Vacation #1: Galveston

For years, Waylen's family has taken trips to Galveston for a week each summer. There are quite a few of us that go including aunts, cousins, second cousins, etc., and we set up camp in two houses that are next door to each other on the sandy beach. This was our first trip there since 2008 and I think we were all ready for the adventure; especially since this would be the first time we were going with kiddos. I know I was really looking forward to seeing the ocean and all its greatness through Scarlet's eyes for the first time.

It did not disappoint!

As we drove into Galveston and took a right at the Seawall, Scarlet caught her first real glimpse and yelled, "Oh! Hello Ocean!" It was as if she knew what she had been looking for and was overjoyed to finally discover it. The words made both Waylen and I very happy.

The trip was really great for everyone. The weather cooperated for the most part and it was an extremely relaxing time. Scarlet LOVED the water and woke us up with those words every morning. She was hard to keep dry and clean most of the time because as soon as we changed her out of her bathing suit, she was right back in the water again...in a clean dress or shorts.

It all went by way too fast and I'm already looking forward to our next beach trip!

Here are a few of our favorite pics from the week:

A view of the house (our was the one in the middle and Cindy's sisters stayed in the blue one to the left).

What the house looked like right after breakfast and right before everyone headed down to the beach.

 Cousin Kendall loves Will.

Scarlet loved her personal-sized beach chair and that it had a cupholder just for her.

Will chilled by the waves as well.

Can't forget about Daddy.

Scarlet loves her cousin Tyler a bit too much sometimes. There were hurt knees, shoulders, heads, and feelings from a few too many hard hugs over the week-long trip.

Kendall and Scarlet helping Aunt Krista make dessert one night.

We took an awe-inspiring trip to the Rainforest Cafe. It was our first time there and it was a HUGE success.

 Will wasn't sure what to think...

 So he tried on a few different emotions...

But Scarlet loved the fishtanks. 

She loved everything else about it as well...even the thunderstorms.

 

Outside with Daddy. You can tell how humid it is in Galveston because I couldn't keep my lens from fogging up when we were outside.

A little flirt already...Will with cousins Kendall and Karli.

Running on the beach with Gumball and Addison. 

Waiting for the water to really reach her.

"Ewwww momma! Dirty." Sand between the fingers.

Scarlet and Gumball

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...Daddy and Will

Scarlet got a bit sick about half way through our trip and couldn't go in the water. Instead, she would sit on the porch with Aunt Debby and yell at all the kiddos.

Kendall joined her on the last night.

The view from our deck at sundown. Goodbye beach, we'll see you soon!

My Baby Can Read!

You may have seen all their commercials on TV by now - it's the "My Baby Can Read" DVD set that allows you to teach your 12 month to 5 year old children how to read. I was skeptical and definitely didn't want to put pressure on Scarlet or set expectations too high, so we've approached it like a game that's elective for her to do. What I've found is that when I don't put the video in on a particular day, she will bring it to me and remind me.

So far she has about ten words that she can read very well (nose, mouth, eyes, dog, hi, elephant, wave, tiger, baby, and gorilla). In fact, she knows them so well, she plays with me by pretending she is reading other words that she knows like you can see in this video.

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I'm THIS Big!

Will is about to turn 6 months (tear, sniff, tear). I recently took him to see his pediatrician for his checkup, at which they weighed and measured him. We had bets going, but no one came anywhere close to his actual stats:

A whopping 21 pounds and 26 inches!!!

He is the same size Scarlet was at 12/13 months!

The doctor told me she would chart his progress...if the chart only went that high (apparently he is somewhere around th 120th percentile for both height and weight).

I will call him bruiser and he shall be mine!

Let's Splash!!

Yes, it's us - we are back from vacations and finally updating the blog! Get ready for a few, but I'll try to space them out.

Scarlet is a true water baby. There are some mornings where the first thing she asks me is: "Water, momma?" I believe that she would play in her kiddie pool or the water hose all day if I let her. I don't, but she would. Here are a few photos of her adventures in the hose and slip n' slide from the beginning of summer.

Cooper loves the water just as much as Scarlet, so she has fun spraying them both.

This is the look we get when we ask her to smile. "Cheeeeeese!"

Let me just get this little speck of grass off my foot.......

Waylen went on this particular morning and bought her a slip n'slide. It had this little water fountain at one end that fed into the rest of the line. This was the last photo we got of that piece because it burst from the pressure of the water shortly after...quality control people.

I'm running...

But I am NOT slipping or sliding.

Just splashing!

I also love dandelions and how all those little fluffy pieces fly through the air.

It was important for daddy to experience it too.

Happy Girl!

My lounging beauty sat in the shade and took in the sights.

You Talkin' to Me?

One of the funniest things about Will is his need to communicate with us. He has been "yelling" at us for at least a month now. Here is just a sample of what we hear all day long!

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Now, some of you will get cut, others will not...

One of my favorite lines from Friends, Pheobe couldn't cut Monica's hair without first giving "them" a pep talk. We said the same to Scarlet's hairs this week as we embarked on the first haircut!

We asked her aunt Krista to do the honors since we were sure she would resist anyone else. Plus, Krista is a former beautician.

She loved sitting in the chair to begin with.

Before... (This is what I get when I ask her to say 'cheese' - she is a bit of a wild child)

She was too short for the chair, so Krista asked her to stand up instead. Just in case  you're wondering, the mark on her cheek is from an orange marker. She loves drawing on herself. It's a real challenge.

We distracted her with my iPhone so she could watch Elmo while Krista worked. 

This is the only "after" picture I have so far, but you can see how much shorter and cleaner it looks. It's so cute - like a little 'bob' cut.

Easter at the Days 2011

If you know Waylen's family, then you know they like to do things BIG and special. And Easter is no exception. Every year, they invite anyone and everyone to come to their home to celebrate the holiday. There usually ends up being somewhere between 200 and 250 adults and children, and it lasts at least 8 to 10 hours.

The Friday before the event, Cindy (Waylen's mom) always has the kids over to help decorate the eggs that will be in the hunt the following Sunday. We went and Scarlet enjoyed her first taste of dying eggs. Although she didn't quite understand how that meant she wasn't supposed to be dying her hands.

Enjoying some egg dying with cousin, Alex

Will just "hung" in the shade with aunt Krista

The Big Hunt

This year was so much fun because Scarlet was old enough to understand the Easter bunny and get very excited about seeing him and hunting eggs. We had a few test runs at our house before the big day so she would be ready, and she was a true pro when it was finally time to set out with her basket at the real hunt. Here are some photos from the day.

 Sneaking some candy before the hunt

  

Daddy was giving her a pep talk on where to go and how to beat the others kids ;-) 

And she was off and running! 

Literally!

By the time we caught up with her, she was popping open eggs and throwing candy in her mouth. Problem was, the wrappers were still on them...

Announcing her wins

Momma, Daddy and Scarlet

You know how some kids are terrified of the bunny? Not Scarlet. We could not pull her away. She thought he was the bee's knees.

She was upset when we did and kept pointing and yelling "bunny!"

So we let her go back for a kiss...

 And then everyone just hung out for a few hours and enjoyed all the food.

 Baby Will stayed out the sun most of the time and slept right through the Easter egg hunt.

And she moved on to other things once the Easter bunny was gone and there were no more eggs to find...