Spring Break 2013

Last year we headed north for Spring break and enjoyed BEAUTIFUL weather in the mountains so we decided to head south this year.  We always enjoy Destin and this trip did not disappoint. We knew the forecast called for cool temps and a little rain and that is what we got.

A little cool weather can't stop these kiddos from having a blast.  They enjoyed the sand and water.

These 8-year-olds are certainly growing up.  We spent a lot of time at Baytown Wharf because it was so much fun.  They have a ton of attractions that kids love and they have added so many since we last visited.  The girls were super excited that we gave them the green light to do a ropes course that was very cool.  They were harnessed and then climbed through obstacles that were on three different levels way high in the air.  They were not intimidated.  We were proud parents.

They did stay close to each other for moral support.  They went all the way to the top.

Houston was the MAN on the toddler version of the obstacle course.  He looks grown up in his little harness.  He had mastered this in a few minutes, but won't be tall enough to go on the "big" ropes for a while.

Until then, we'll enjoy the small course and play on the beach.

We spent one rainy afternoon at the Florida Gulfarium.  We had never checked out this attraction before so we were all curious as to what we'd find.....

This sea turtle has lived there since 1955 when they first opened.  He swims in the same pool as several sharks.

It rained during our walk through some of the outside exhibits and these cute kiddos took full advantage of an opportunity to have more fun.  We splashed though some puddles and explored some hands-on exhibits and a gator feeding.

Houston tried to be tough and bully the girls for a photo op for mom before we left.  

We had a fun and relaxing time on our trip.  Can't wait to go back to the beach and have more fun and more memories (warmer temps too).  While we at the beach a new issue of Southern Living came out.  We unknowingly ate at 3 of their top 5 recommendations of places to eat on the coast.  None disappointed and only one was new to us--Stinky's Fish Camp!  The food was good, but we'd go back anyway just because of the name.  The kids thought it was hilarious.

8th & 4th BIRTHDAYS

October is always a busy month in the Lee house.  In one week we celebrate 3 birthdays, we celebrate the arrival of Fall with a visit to the pumpkin patch, and we have fun trick-or-treating.  The girls turned 8 in October (I know I'm seriously slow in posting these days) so we decided to celebrate with a surprise trip to the American Girl store in Atlanta.  The girls knew we were planning to go to the A.G. store, but they didn't know when we were going.  They were thrilled!

Ms. Kay was our personal shopper and she was wonderful.  She explained each of the historical character to you and all of their accessories.  You girls stayed true to what you had in mind prior to our trip.  You had decided you wanted a "looks like me" doll.  The interesting thing is you DID NOT want the same doll.  You uniquely chose the doll that you felt best represented you.  The major feature that neither of you would budge on was freckles.  You each had to have a doll with freckles.

Hollyn decided to get a doll with hazel eyes and longer brown hair.

Ms. Kay took so much time telling us exactly how to care for our girls.

Aidyn chose a doll with shorter brown hair and blue eyes.

Daddy and Houston were good sports and even let us go to the girly Bistro.  Not in the mood to eat bistro "real" food, we decided to go for a treat.

What a treat it was.

It did not last very long.  So much fun.

In the spirit of dolls and characters we took Houston to Build-a-Bear to transform his beloved Duffy Bear into Duffy America.  October is, after all, his birthday too.

We left the mall with 2 sets of twins that aren't exactly alike.  Each perfect in her own way.

Since we had so much fun shopping for girly stuff, we took Houston to Toys 'R Us to do some fun shopping for him too.  He picked out a Captain America shield, some army men and new racetrack for his matchbox cars.  What a fun weekend for our big kids.

The birthday fun did not end in one weekend.  We had a costume birthday party with our cousins.

Our dolls, Claire (hollyn's on left) and Anna Grace (Aidyn's) were at the party.

We had a fun making crafts and visiting with our cousins.

We had a blast at Old Baker Farm once again this year.  

We got some great pumpkins.

But wait!  The birthday parties aren't over.  We had one more celebration with family.

We had a blast trick-or-treating on Halloween.  Beautiful ladies and one really tough looking super hero.

Accomplishments

Each year we set goals that we'd like to meet, usually for the kids it is something to work on during school breaks just to keep our minds in learning mode.  Last year the kids learned the Lord's Prayer so we decided to work on Psalm 23 this year.  Here we go....

Houston learned Genesis 1:1.  He's learned each bible verse his bible class at school has studied each month.  He received a blue ribbon for learning his bible verse and reciting it.  This is a major accomplishment for our big boy.

Aidyn:

Hollyn :

We are so proud of our little ones.  They have a big heart for learning.:)

Summer 2012 in Review

We all had so much fun this summer.  All good things must come to an end, right?  Here is a little recap of some of our fun memories....Of course our New Mexico trip was a major highlight of the summer.

It was such an amazing experience and it was even more special because we shared it with our friends.

The girls served and loved that week. We're so thankful for the opportunity to spend time with the amazing people we met.  We are hoping to get to go back.

We are praying for these precious faces.  We can't forget these precious people and we pray for God's blessings to be on them.

We had some fun on the trip with our hike to the top of Window Rock.

Immediately following the New Mexico trip, we headed south for vacation at the beach.

The beach trip was extra fun because we vacationed with our friends, the Jameses.

The girls practiced riding some waves.

We posed for some pics.

We rode in our very first bike parade to celebrate the 4th of July.

We soaked up a lot of sun.

Hollyn lost a tooth while watching a play in Alys Beach.

We tried to capture 1,367,834 smiles from all of the fun.

In early August we celebrated 50 years of marriage for Mama Ann and Papa.  We had a wonderful low-key celebration just as they wanted.  Such a wonderful example of marriage for the next generation to see.

The kids really enjoyed playing at our house this summer too.  It usually involved getting wet, but that is what summer is about.

In addition to our fun travels and celebrations we also enjoyed our neighborhood pool this summer as well.  Houston conquered the diving board before summer was over and was swimming really well.  Summer was great but now we're excited to create Fall memories too.