A Silver Lining (6/25/2012)

Today when we looked off our balcony at the ocean, the waves looked a bazillion times better.  Smaller and not as rough as the past two days.  Still, the flag pole near our house showed two red flags.  Double bummer.  We decided to go down to the beach anyway...it was just getting so old only getting to play in the pool.  Well, when we got to the beach, we were surprised to see only one red flag blowing in the breeze and crowds of people playing in the surf.  So back to the house we went to grab our life vests and boogie boards and to let the rest of the gang know the Gulf was open for business!!  

The waves were definitely less crazy than the past two days.  There was still a strong side current, but nothing that seemed to worry Mom and Dad, so we were granted entrance to the great Gulf.  I went first.  I'll admit I was tentative about getting in.  I mean I saw how the waves were tossing around Mr. Dave yesterday, and he's no small guy.  But after Mom showed me that you could get an awesome ride even off the tinier waves that were breaking right on the shore, I got up the nerve to venture in and man, did I have a great time.  Bummer of it all, no pictures to share.  Mom didn't bring the camera down in the beginning because she knew she would really have to pay attention to us.  But let me paint a picture for you...I rode wave after wave with the biggest, ear-to-ear grin on my face.

Eventually, Lizzie and I moved on to playing in the sand.  Seriously, there is something about digging in sand for crabs and sand dollars.  It was during this time that Mom and Dad found out that the one red flag we could see posted on the beach was not the "real" flag posting for the day.  It was really a two red flag day....a no swim day.  But since we were on a private beach, the life guards could do nothing but warn us not to go in.  I guess it's a good thing I didn't know all of this beforehand.  I'm not sure I would have been brave enough to go in know that there was still a danger of riptides. 

Now here's the funny thing.  Mom being mom, she was all bummed that she had no pictures of Lizzie and I boogie boarding, so she sent Dad back to the house to grab the camera.  And then she asked Lizzie and I to go back in to the waves for a photo shoot.  Can we say crazy lady?!  Well, I wasn't playing any of her reindeer games.  No siree, Bob.  Lizzie, on the other hand, agreed to go back in for a couple of rides.  So here you have it....Mom endangering Lizzie's life to get pictures of her boogie boarding on a two red flag day.  Can we say Mom of the Year?!

Heading out to catch a wave!!

Catching a wave with Jamison.

Debby Downer (6/24/2012)

Well, tropical storm Debby's still hanging around off shore.  The weather people aren't quite sure what she's going to do.  Some say she's headed to west to Texas.  Others say she's going to go east over Florida.  And still others think she will head north and hit near us.  All we can do is sit and wait and hope she doesn't ruin our vacation.

Today was another double red flag day....but when we got to the beach we saw only one, so some of our crew took the boogie boards out for a spin.  They managed to catch some awesome rides despite the strong current.  Check it out!

Adam catching a wave.

Mr. Dave gets an awesome ride!

Seeing as the current was rather strong and I wasn't in the mood to be swept out to sea, I stayed close to shore with most of the other kids.  Maddie continued to play her wave keep-away game with Jamison.  I spent some time jumping waves with Daddy and then hung out on the beach and played in the sand.  Looks like we will have to wait and see what tomorrow brings us.  In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures to enjoy.

Making a sandcastle.

Jumping waves with Daddy.  If I didn't hold on, I would have been swept away!

Maddie posing on the beach.

Maddie and Jamison getting ready to run from the wave.

We're Back.... (06/23/2012)

Yeah.  You can take that in so many ways.  We're back to blogging.  Back to keeping you updated on our lives.  And it just makes sense that we kick off our "back to blogging" by telling you about our annual beach trip.

This year the trip has moved south a bit.  Okay, actually quite a bit.  Instead of being holed up in the car with Mom and Dad for 26 hours, we drove for only 11 hours.  Seriously, it's amazing how knocking 15 hours off a trip makes for happier (puke-free) kids.  Ahem.  Mom and Dad, I hope you remember this!!

