Trip time!! (part 1)

Scott's parents were so generous, and they invited us to go on a trip with them to Mexico. We were so excited about getting to spend some good quality time with them and to have Adyson experience her first trip. We got all of our passports updated (yes, Ady even has one too!), and we got all of our things in order to go. A couple weeks before we were supposed to leave, the outbreak of the Swine Flu hit. At first, none of us were really concerned, but as more and more cases started showing up in Mexico and from Mexico, we decided that we should probably not subject our 8 month old to those potential germs in another country. We thought that we would have to put a rain-check on our trip for a year, but we were so blessed because the company that Tricia got the travel plans through was willing to switch our reservation to another hotel. Tricia did much research (Thank you so much, Tricia), and we switched our plans to go to Ft. Myers, Florida instead. It ended up working out perfectly for us to go to The Pink Shell Beach Resort because it was more like a condo than a hotel room, so we had our own kitchen and plenty of space for our rolling little one to wiggle to her heart's content. It was such a lovely resort. The pool was gorgeous and very kid-friendly, and the ocean was just a few steps away. We just loved it.

We all left on Saturday, May 16 to go to Florida. This was Ady's first trip not only to the airport but on a plane. She did great. I was pretty nervous about getting through security with all of my stuff but also all of her stuff (mysterious white powder?! anyone?!) Haha! It was actually very easy to get through. Ady slept through most of the flights, so we didnt have to worry about a screaming blondie on the plane. Those around us, I'm sure, were quite pleased.). Tricia had to be quieted a few times, but she was the only blondie screaming. Just kidding. We are all blondies, though. So fun!

We werent supposed to sit by eachother (none of us!), but the airline was so sweet to find us seats last minute all by eachother. It was so nice having three adults to one baby. (Bill got to hang out with the pilots on the first flight... he's so cool!).

Here is a picture of the resort. Isnt it gorgeous? I would recommend it to anyone. We had such a lovely time, and the sand was so unbelievably soft.

Although it was cloudy for most of the trip, we still found plenty of time to relax and enjoy the water and sand around us. We spent one day over on Sanibel where I collected beautiful sea shells, Ady took her first dip in the ocean, and we had a delicious lunch at Scott's favorite lunch place "The Bubble Room".

We went to Captiva Island on Thursday afternoon, and we had a really nice time over there. I think this was my favorite beach that we went to because it was so soft, and the sea shells were increddible. We played frisbee on the beach- that is, until I launched the frisbee into the ocean. Never trust me to be able to focus enough to play frisbee when I am on a beach, with my baby and hot hubby,awesome parents-in-law, sea shells, and lots of awesome people to watch. I dont know what I was thinking! Clearly, not about Frisbee. Poor Scott, I lost his awesome frisbee. Bill tried to find it, but it was to no avail. Ady also played in the water and in the sand, so she had to take a shower in bottled water before dinner. She turned the beach into a nude beach for a couple minutes. But is there anything cuter than a naked baby bootie on a beach? I think not. That night, we ate at a restaurant called The Mucky Duck. It was delicious! .

We got a gorgeous sunny day on Friday, and we spent the whole day relaxing by the pool. That night, Bill and Tricia watched Adyson for me and Scott, and we got to go out to dinner just the two of us. That was such a treat! We had dinner at a restaurant on the beach, and watched the sun go down. After dinner, we walked back up the beach to the resort. It was so nice to get to spend some quality time with my favorite person in the whole world! I love you, Scott! I think Bill and Tricia enjoyed some quality time with their new favorite person, too:) They are such wonderful grandparents to her (Go Pappy and Nana!).

We headed home on Saturday, May 23. It was such a wonderful trip! Scott and Ady got to snuggle on our flight to Denver. I couldnt get her to go to sleep, but as soon as I handed her to "daddy" she snuggled into his chest and fell asleep- for the WHOLE flight! It was adorable. He slept for about an hour of the flight, too. So cute!

I'll post a couple more of my favorite pictures on the next blog. For those of you who use facebook, there is a complete album of pictures on there to see.

Have a wonderful day!

Karen Ruth

New Yard!

