before heading out for the day...

Whether he's just getting in a quick morning read before breakfast...

Whether he's playing trains...

Whether he's playing airplanes...

Whether he's reading his birthday card from Grandma for the 3,000th time..

Whether anyone else thinks so or not...this boy's got style that can't be denied! He's a trendsetter, you betcha.

And I could just eat him up. But can you blame me?

PS--thanks for all of your kind words about my new style...y'all made me blush. :)

A New 'Do

So, I always said I would do it one day. One day I'd be patient enough to grow my hair out long enough that I could cut it off and donate it to Locks of Love. I've been saying that for years, and never have been quite patient enough. And lately, I've just been letting my hair grow and grow and grow. And I can't say it was all that healthy either, especially during the last couple of inches of growth. So I was really getting the itch to cut it, but wanted to make sure it was long enough to donate it since I didn't really think I'd ever have it close enough again. So I measured and calculated and figured I had enough to do it and still have a style that I liked.

Well....my calculations were a tad bit off. And it's a tad shorter (ok, a lot shorter) than I anticipated. But there obviously wasn't any turning back after the ponytails were cut off. So, this is my new do. I'm not going to say it hasn't been a little hard for me. I shed some tears, I was a little frightened by just how short it was. My boys were totally freaked out by it. Tyler told me it didn't look very good (later he told me it looked good, but it just surprised him. I think he was feeling a little guilty.), Sam wouldn't come near me for hours. But the dust is settling, I suppose. It is what it is and it will grow back some. I keep saying I think I would like it just fine with another inch or two in length (I am pretty sure that I'm currently packing a little too much chub to sport a 'do quite this short). So, I guess we'll let it grow and see...

But either way, I guess I've got one item checked off of "things to do in my life" and I know it's going to a good cause!



Amazing how loooong it takes to grow that much hair and how fast it can be cut off!

A Day at the Beach

Back in August, (the 3rd to be exact), I was hired by a family to come to Biloxi and take their pictures at the beach. Not a bad gig, eh? As I was making arrangements to go, things continued falling in line even better than I had planned. Not only was I going to be able to make the trip, but Garrett took off the afternoon and joined us (much to my surprise!) and we made an afternoon of it as a family. The weather held out, we departed with blue skies...things were looking good for our afternoon activities AND the photo shoot. Hallelujah!

So, there's not much explanation for these pictures. They're at the beach and we just did the typical beach stuff--which included lots of soaking up the sun and relaxing. We were more impressed with the beaches in Biloxi than we thought we would be. They suffered a lot of damage from Katrina and were closed for a really long time and once they opened, we heard lots of reports that they were still in bad shape. But apparently they've been putting in a lot of work and I felt like they were as good as I could have expected. And the water was shallow for as far as the eye could see, so it was SO great for kids. We definitely need to make this trip (slightly over an hour away) more often. I mean, you can't beat a day at the beach, especially when it's so close!

Now, in no particular order, here are pictures of our time at the beach...

Sam, once again, defined the whole 'sand in every crevice' thing...the kid's an animal.

Tyler tends to be our 'golden boy' in the summer time. He turns a perfect golden tan no matter what and rarely ever burns. Sam is exact opposite!

Twizzlers always taste better with a little gritty sand, right?
We found all of these really neat "shells" and then they all started burrowing in the sand and disappearing. It kind of creeped me out. :)





Now really, is there much that beats a trip to the beach? Not that I can think of! We'll definitely be back!

(The only downfall would be all of the sand that found its way into all the wrong places and had to stay there for the entire drive home. It caused lots of tears for the poor boys. But it was quickly forgotten once baths were taken and a good night's sleep was had by all! Darn that sand, though...)