Anyway, as I was saying, this year's beach trips took us to the Gulf coast of Alabama.  Now, Mom and Dad had warned us that this beach trip would be a little different than our past trips to North Carolina.  They said the water would be warmer than the Atlantic Ocean (a plus), and that the waves would be small and calm.  (Another plus...I don't like being tossed around by the waves.)  Sounded like paradise to me!

But what they failed to mention was a little thing named Debby...a tropical storm forming in the Gulf just south of where we were headed.  Not sure what they were thinking, driving us straight into a potentially bad situation.  All I have to say is, when we finally got to the Gulf Shores, this is what we saw:

Now seriously, do those look like small, calm waves?!  I think not.  Seriously, they weren't.  In fact, they were the kind of waves that came with riptides and dangerous sea creatures.  This is not the beach trip I pictured in my mind.  Where are the happy families frolicking in the surf?  Where's the sun?  And where are the small, calm waves?!?!

Since the double red, no swimming flags were posted on the beaches, we were not allowed to go in.  Of course, this didn't keep us from enjoying the surf at the shore line.  While some people collected shells, others of us came up with a game...keep away from the crashing waves.  It was actually quite fun.  Because the waves were so crazy big and strong, they would send water shooting up on the beach super fast.  Most of the time we were not able to keep ahead of the water and we ended up pretty wet.

Well, here's hoping tomorrow is a little brighter...in more ways than one. :)

Mamma Mia!

*Disclaimer - The information in this entry is old...we know that.  But that doesn't mean it's not good stuff*

Do you have a favorite movie?  Okay, that's a stupid question, because of course you do.  Everyone has a favorite movie....you know, that one movie you can recite all the lines to without skipping a beat.

Well, me and Lizzie, we have a favorite movie...actually quite a few favorite movies.  Anyway, one of our all time favorite movies is Mamma Mia.  You really can't get better than a movie with lots of singing and dancing and a boy and a girl kissing.  It's got all the makings of a great movie.

Now, have you ever wanted to put yourself in a movie?  Okay, I'm not saying go to Hollywood and be in a movie because that's just silly.  I mean, have you ever wished that you could be one of the characters in a movie and do what they were doing.

Well, on our vacation to OBX, Lizzie and I had just that chance.  We got to be just like the boys in Mamma Mia and we got to ride on a JET SKI!  And it was all the movie made it out to be and more!!

Daddy's friend Mr. Dave has his very own jet ski and he dragged it all the way down from Pennsylvania so we could ride it around on the water.

We both got to take lots of turns out there with lots of different drivers.  Me, I liked going out with Daddy.  He drives that jet ski all crazy and wild...just like he drives our van.  We zipped and zoomed all over the place.  Lizzie didn't like riding with him as much...she just screamed and screeched like a little girl...which I guess that's what she is.  Whatever, Daddy was fun.

Mommy was an okay driver.  Lizzie liked her better because she didn't go as fast.  Which is weird when you think about it.  Because in our van she puts the pedal to the metal.  However,on water she was like an old grandma out for a Sunday drive.

Anyway, here's some pictures from our jet ski adventures.  If you listen very closely you can hear us singing.....

Don't go wasting your emotion
Lay all your love on me.
Don't go sharing your devotion
Lay all your love on me.

Last Days of Summer

Yeah...we know.  We've kind of been slacking this month.  It's just, we don't have many days left before we have to head back to school, so we are trying to make the most of the little time we have left.

We've been up to our usual...arguing, fighting, complaining, griping...we just want to make sure that Mommy and Daddy fully remember what they will be missing when we go back to school and cannot spend as much quality time as we usually get to spend with them.  It will be sad.