Hello:)

It has been quite a while since I blogged. The last time I left you, I had almost killed poor Adyson. I am happy to report that we have had no more close calls, and Adyson is doing very well. She just turned nine months old on Saturday! I can hardly believe it! I have several blogs that I want to write, so I may post several in the next few days. It should be fun reading, though. Well, at least it will be fun writing. :)

Three weeks ago, we had some guys come put new sod into our back yard and our front yard! It is increddible to see the difference. When we bought our house last spring, it had been a foreclosed home for over a year and the grass looked like it. In fact, I would say that the grass was non-grass. We had dead grass all summer last year and a mud pit in the back yard this winter. As you can probably imagine, we have had quite the interesting cleaning extravaganza everytime Charlie would come in from playing outside. I am so excited about our new grass! Ady and I have gone outside to lay in the grass several times now, and we just love it!

Here are the pictures to document the transformation! It is crazy!

This is what our back yard looked like. Rocks. Dirt. Rocks. DIRT.

And below is a picture of our front yard.

The guy came and tore out some of the rock in our back yard so we could have a nice even grassy area instead of a crazy dog-bone shape that we had in the back before. Here's the dirt all fluffed and ready for sod.

Then the sod arrived....

It took a team of five guys to put in all the sod and an entire day, but it looks great. They even fixed the sprinkler system! They did such a great job!

We all just love the grass! Here is a picture of Ady and Charlie testing out the grass for the first time. So precious!

The Longest 20 Minutes...

Last Thursday my lovely mother-in-law, Tricia, came down to visit us for a few days. Since it was such a lovely day we decided that we should all go to Garden of the Gods for a walk. We packed up Charlie and Adyson, and headed to the park for the afternoon. On our way, we stopped at Sonic and got some delicious iced tea. It was such a warm day and the sky was so blue. I just love walking around that park because it is so strangely and beautifully contrasted with the red, jagged rocks and the bright greens and blues. So pretty!

We walked and walked. Charlie was so tired he kept trying to walk in the shadow of Adyson's stroller. He cracks me up. It was pretty hot, so we decided it was time to head back home. I loaded up Charlie and Ady, and when I went to go around to the front of the car, Tricia and I both realized that the doors were locked. Yup... ALL of the doors and the back. Somehow I managed to lock both Charlie and Adyson in the car with the key.

It was so hot outside, and I started panicking. We tried calling AAA first, but the guy just laughed hysterically at me. He said that because there was a child in the car, I would need to call the police. When I asked him what the best phone number was, he just laughed even harder :*( I finally just hung up on him! We tried looking up the number for a park ranger or someone at the park, but there wasn't a number. Finally, since it was so hot outside and time was ticking by, I decided that I should just call 911. I felt bad, but I didnt know what else to do. Adyson was still playing quietly in her car seat, but I knew it had to be getting really hot in there. The lady on the phone was so reassuring, and she had the fire department and police men on their way within minutes. She even called back a few minutes later to make sure that they got there and that everything was okay with the baby. What a sweetheart!

About 12 minutes after I locked the key in the car, two police cars and a fire truck with paramedics showed up. They were able to break into my car about ten minutes later. When they first opened the door I quickly jumped in the car to unlock the other doors, and it was SO hot in there. After just 20 minutes! It was seriously like an oven. Ady's cheeks were so red and her hair was pretty sweaty. All we had to drink was iced tea, s0 Tricia put Adyson on her lap and let her reach her hands into the iced tea too cool off. Charlie was pretty hot too, so we gave him some iced tea to drink. He thought we were crazy, I'm sure! Before leaving, I stripped little ady down to her diaper and poored iced tea on her belly and her head so she would cool off. *sigh* All in all, it took 20 minutes from the time I first called AAA till the time the firemen rescued Ady. Those firemen were increddible! They got her out so quickly! Praise the Lord that everyone was okay, and that they could get to the park so quickly. It was so scary! Here's a picture of the wonderful firemen helping rescue my Doodle. Poor hot baby!

As a quick note, I would just like to remind parents and pet owners to please be careful this summer. I didnt even think it was possible to lock my Volvo keys in the car, but I was wrong. I keep thinking about how much worse this could have been if it had been a hot day in June, July, or August. It was hot outside, but nothing like it would have been in the middle of the summer. I hope this story is a good reminder to all of us that we need to be extra careful. It happens so easily! Also, there is happy hour at Sonic between 2 and 4 every afternoon. Their drinks are so delicous and cheap, and their cups keep drinks insulated really well. Check it out sometime. :)