Robbins Birthday Party

For Robbins 4th day we went a different route than usual. No big party, no major decorations just a boy, his family and one very unstressed mom.

We woke up to our traditional decorated kitchen and birthday doughnut,

He opened his present from us that morning. A super cool Dino Hunter helicopter. We are taking him to Disney in September so that's his real present(and mine).

One think I really liked was slowly opening presents throughout the day from the rest of the family. That was it was not present overload and turning into a minosaur.

We went to the Zoo that morning and had the best time. It was cloudy but super humid as you can tell from the fog in the first picture I tried to take.

I love this one. The boys(little and big) enthralled with the monkey's.

Aunt Melanie feeding the birds

These two baby elephants put on quite a show. They kept eating sticks and they didn't have their tusks yet so I said with fake confidence that they must be teething. I learned that from my dad, event if your not sure it's the right answer say it with confidence and people will probably think your right! Good and bad quality of ours:)

Lunch time

Attempt at a family picture...FAIL

This one loved the little people play area

How cool is this playground?

I spy Robbins in there

After the Zoo we headed home for kiddo naps and for me to attempt to decorate cupcakes. My OCD child asked for cupcakes decorated like "sports balls" and he was very specific that he did not want the sticks coming out of the top like I normally do. Apparently my cupcake toppers have been an issue for him for years. I, am not a baker, luckily my fab sister in law is. She (tried) to help me get the icing right but I didn't really measure everything which apparently is a good idea when you bake, so my icing took some loving on to get it the edible right consistency. Overall I was pleased event though they are a little rough. Consider it a life lesson for Robbins, I did something and tried really hard even though i know I'm not good at it. Not to mention he loved them which is the most importnat thing.  

Poppy and Juju arrived then the cousins came over to play baseball with his new pitcher thing. We ordered pizza, had cupcakes and overall just enjoyed one another.

On Sunday we just hung around while the dad's golfed and stood in awe of how well William and Robbins played together all weekend. They would go upstairs for hours. This was eye opening to how much they have grown up and also stung a little to not be needed as badly.

Aunt Melanie got Landry dressed and I think she enjoyed picking out little girl clothes:)

This one was NOT happy that Poppy and Juju were leaving

She clearly got over it though.

What a blessing the entire weekend was. One of my favorite parts was J.Ed and I staying up after the kids went to bed with my brother and sister in law. We had such serious, funny, awesome conversations and I loved every minute. Happy Birthday Robbins! I hope you enjoyed your party!

Happy Birthday Robbins!

I can not believe on August 10th we celebrated his little boy's 4th birthday. He is such an incredible child and I am so proud he is ours.

Robbins you remind me more and more of your dad everyday. Your analytical mind and the way you look at things in details blows me away. Also, your incredible sensitivity and love for your family and friends is precious. You are so strong and so brave, two things that can't always be taught, and pair that with your determination, someone will be hard pressed to stop you from accomplishing your goals. Your toughness can be seen in how you handle yourself in so many different situations but in the moment I least expect it you still remind me that your only 4.  I realize sometimes we expect too much from you because of your size and independence but you don't seem to want it any other way.

3 has been a big year for you! You moved up to room 5 and now room 7 at Belle Meade, you took swim lessons again and killed it, you stayed with both sets of grandparents for a week without missing a beat, we went to the beach and you surfed your heart out. We got you completely night time potty trained, you went to the SEC basketball tournament, lots of UK football games, and experienced your first loss when Benson passed away in May. We spent countless hours outside, at concerts,watching Harry Potter, meeting new friends, played soccer on the red team at school and growing into quite the little athlete.

We are so thankful for the past year and 4 is already off to a great start with one milestone after the next. I can't believe you had your first sleepover this past weekend! You are the best big brother and are showing your sister the ropes of independence and toughness quite nicely all while loving her and helping take care of her as well. Thank you for being such a big helper and handling your dad's new travel schedule so well. Trust me, I mean a big thank you! My prayer for you is that you never lose this incredible confidence you have in yourself and in those around you but also realize it's ok to ask for help. I also pray that God continues to grip your sweet heart and mold you into who He plans for you to be. I pray your dad and I, although extremely broken, can set a good example for you in all that we do. Happy Birthday Robbins!

