Vacation Part I

Since I have so many pictures from our recent vacation, I've decided to divide them into multiple posts. Scroll down to see the previous posts from Myrtle Beach! :)

Despite a few days of rain and wind, we had beautiful weather overall. We were able to spend quite a bit of time down at the beach and at the heated pool.

Stay tuned for Part II! :)

Ripley's Aquarium.

It rained for two days straight while we were at the beach, so Micah and I had to get creative and come up with something for the girls to do.
Since a lot of the shopping and activities are outdoors, we were limited in our choices.
After a bit of online research, we decided on Ripley's Aquarium. I'm so glad we did. Both of them really enjoyed it! In fact, Hannah is watching a home video of our visit as I type!

After a wonderful trip to the aquarium, we headed over to Johnny Rockets for lunch!

Hannah adores her Daddy!

Micah was a good sport and wore the paper hat they provided...Hannah refused to do so!

Despite the rainy weather, we really did have a great day!

Vacation. {This'll be long}

Four months ago, Micah and I booked a trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on a whim. We headed out on our eight day adventure October 6th (my 27th birthday!) and just returned this past Friday.
I took a ton of pictures to document the occasion, as I'm sure you all guessed! We had a wonderful time and I'm so glad we decided to take the girls, although I must say, taking a 9 month old that puts everything in sight in her mouth is not an easy task! Sarah ate more sand than I'm sure can be good for a person! She seemed to do just fine with it though, and we did try to keep her from eating it!

We stayed at Land's End Ocean Resort and actually were upgraded from the two bedroom condo we booked, to a four bedroom, seventh floor penthouse! We were thrilled! It worked out great because my Mom joined us on the trip for four days and it allowed her to essentially have an entire floor to herself!
{Some of these pictures will be smaller because they were originally resized for facebook!}

Hannah loved being at the beach! She woke every morning asking to see the ocean, and insisted on telling the waves goodnight before heading to bed. She is so precious!

I love spending time as a family. It is so precious because it's rare that all of us are home together. We all enjoyed having the entire day with each other.

I think I'm going to split this post into several to avoid this getting too long. Maybe I'll do a day by day play of our vacation. Stay tuned! :)

Something sweet...

I have a lot of something sweet to share...

There's a whole lot more where that came from.

Stay tuned! ;)

She's a Daddy's Girl.

There is nothing like the bond between father and daughter.

She's Daddy's girl.

First day of Fall.

September 23rd marks the end of summer and the beginning of another season...fall. All too soon, the leaves will change to gorgeous shades of deep reds, oranges, and browns. The sunny, 70-something degree days will turn to a slightly less warm version.

The past week or so has been rainy, cold, and dark. We waited for a break in the clouds and a boost in the temperature so we could squeeze in every last bit of summer that was left.

Yesterday boasted sunny skies and high's in the mid seventies. We soaked up the last day of summer by lounging in the grass, coloring with chalk in the driveway, and blowing bubbles into the evening sky. It was splendid.

Everything is changing. The seasons, the weather, my girls.

Hannah was singing into a dandelion stem while Sarah tried to swipe it out of her hands.

Hannah had her 30 month check up yesterday. Each visit to the pediatrician's office reminds me once more of why I absolutely hate to go. I can't expect any different from my girls. That place is crawling with germs, dirty kids (with no shoes!), and a million other things I'd rather not be exposed to. Nonetheless, Hannah checked out just fine, weighing in at just over 24 pounds. They told me she grew in heigth as well, but no one bothered to tell me exactly how much.
After a shot, a Tweety bandaid, and three stickers, we headed home.

Sarah showed off her FIRST tooth (top left!) in all it's glory...

This is by far my favorite picture of Sarah to date! Thanks to Hannah for making her laugh THIS hard!! ::swoon::

I hate to see summer end, but I'm excited for what the next season holds for my family! ;)

Simplicity.

This'll be quick, as my girls have spent the last few days trashing every room of the house. I'm beginning my rounds to begin putting stuffed animals, Little People figurines, and the like back in their designated spots.

On a whim, Micah and I took the girls to the mall last night. I had the girls ready to go so that as soon as he pulled in the driveway from work, we began loading them into the car.

I needed to run out anyway, as my glorious 100L needed shipped to Canon for repairs. Forty-five dollars later, it is on it's way. I'm hoping it will be returned in proper working order and will stay that way for a long time. After all, one should think a $1000 lens should last longer than two and a half months.

We went to the mall and headed straight for the food court for a quick dinner. Given the option of Chick-Fil-A or pizza, Hannah decided on pizza. We sat and ate, me cutting up slices for Hannah, Micah keeping Sarah occupied with Puffs. It was a wonderfully relaxing meal. We cleaned up our table, packed up our juice boxes and snacks, and started along our way...and then she saw it.
She's never noticed it before. Never asked about it. Never gave it a second glance. But last night, she was intrigued. She knew she wanted to give it a try, and so we let her.

We weren't sure how she'd react once it started moving, so Micah rode along with her...talking her through the ride.

Her look of uncertainty quickly faded after the first lap.

I watched in awe as the simplicity of that ride that gave my little girl such delight.

She had so much fun. She's asked me several times today if we can ride it again "tomowee".

I may give in to that little face and take her to the mall just for the train ride. :)

I marvel at my girls. They so examine life. The little things. Things we'd often pass off as nothing out of the ordinary or exciting.

Sarah spent over twenty minutes examining her afternoon snack. She gazed at the little bits with such interest.

I sat and watched her play. How much do I miss by not taking the time to really examine the little things in life?

Life is precious. Every little thing. I don't want to be so busy that I forget to take in the most important things. No matter how simple or small they may seem. :)