God is so good!

Do you ever have one of those weeks that you want to say, "God, what are you doing to me?" Well, I have had a week like that. It seems to have been one thing after the other. I am exhausted from work and my seemingly endless "to do" list. To top it off, I was rudely awoken this morning (at 5 am) by our smoke detector beeping every minute. Of course Trey slept right through it, so I drug my pregnant self out of bed. I climbed on top of sophie's booster seat that is strapped to a chair and started trying to take it apart. I don't know what I did, but the thing quit beeping finally. Well, of course I get back in bed and can't sleep! Great. So I get up and get online and check my email. Then I decide to have a quiet time since I have a little peace and quiet. I started reading my one year bible and all these other verses are popping out at me, feeding me. I am listening to a playlist I made last night of praise/worship music. All of the sudden I am overwhelmed with God's presence and love. Do you ever have those moments where you feel so surrounded by Him and loved it brings you to tears. Well, I am pregnant and very emotional, so that may be where the tears came from, but I deeply needed to feel His presence. It seems like God lets us go through hard days and watches us fall, but He is always there to pick us up like a loving Daddy! It is so worth it to be reminded of exactly how much our Heavenly Father loves us and cares about even the small things in our lives! I am so blessed and cannot imagine going through one minute of this life without His love. God is amazing!

"And if the world caves in around me, to You I still hold on....Jesus, because of You I'm free!" Free - Hillsong

Beach Drama 2008

Family Beach Trips are always full of ups and downs. This year was no different. . . . .



Let's start with the basic components of this trip:
1. Great-grandparents in their 70s that don't like sun/sand. Check!

2. Father in law who just had knee surgery and no elevator. Check!

3. 5 hour car trip with a 2 year old and a pregnant woman. Check!

4. A condo that ended up being 3/4 mile away from the beach. Check!

It all worked out in the end and we had a great time. We did end up having to leave our original condo in Blue Mountain Beach and drive to Gulf Shores. But, my parents graciously let us stay in their new condo which was actually on the beach. We were a little tight, but isn't that what family trips are about? And, after driving back and forth, we were ecstatic to be able to see the ocean and sand at all from our condo. Thanks mom and dad!





Here is Sophie when we were in Blue Mountain. She is preparing for that first day at the beach. I promise she had a bathing suit on. She has all the necessary items for enjoying a day at the beach. Pink sunglasses, pink hat and a dora towel. What else does a 2 year old need?



I love these pictures of Trey and Sophie. The second one reminds me of Forrest Gump when he and his son both tilt their heads to one side.

Sophie loved playing with all her toys and building sand castles. She did however feel the need to rinse the sand off her hands very frequently! She let us braid her hair almost every day, which I loved!

On the way down to go crabbing!

Sophie thought this was the greatest thing ever to get to put her bathing suit on at night and go down to the beach! She was a little scared of the crabs, but she loved having running around with her net and flashlight. Then we went swimming in the pool, which she was probably even more excited about. Having kids at the beach, although not as relaxing, is very fun. You get to relive your own childhood a litle bit!

All in all, it was a great trip. I sure learned a lot of lessons when booking a condo. Never ever let someone tell you "oh yes, it's within walking distance." Ask them how many steps it is to the beach! Apparently 0.8 miles is "walking distance" to some people. I can't wait to go again next year with our new baby! Wow, two kids at the beach, that will be busy!