Sweet Friends

One of the highlights of our trip was getting to see one of my very best friends and her sweet kids! Kim and her family used to live in Virginia Beach, but were transferred to New Orleans a couple years ago. We don't get to see each other very often, but we talk on an almost daily basis so it doesn't really seem like we live that far apart! When I told Kim that we were driving to Florida for spring break, she didn't even hesitate to drive from LA to FL to see us there. A five hour drive is a much more tolerable one than a 16 hour drive!

We made plans to meet in Fort Walton Beach at the Gulfarium. It was so sweet to see the kids all together. They hadn't seen each other since we visited them in New Orleans over spring break last year, but it seemed as though they were forever friends! They had such a good time together!

Hunter and Isabelle really enjoyed looking through the windows into the dolphin pool!


We enjoyed the dolphin show and the view of the beautiful white beaches.

The kids had their own ways of entertaining themselves while we waited for the next show to start. Hannah decided to take a little rest...

And let me just tell you about how that little girl melted my heart!

Hannah has always had a mind of her own. From the time that she was due to be born and refused to come out when her mommy wanted her to, to this very day...she is not afraid to tell you what she wants. She isn't one for much cuddling or outward affection. So, when we met at for the day I asked her if I could have a hug and fully expected to be rejected. I promise my feelings would not have been hurt! I just figured there was no harm in asking, right?

So, I asked her for a hug and she not only grinned at me, but she walked toward me and gave me a sweet little hug! I was so honored! By the end of the day I had gotten another hug out of her and she even said "I love you!"

It was amazing to see how both Hunter and Hannah had grown! Hunter has turned into such a precious little man and Hannah has changed so much since we saw her last year! She wasn't even walking and now she is little miss independent! She is even speaking so well! She calls Isabelle "Apple."

When we were done at the Gulfarium we had lunch together and got to chat some more. The kids so enjoyed their time together!
Kim, (and DeeDee) thank you so much for meeting us for the day! I know it was a long day for you all, but it was so good to see you and hopefully we won't have to wait a whole year for another visit! We love you guys!

A delayed Easter

Since we ended up staying an extra day in South Carolina to take care of house business, we ended up celebrating Easter a day late. The kids didn't seem to mind. They used their buckets as baskets and hunted plenty of eggs! Both of the kids were quick to inventory what their eggs contained!

Panama City Beach

After the fun of house hunting in South Carolina, we continued our trip down to Florida. When we pulled into town it was simply beautiful outside. It was in the low 70s and the sun was shining.

However, when we woke the next morning prepared to spend a day on the beach, we found that a lovely cold front had moved on into the area. The high for the day was in the low 50s.

Let me just tell you that when the high is in the low 50s and a front is moving through, there are breezes (that sometimes feel like hurricane force winds) that not only make it a bit chilly to enjoy the beach, but they also send tiny grains of sand flying into your skin at alarming rates. It started to feel like that tingly feeling you get when your leg goes to sleep.

I continue to be amazed at the college age girls that were laying on the beach determined to enjoy their spring break in their bikinis. If this sand was irritating me while I was fully clothed, I can only imagine what they must have been enduring with 98% of their skin exposed to the elements!

The picture looks beautiful: What you might notice, however is the lack of people on the beach...

The kids (Haaley included) were determined to enjoy the beach. They dug in the sand and looked at the water, but all within the comforts of their jackets.

After a while, Haaley was determined to be in the water. Not all the way, but enough to say that she had done it. And Ian was quick to follow her. Isabelle walked near the water but was definitely not interested in being in it!

So, Haaley and Ian rolled up their pants and stepped into the chilly waters. But that didn't last long.

Pretty soon they went back to digging.

All in all they had a great time. It was us "old" people that had a hard time enjoying it.

Here is a picture of the contemplation over whether they should enter the water or not.

NEW HOUSE

Many of you know already, but we have gotten orders to move back down to the Charleston, SC area in June! We are very excited about this transition.
Mom agreed to stop on the way down to Florida so that we could do a little house hunting and get a feel for what was out there. David was not with us, so I didn't expect to actually commit to anything...

But it happened and this is what I bought: Only, this is what ours looks like so far:

Some of you are probably thinking I am crazy right now. But let me assure you, David had given me permission to buy if I felt I had found the right thing...and I did! So, we will head back down to SC this month for him to see it in person! We are very excited to own our own home again! I promise to put more pictures up when we move into ours in June!

Road Trip

My mom and Haaley flew in from Colorado to spend spring break with us! After a quick night's sleep, we jumped on the road to South Carolina and Florida. You can see that the kids travel well!
And when they weren't sleeping, they enjoyed plenty of movies.

Easter Party

Now this seems so long ago, but Isabelle is still talking about it, so I wanted to share it with you all. Before heading out on our Spring Break Adventure, Isabelle had an Easter party at school complete with an easter egg hunt! They had made their own Easter baskets and had to collect four eggs, being sure to only get one of each color.
And no party would be complete without some treats, or in this case, a feast!
Happy Easter!

OOPS!

Well...no REAL post yet, but when I pulled up my blog to work on it this morning, I had to laugh. It appears that I have been devouring chocolate cake for the last 3 weeks because of the last blog I left...but there has been so much more going on! Chocolate cake has had nothing to do with any of it! I will do my best to update you all (all 10 of you!) on what is going on in the Westlake World...it just might take me a few days to get caught up! But be patient...I will get there!