Jekyll Island

Our spring break was a few weeks ago and we got away for just a few days to Jekyll Island.   Cohen and Savannah were getting a fun trip away with Sug and Pop that week so Kelly and I thought of some fun places that Kate and Bryce might enjoy and we settled on Jekyll Island.  We only had a few days to be gone but we thought this was a place we could be entertained pretty good for a couple of days and we had such a fun time.  We left Monday afternoon so it was night before we arrived there.  We did get to stop at Skipper's in Darien on our way down to eat.  This is a stop we like to make on our way down for Georgia/Florida weekend so it was nice to get to go back on this trip.  We were staying at the historic Jekyll Island Club and the kids couldn't tell much about it since it was dark when we got there but they were excited no less.  The part of the resort we stayed in was called the Sans Souci.  It had once been an apartment building owned by J.P. Morgan when the resort was built. This place was really full of neat history!  We were on the 3rd floor and had to climb stairs to our room.  The staircase was something else for sure.  IT was a beautiful building (inside and out) and we did get our exercise while we were there climbing those stairs!

It had rained on us going down and was still pretty wet and cloudy the next morning when we woke up.   We headed to the Pantry there at the hotel for breakfast.   One of the things we definitely wanted to do on Jekyll was visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.  I was glad to have an inside activity since it was a little cooler from the rain that morning.   The kids loved going out to the hospital and seeing all the turtles.  They loved reading about each one and finding out why they were there.  It was all very interesting for sure.  One turtle had a black square on his shell and Bryce kept asking about it's "backpack".  Come to find out it was a weighted square on his shell because that turtle was partially paralyzed from being hit by a boat.  The weight kept his legs down in the water so he wouldn't float.  Just hearing different stories like that about the turtles was pretty neat.  The Dr. would also take a turtle out of the tank to go into an observation/operation area and there was a viewing glass you could watch what was going on.  We watched a bandage change on a turtle that had been hit by a car while crossing the road.  And later on we saw a sea turtle getting some fluids by IV.  Just a very neat place to visit and I would highly recommend it if you at Jekyll or close by.

After we left the  sea turtle center we got our bikes and rented one for Bryce and Kelly.  We knew Bryce wouldn't be able to go as far on his own bike so we rented an "alley cat" bike for Kelly and him.  It took a little convincing to get Bryce to agree since he wanted to ride his bike but after he saw it he was pretty happy getting to ride on this bike with Daddy.  We went for a short ride on the island and stopped for lunch at Red Bug Pizza.  They had a great playground for the kids to play on while we waited and by this time the sun had come out and we enjoyed sitting outside eating.  After lunch we made our way back to the hotel and the kids decided they wanted to try out the heated pool which I think turned out to still be a little on the chilly side but they braved it for a little while.  After swimming we decided to do a long bike ride and ended up going down toward Driftwood Beach.  This was a 9.5 mile bike ride round trip but luckily both kids did great!   Kate was pretty tired by the time we got back and wasn't up for any more long bike rides but we were so proud they hung in with us.  And it was neat seeing that part of the beach.  We actually were walking to a part of the beach which wasn't the place I had in mind but I decided we would visit the other part the next day since we were all getting tired of walking and biking.  And it was getting close to dinner time by this point.

ready to ride!

The Jekyll Island Club

The Sans Souci 

I got a kick out of Bryce taking a "break" from pedaling...exactly why he didn't ride his own bike!

This huge boat came by while we were walking on the beach

That night we drove to Tortuga Jacks to eat.  They had some pretty fun signs up around the restaurant and you could also eat outside looking at the beach.  We did decide to eat inside since it was a little cooler but it would be a very cool place to eat at when it was summer or just getting warmer.

Feelin this sign!

After we ate we were ready to head back and call it a day.  We definitely had had a fun filled day but we were ready for some sleep!

On Wednesday we woke up and went for breakfast in the grand dining room.  We had to be checked out by 12 so that left a little time for another bike ride.  This time we let Bryce ride his bike.  We had promised him he would get to ride on his own before we left.  He loved it of course!  And Kate was wanting her turn to ride with Daddy.  I think she was just a little tired from the day before and was not about to have us take her on another 9 mile ride!

Can I please have these trees in my yard?!

I'm not the only one in love with the moss

Before leaving the island we wanted to head back to the main part of Driftwood Beach.  It is just so cool seeing all these trees right there on the beach.  The photographer in me wants to go back and have sessions at sunset!   Bryce and Kate were more into the sea urchins they saw in the rocks.

Our quick little getaway was coming to an end.  It was a fun few days for sure.   Thursday Cohen was back from her trip and they also had a great time.  They loved Williamsburg and loved spending time with Pop and Sug.  We enjoyed all the pictures we got throughout the week.  I know they made so many fun memories and had a blast!

Gender Reveal!!

