A Busy But Fun Time of Year

Since we have been back from vacation we have been on the go non-stop.  Cohen has had 3 birthday parties,  school started back, and Kate had to go for her 2 month check-up.  First up was Savannah's 4th birthday.  Savannah is my niece and she and Cohen are just like sisters.  These 2 have been together from day one and they love each other and fight with each other just like sisters would.  I can't believe that Savannah just turned 4!  I remember her being born just like it was yesterday.   Time really does fly, and I think it goes by extra fast when you have children!  Savannah celebrated with a Hello Kitty dress up party so it was very cute to watch all the girls in their "dress-up" attire!

Brooke, Savannah, and Cohen

Juliette & Cohen

Playing pin the bow on Hello Kitty...only my child would have no clothes on at this point!

After Savannah's party on Sunday we had to get ready to start a new week which started with me heading back to school to get my room ready.  School started on Friday and I spent the first 3 days of the week getting everything ready.  This year Cohen is in my preschool class so I am saying prayers every day that this goes well for us.  So far so good.  She is very good in class and will remind me how she is "being a good listener and following directions".  She really has done very well and we have now completed 3 days.  Hopefully it will continue.  I can't believe my baby is 3 1/2!  She amazes me each day and I am looking forward to watching her learn and see the excitement each day as she does.

Ready for school

At her chair at the table waiting on her friends to arrive

Cohen & Savannah

Cohen & Mommy (aka her teacher!)

Cohen and Madison all smiles at snack time

Over the weekend Cohen had 2 birthday parties for friends.  They were both on Saturday and I also gave my friend Rebekah a baby shower that morning!  After the shower we got ready and headed to Juliette's birthday party.  All the kids played in the pool and on the water slide and then went in to eat cake and watch Juliette open her gifts.  These little girls have been friends from the start as well and Cohen couldn't have a sweeter friend than Juliette!  We enjoyed sharing in her birthday festivities!  After leaving Juliette's party it was on to our friend and neighbor Keyes' 4th birthday party.  Keyes had a farm party and we made it there just in time for the hay ride.  Cohen hopped right on!  When they got back from the ride she was anxiously waiting to bust the pinata because she knew there was candy inside!  This girl has a sweet tooth for sure!  I was only able to get a few pictures but I hope you enjoy what I did get.  It was a fun day for her for sure.  

Mylie, Cohen, and Juliette

Cohen & Juliette

On the hay ride at Keyes' party

Trying on her bandana

I would really like to hear this conversation!

And last but definitely not least, I can't leave out my precious angel Kate!  This little girl is about as good as they get in my book.  She is so laid back and is content just about anywhere we go.  She is about 2 1/2 months now and we just went for her check up when we got back from the beach.  She now weighs 12 lbs 2 oz and is 22 1/2 inches long.  She loves to be held and never lacks for somebody to hold her!  She has nights where she sleeps the entire night and every now and then she wakes up once, usually around 4 am.  Having those nights that she doesn't wake up is wonderful for me now that I work on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.  We are timing it out where I feed her around 6:30 so she gets one bottle while I'm working and I'm off at 12:00 to feed her the next feeding.  She is absolutely precious! She is cooing a lot now and will smile at me which makes me melt!  I am constantly reminded when I look at my girls how blessed I am!

Laughing at mommy

Such a sweet girl

Vacation Part 2!

After spending a few days in Destin, we packed up and drove to the other side of Florida to Amelia Island. Cohen was a little sad to be leaving "Sug and Pop's beach", but she was very excited when we got to Amelia Island and she saw that Bebe, Auntie P, Devin, Cameron, Brock, Denny, Suzy, Eric, Jessica and Kate-Kate were all there to play with!  She had a blast last year while we were there and this year was just the same.  We had such a fun week with everybody.  We spent our days at the beach and pool and our nights playing cards and laughing. One night we even walked on the beach hoping to see a sea turtle nest hatch, but I think we actually missed it by 1 day.   We found some great sea shells which Cohen thoroughly enjoyed!  It is so fun being able to spend a week relaxing and enjoying the company of family.  Its unfair that vacations happen 1 week out of the year.
We got to see some shark excitement while we were there too!  Amelia Island is well known for finding shark's teeth and this year we actually got to see the sharks themselves.  The lifeguards even evacuated the water.  We had wondered what the purple flag meant and soon found out it meant sharks!  It was amazing to watch them though.  And other than that one day the water was so nice and pretty clear for the Atlantic!
Amelia is so special to our family because we went there every year for about 20 years so its so nice to go back.  We always like to go somewhere during the week in August that my Daddy died.  Its nice to be away from home and spending time with our family.  I can't believe that this year marked the 5th anniversary of his death.  I miss him terribly and I know he would have enjoyed my girls so much.  I'm so glad I had such a wonderful daddy though because my babies will love all the stories I have to share with them about him.  He was a wonderful man!
It was sad coming back to the "real" world but we couldn't have had a better vacation with BOTH our families!

Cohen & Devin napping...he does have a sweet side!

Cohen & Brock

Eric, Jessica and Kate-Kate! 

Asleep with Katelyn...card games tend to run late!

Cohen loved pushing the elevator buttons!

Brock & Kate

Mama & Devin

I can't believe he is a senior this year!!  Our attempt for some pictures was short due to all the lightening all around us!

A quick family picture 

Daddy & his girls

And one with Mama

Vacation Part 1!

We recently went on our summer vacation which lasted a week and a half and was pure bliss!  The beach has to be my favorite place ever!  In order to avoid the world's longest blog post I'm having to split this up. We left out on a Wednesday night and drove down to Destin, FL to spend time with Kelly's family.  We were a little hesitant on how the girls would do on such a long drive but they were PERFECT!  It was a good trip down and we had such a blast there.  Cohen was so excited to see Sug, Pop, Aunt Vicki, Nana, Aunt Sara, Uncle Davis and of course...Savannah and Addison!  We were lucky that the girls wanted to go to sleep that night!  We spent the next 3 days in Destin and left on Sunday to be with my family in Amelia Island (that will be my next post!).  Destin was so nice.  The house we stayed in had a pool and we loved it.  The beach was great too but it was nice to walk out the back door and be at the pool.  Even sweet Kate got in every day!  We love being together with all our family too.  Even when you live close to your family, it seems like you get more quality time when everyone is right there together.  Cohen had Pop to "tell her stories" every day, which is something she loves.  It was so fun to watch Cohen this year.  We had been to St. Simons earlier in July so she had been in the ocean.  Once we got on the beach at Destin she went right in.  It helped that there were very little waves too!  She loved riding on the boogie board with someone pulling her.  She also loved the sand and got a kick out of me burying her in it.  We had to do that about 5 times!  It was such a great start to our "long" vacation and we are so appreciative to our family for asking us to go.  We had a BLAST!

ready to go to the beach on the golfcart 

Beach babies--Addison & Kate

all 4 girls

She loves the pool!

Cohen & Aunt Sara

Kelly was teaching Savannah all kinds of jumps.  This was hilarious!

Sweet water baby

Sugie & the babies (minus Kate)

Cohen loved her goggles!  She looked so funny in them, I couldn't resist a picture.

Mommy with her girls

2 months old!!

Pop telling Cohen at story at dinner 

silly girl

Up to our knees in sand!