Daddy is HOME!!!!!

After a very long trip, Steven made it home today!! I was hoping this would come out better but I didn't hold it together too well hence my video skills were slightly impaired. Watching your babies run to their daddy that they have only seen through a computer screen for months is a feeling I can't even describe. Owell....you get the picture. Reed, Lilly and I are so excited to have him home even if it is only for a short period of time.



Our little family feels whole again.....and we plan on having 2 weeks of fun together!!

Destin, FL June 19-26

Every summer daycare closes for vacation for a week. When I found out the week in January, I called my dad and told him that we had to go somewhere because staying home all week with the kids was out of the question!! So, Darlene booked our trip. The oil spill threatened to cancel it but we waited it out and went anyway.

We left early Saturday morning with me, the kids, dad, and Darlene all packed up in my SUV. It was tight to say the least! We got to Destin with no problems (well, except that dad wouldn't stop for bathroom breaks and poor Reed peed all over himself and his seat!). So, we unpacked, and headed straight for the pool. I was a little worried about Reed not liking the water but boy was I wrong. Day by day he got braver and braver. By the end of the week he was jumping in (NO HANDS!!!) and going underwater and loving every second of it! Lilly loved it to and every time we would put her in the water she would go to sleep.

We spent the week with my dad and Darlene, my uncle Scott and his wife Beth (they are my age though!) and there two kids....my Godchild Scottie and Annie. Reed and Annie were best buds all week long.

The condo we stayed in was beautiful. It had a great pool area. The beach access was through riding on a boat to a private beach. The kids loved riding the boat and the beach we went to was perfect for my little ones.

All in all it was a fabulous week!! My kids loved Florida and Reed talks about going back constantly!

Here are some pics to enjoy....

We are ready!!

Don't forget the ice chest

Reed playing in the sand

On the boat to the beach

Paw swimming with Reed

Lilly ran non stop....and we chased her non stop!

They were pooped out!!

View from the balcony at night

And this is what Lilly did every time she hit the water....oh, how I wish I could relax like this!!


Still sleeping

Ahh...finally awake again!

Reed jumping to Paw

Erica and Lilly

Yup...asleep AGAIN!

And again.....

Best Friends.....or Best Cousins....whatever

Eating Watermelon for the first time

Our condo

We got dressed one night and hit the boardwalk....

Scott and Beth...

How freaking sweet!

More sweetness

Wearing Paw's shirt

Last Day....boo.....great time...thanks everybody!!

More Summer Fun

And the fun continues...

Reed tried to peel some crawfish...

Then we had Scott and Annie's birthday party.

Paw helped Reed up the slide all day.

The next day we went to see Imagination Movers in New Orleans. The kids had a blast and loved it.

Mother's Day 2010

Mother's Day was on May 9th. Since I had just done Lilly's party the weekend before, I decided that I didn't want to do a big family thing the weekend after. So, I thought just some special time with my mom was the thing to do. Mom came up for the weekend and we went to brunch together with the kids on Sunday morning. My cousin (mom's Godson) TJ and his girlfriend Erin came too. We had a great time.

My mom has had a pretty tough 5 years. She has had 2 lower back and 1 neck surgery. Since her back problems started she has been in constant pain. Things got even tougher for her when her and her husband separated at the end of 2009. And although she is still making her way through it, she has come a long way. She is planning on moving to Lafayette as soon as she can and we cannot wait to have her here. She has been such a help for me with Steven being gone and has come here very often to watch the kids or just visit when I needed her. Unfortunately, her health took another turn for the worse and she is about to have another major back surgery with another following a few months later. She still has a hard road ahead but she is strong and we'll get through this together.

Love you Mom! Thank you for being you and raising me to be the woman, wife, mother, and friend I am today.

Summer Fun

We got together with some of our other Army families going through a deployment again and I finally took some pics.

Lilly and Neely munching together.

Megan, Reed, and Hunter pretending to ride on a bus.


Then we had Chloe's F1st Birthday party to attend.

Lilly didn't make it very long until she needed a nap.

Family pic! (Renee and Billy have been my life savers through this deployment....Thank ya'll for everything ya'll have done and continue to do for us. Love ya'll)

Saggy pants...all.freaking.day!