Your verse for this year is :
Isaiah 40:31

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

  

Beach Trip 2013

At the end of July we headed to the beach for our annual beach trip. We stay in the Seacrest area which is right next to Rosemary and Alys beach. This year we were joined by our great friends the Bennett's. John and I grew up together and he is now married to a wonderful girl, Rachel, and they have two kids garner and Neeley who are close to R and L's age. This was our first time traveling together and we had a blast! The perfect amount of relaxation, activity, nights out, nights in and laughs! 

I loved the view from my beach chair 

My attempt at taking a picture of the kids in matching swim suits.

Loving on daddy

We rented the house right next to the pool which was perfect for adult swim during naps and after bed time because our monitors worked.

Miss Neeley looking so sweet

John and Garner

Luckily these two became fast friends. We were either watching The Lion King, playing with trucks, or dancing while inside.

Their reading nook

Daddy/daughter swim time

Garner always had his rear showing, it was adorable.

This is what Robbins did the entire time. All he wanted to do was surf. I love his brave and determined heart. I saw so clearly that he has so much of his dad and I in his personality, failure is not an option!

This little land lover was not crazy about the sand or the ocean the first couple days. She was also getting over hand, foot & mouth(the worst) so was not 100%. By day 3 though, she was all in.

Classy

The reality of picture taking...

before

after...

My first love

Landry and Mr. John cutting a rug

More dance party

I had to take a picture of this meal. The guys went to the seafood market and got 3 different types of fish that we all split. That with cheese potato's, green beans with bacon, and french bread about did me in!

One cloudy day we headed over to the playground at Alys beach. We were obsessed with it.

Even the big kids had fun

This pile of dirt was a hit. It was literally just dirt with a trail dug into it so they could run around the outside of it to get to the top.

Her pose is cracking me up, like she is waiting for the paparazzi. I don't know where she gets it from, do you Anna?

This is one of those moments where I realized how big he is now. So strong, so independent and so at ease.

More big kids having fun

There was a splash park right next to it and they went wild. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Cheesing for the camera

One of our adult nights out to George's. We had a babysitter that we hired down there to keep the kids and she was seriously amazing. Ms. Liz brought her own crafts and games for the kids to play with and when we left I'm pretty sure they ignored us.

Boys being silly, they look at little too chummy here. Im pretty sure they wer making fun of mine and Rachel's cuddle picture. 

Luckily he came home with me:)

So much fun! Best food ever!

I'm just tring to figure out why he looks 16 here.

Neeley LOVED J.Ed

Another night we went out to Louis Louis for dinner and Ms. Liz watched the kids then too. It was so awesome having 2 adult night out.

Back to the beach! This baby pool was the place to be.

John teaching Garner to pee in the ocean, hysterical.

Lots of relaxing

Our sweet family. I'm sure I should be more like "Ahh" about putting a picture of myself in a bathing suit on the Internet but honestly, who cares! I am blesses with my incredible family AND am healthy so for me to not post one of the only pictures of our entire family because of a few lbs. would probably not be the best message for my kids. I do make fun of myself though that I have entered a new chapter of life known  as the swim skirt years.

Um...she looks like a SEC football coach to me.

The last night we all went out to dinner together. Here are the handsome boys.

Yes, J.Ed and R match. J.Ed was cool with him wearing the shirt but begged him to wear different shorts. It reminds me of my Laura Ashley days when my mom and I use to dress alike.

After dinner we headed over to Rosemary for ice cream and of course the Lowe children found the dance floor!

This was such an incredible trip. J.Ed and I have talked about how relaxing it was and so fun spending time one on one. The other aspect that is so great was all the amazing conversations we got to have with the Bennett's. It's so nice when you have friends that you see a handful of times a year but because of history, every time you get together it's like nothing has changed. We are so thankful for these experiences and pray our children along with us realize/remember what a privilege and blessing it is to do things like this.