Now, don't get me wrong.  We have been doing some fun stuff too.  We've been back to the local splash pad and several playgrounds.  We've had play dates with our friends and we finally got to see the bats fly out from under the bridge in Round Rock.  (And we're hoping we can see it again and that this time Mommy will remember her camera so we can share some pics with you...but like I said, it all depends on Mommy and we all know how she is...)

We even still have some fun thing left to do in these last few days of summer.  So we're going to go ahead and get off the computer and get our fun on....but we promise to come back and share all our Shenanigans just as soon as we can.

I'm on Vacation Too! (7/31/2011)

So I've got it all figured out.  Adults go on vacations to get away from everyday life....you know, from their jobs and other daily stresses.  They go on vacation so they can relax and have fun and not have to be as responsible as they normally are.

Well darn it, I want to be able to do the same thing.  So I am officially on vacation.  What does this mean?  It means that I am not responsible for healthy eating and I am avoiding the stresses of everyday life...which include listening to my parents and doing what I am told.

So, how am I doing? 

Well, my diet currently consists of Beach Cookies (Oreos for you lay people), sugared cereal, cake, chips and pop tarts and pan cakes made from a can that squirts just like whipped cream!

And the listening...I'm doing good there too!  The other night Mommy and I went down to the beach to watch the sun set.  She specifically told me not to go in the water because I was not dressed to go swimming.  Well, I showed her that I was on vacation.....

I did stop along the way and pose for some pictures.  Notice my cute smile!

Checking out the ocean...and waiting for slow poke Mommy to stop taking pictures already and just catch up with me!

Quick stop to meditate...I want to make sure I'm REALLY ready to not listen!

Ahh....the ocean in all its glory.

It's okay, Mommy...my shirt is barely touching the water.

Oh...I guess my shirt is a little wet now...sorry. :)

Ahhh....thank God for vacations.  This not listening is GREAT!!

And let me tell you....this is just the beginning of the week.  I'm sure I have some other great things up my sleeves.

Back to the Beach (7/30/2011)

It only took us a bazillion years, but Mommy and Daddy finally have taken us back to the beach.  See, it used to be that every year we would get on two planes and fly far, far away to the beach where we would get together at a big house with Daddy's friends and their families.  And just when we were really starting to get into the trips and getting to know all the families and the kids, the trips just stopped.  It was NOT cool.

But then this year the stars aligned and the heavens opened up and shined down upon us and we were told that we would be making a return to the beach to see everyone.  And then they dropped the bomb on us...we'd be driving....26 hours....stuck in the van with just us and our thoughts. 

Now Mommy and Daddy aren't completely insane.  They have joined the ranks of all good mommies and daddies and have purchased an entertainment system for the car.  Because let's face it, I know they used to ride twice around the world and back again and all they had were books and a cassette player, but that's just not our style.  Of course they have this really lame rule that we can only watch 2 movies a day...but I guess we really got to them, because after lunch that rule seemed to just fly right out the window.  And in the end, while the drive was long and it really is NO FUN to sleep overnight in the car, we made it to OBX, North Carolina.

Now as I said previously, we usually fly to the beach which means we don't actually get to our house until late in the evening.  But because we drove there and Mommy and Daddy took one for the team and drove through the night, we got to the beach early.  So early that our house wasn't even ready yet.  We met up with some of Daddy's friends, spent some time at the rental office pool and then hit the beach.  All I can say is IT WAS AWESOME!!! 

We did the usual: sand play and surf jumping.

Now here's the REALLY exciting part.  Because we are not babies any more (and that includes Lizzie...weird, I know.  I would have kept her in that category because she is just a little baby, but Mommy and Daddy told me to zip it....whatever!), we got to try out something new....Boogie Boarding!  Seriously, Mommy and Daddy have been keeping some seriously fun stuff from us!!!  And with our newly purchased life vests, it meant we could venture out even further to catch some of the big waves!!

Based on the amount of fun we had...and all before lunch...I'm thinking this week is going to be an absolute blast!!!  Stay tuned for more!!!!