Since the day I told my kids we were going to have another baby Cohen has wanted to have a gender reveal party.  We really did not want to find out what we were having.  We did this with Bryce and it by far was the most fun.  We love a good surprise and there isn't one any better than a baby.  However, we have quite a bit of planning to do before this baby, mainly our bedroom situation.  Someone will be sharing for a while and knowing would help us prepare for that.  My best friend, LeAnne, was also all on board for doing the party and so we did!  My doctor gave me the envelope at one of my appointments and I passed that along to LeAnne.  She handled the rest and then we got to have a lot of our family and friends over for the big reveal.  We wanted everyone to wear their guess color.  LeAnne had big balloons for us to pop.  One for the kids and one for Kelly and me.  Bryce hates noise so he was not in on the popping, he stood off to the side covering his ears.  Once the time came it was pretty fun and I know the girls loved it.  In the end we popped the balloons to find out we would be getting another sweet GIRL.  I had Cohen over the moon excited and Bryce not so much.  He actually cried to me and told me he was now "mad at God."  Having one of each made it a lot easier on us because we did not care either way.  We were celebrating that everything looked healthy!    Now Bryce will always be my #1 boy and he doesn't have to share his things.  That's what we told him.  And I have to say he is one special boy and I wouldn't ever want to compare another to him because we all know every child is different!  So now we are preparing for all the cute girl things that are so so fun.   And a huge thanks to everyone who came to party with us!  It was so much fun and it wouldn't have been near as fun without all our close friends and family to party with us.  After all it does take a village and we will definitely be relying on our village now!   We can't wait to meet this sweet girl in just a few short months!

our boy guesses

our girl guesses...small group of right guessers too

This was too funny and broke your heart all at once.  But as soon as the big boys came to get him he was good!

Denny went all out on his attire...he was pretty sure it was a girl and he was right!

Daddy Daughter Dance!

This year was the 3rd year in a row that our school has had their Daddy/Daughter dance.  The girls absolutely love this and look forward to it!  I was so sad this was Cohen's last one!  Since she loves to dance she is the most excited every year.  She really gets into dressing up.  Kate will get into it a little bit but overall she doesn't care too much.  They both looked so cute in their dresses!  Kelly is one lucky daddy to have these 2!  I am so thankful that Poplar Springs Baptist Church puts so much in to this night and making it so special for all the girls at the elementary school.  I know everyone has such a fun time!  I'm always glad when the school posts pictures to their Facebook page so us mamas can see a little of what went on!

Cohen turns 11!

A tad late on Cohen's birthday post!  Our oldest baby turned 11 and I can't even believe it.  I feel like she is just changing so much every day and just growing up so fast.  The fact that middle school is right around the corner just blows my mind and makes me want to cry.  Our little girl is just growing up, but we couldn't be more proud of who she is.  Cohen is so smart, funny, and so talented.  She makes us very proud!  Don't get me wrong though, she is 11 and she has that little pre-teen sass that can make us lose our minds too.  She has always been strong willed and is her own worst critic.  I know a lot of that will work to her favor as she grows but may not always be the best for her and her mama!!   I do love her with all I have though and I know God has big things planned for this girl.  She is going to go far and I pray she keeps herself focused in the right direction and know that she can do anything she puts her mind too.  I also pray she keeps God first in her life and knows that His plan for her is by far greater than anything else.

Last picture with my 10 year old!

We celebrated Cohen's birthday in February.  Her actual day fell during the week so of course she was at school, but her Daddy and I made sure we went to eat lunch with her and took pizza for her and a few of her sweet friends.  If you have to go to school on your birthday you at least can make it as fun as possible!  We enjoyed our lunch entertainment with these girls too!

At the end of the day I came back to celebrate one more time with Cohen's class.  I tried not to think that this would be the last time I would get to celebrate her birthday at school.  That's one of the hardest things about 5th grade because you know this is it for the fun stuff we parents get to do with them at school.

That night Cohen got to celebrate with Bebe's cheesecake...her favorite!  

For Cohen's birthday party she wanted to do what she did last year which was take a few friends to Rush in Athens and then eat at Barbarito's afterwards.  We were working around Kate's basketball schedule and winter break too but we got it in and they had a blast.  Rush is always a fun place for them.  They love the dodgeball!  And who doesn't love Barbarito's...clearly its a favorite in our house!

We came back to our house for cake.  I loved her birthday cake and thought it turned out so cute!  Dill's did her cake and they did a great job!

 It was a special day for her, both her actual birthday and on the day of her party.  I'm so thankful for her sweet friends and I hope these friendships keep going on into middle school!

At 11 here's a little of what Miss Cohen is into:

• Her iPod!  We still haven't given in to cell phone and I want to prolong that as long as I can. But she loves to be on her iPod texting, watching YouTube, Tik Tok, and other games!
• Baton-she is still twirling away and loves the sport!  I'm so proud to say she is officially a middle school majorette!  She had try-outs just a few weeks ago and she is ready to twirl this fall.  She is also in the middle of her competition season and we are busy with that.
• She's definitely our dramatic child! (both good and bad)
• She loves to hang out and go places with friends.  She is always having friends over to our house or going to a friends' house.  She's our little socialite!

She is going to be a great big sister again to this new baby and she is so glad to be getting a sister.  I'm counting on her to be a big help!  I know she's going to be a little mama for sure!

 

One thing she got for her birthday was her 2nd hold pierced.  This happened over her winter break which was right after her party.   Savannah came along with us and ended up having hers pierced too!  These 2 were able to be support for each other!

Coco had already got to celebrate a little early with Grannie, Papa, Aunt Vicki, and Aunt Danette.  She loves all the birthday celebrations she can have for sure!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR COCO!  WE LOVE YOU SO!