Hello from Florida!

We're here. Finally! Things got started off to a bit of a rough start on Saturday. My mom rode with the kids and me on Thursday down to my aunts house to break up the trip. Steven was on his way on Saturday to meet us in my mom's car. Around Birmingham he called and said he had blown a tire. So after getting all of that worked out, he arrived around 5:00. We get the van packed up and are headed out. Now I am usually very good at directions. But somehow I missed a turn. So about 45 min. down a county road and very low on gas, we realize this. Panic sets in as we haven't seen a gas station for at least 20 miles. Needless to say, things were a bit tense between Steven and me :) We both had to apologize later-as you can imagine. You know..."how could you have missed that turn? why didn't we have a full tank of gas?" And the kids at this point are starving (as am I). So we pulled over and turned off the car (which caused Andrew to wake up) and called Andalusia police (that was the nearest town). They informed us Brantley was just a few more miles down the road. We made it to Brantley and thankfully a gas station, but no fast food. There was a Dollar General and so I was able to get a loaf of bread and some deli meat. Nothing like a little picnic in the car in Brantley, AL! So the locals were more than happy-seemed to love it, actually-giving us directions. One man continued to say "wow, you really did get lost" Thanks for that. Anyway, we got turned around and about 2 hrs. later we pulled in to our beach house.

No time for a grocery run, so yesterday morning we drove about a mile in to Seaside and had one of the best breakfasts I have ever put in my mouth. Fried Green Tomato Eggs Benedict-with Gouda cheese grits-yummy! Yesterday was beautiful. Here are a few highlights.


Don't be too jealous. As I sit here it is POURING down rain outside. Well, you can still be a little jealous, because it is actually very cozy. I don't really mind at all. It's so funny how things change once you get older. I would've been so incredibly disappointed as a child if it was raining at the beach. Now it is such a vacation to be somewhere else and have Steven "home from work" for 7 days, with no housework to do except the basics (which is still quite a bit-but much less than normal).

Poor Luke got a little lost in the beach shuffle. However, we did manage to squeeze in a little birthday hoopla before we left. And here are a few pics from the big day in all its "Cars" glory. I have heard some say that the 3's are harder than 2's, so far that is turning out to be the case with Luke. Looots of whining these days. Still very sensitive and obedient, just lots more tears and very whiny. Hopefully just a phase.

Not mad. Just a very intense "I'm opening up my gifts" look.

And while we're on phases that I'm hoping will not last. Andrew is eating a lot during the night. Like every 4 hours a lot. Ridiculous, isn't it? See this is the longest I've ever been able to nurse. And he is so distracted during the day he will hardly nurse. So he does it at night, I guess. Or I just need to let him cry it out. And first baby Ann would be all about that, but third baby Ann is thinking, he will eventually sleep, but it's just easier to nurse him and put him back down. (Or just let him fall back asleep in bed with us, even) Hey-whatever works.

Hope to be back with more sunny beach pics.