It's spring break (almost) in PCB

Here in PCB spring break lasts about 4-6 weeks. It is a giant hotspot for teens and twenty somethings to come party it up before going back to school for spring term. I've heard horror stories about the traffic, the crowds, the drugs, the noise etc and starting next week I'll get to experience it myself. Hopefully it's not as bad as I'm anticipating and all the hype I've been hearing is far greater than the real deal...probably not though.... 

My grandparents get here next week and I'm hoping that we will have beautiful sunny weather. This week has been cloudy and rainy. Tonight it is even supposed to be thunder-storming all night. I want to spend time on the beach with them and for some reason I feel like rain wouldn't make it a good experience... Hopefully that will be enough room for us out there and the sand won't just be taken up by crazy partiers. 

I'm feeling pretty darn homesick today. The crappy weather has me thinking about winters at home and sitting around my parents wood stove. Only two more months till I get to visit them and everyone else back home...I can't wait!! 

I'll leave you some iPhone photos below :) 

She finally is starting to look like me! 

Silly faces, baby laughs and sunshine

Some days just work out nicely; today was one of those days. The sky was bright blue, it was a tad bit chilly, but warm in the sunshine and Em and I  clicked. Lately, she's been whining over every little thing and testing every boundary she finds. Today was a nice reprieve. 

We went on two walks and played at our little playground. While swinging I got out my new iphone (thank you honey) and decided to get some photos of her laughing at the faces I made. I absolutely love when she smiles and laughs like this. Her little teeth and the gap between her fronts just melt my heart. 

Saturday is Clark's birthday and I've been busy trying to get ready for it in the calm moments when Em is occupied by toys or napping. Normally that would be easy, but with her new fiery independence and curiosity for new things I've been finding myself feeling overwhelmed and maybe even overusing the word, "no". Hopefully, I'll come up with new ways to keep up with her and not curb her personality. If I'm lucky I'll manage to make Clarks birthday a success as well. Wish me luck! 

Happy Valentines

We are spending the day together and it couldn't be better 

Another Day, another reason to buy, buy, buy

I'm feeling rather annoyed today. I've seen at least one hundred ads preaching their product is 'THE WAY' to show your significant other they have your love. I have a crazy idea: just tell them and show them daily! Make your actions and conversations a reflection of your love for them. Speak kindly, give hugs, smile at one another. It's your simple gestures that carry your love and deliver it all wrapped in warm happy feelings that speak volumes, not how much you spend or what you buy on Valentine's Day.
 I mean, gifts are nice too... I would be lying if I said I wouldn't like a box of chocolates, a cute potted plant, or a new book, but my point is this: Don't rely on one day of gift giving and purchased romance to stand in for daily loving actions. You should love your spouse and celebrate that love every day, not just on February 14th.  *Bonus points if you get them a gift on a day that you aren't told you have to buy/give them something by our consumer society.*

So, for my valentines I'm hoping for the same things I want every day; a kiss or two, lots of cuddling, and sweet moments with my husband and our little girl.

Happy Monday!

It's the start of a new week! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend like our family did! The weather here in PCB was warm with blue skies and sunshine, so naturally we spent the majority of our time outside. On Saturday we were told there was a big Mardi Gras celebration in the afternoon about 15 minutes away in historic St Andrews, but we opted to head to Pier Park and enjoyed walking around the shops and went into a few new ones just because. It ended up being a success in my book, even if we just window shopped. We found an olive oil shop called Emerald Coast Olive Oil and you could sample all of the different balsamics and flavors that they sold. One of my favorites was the espresso balsamic, which is kind of surprising since I used to avoid coffee like the plague (It's finally growing on me...). The ladies running the shop were very sweet and Em warmed right up to them and started jiggering away at them from her stroller. We also went to a hot sauce store and looked at gift ideas for my dad and Clark's dad. The creative names they come up with to name these sauces were hilarious and we spent a good deal of time just pointing out the funnier ones to each other. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a sucker for great labels and sometimes that leads me to buy products just because of the packaging, however Clark and I both agreed, it's what's in the bottle that matters for these presents. ;)

After walking around for a couple hours we drove down the road a bit and went to enjoy the waves and warm sand. Em dug around for some seashells with Clark and they both ended up getting in the water. I didn't think it was quite warm enough, but those two are like mermaids. If they could, I have a feeling that they would live in the ocean. I would not. I like the ocean, it's beautiful and fascinating, but I prefer having some earth and dirt under my feet. Maybe that's why I have brown eyes and they have blue. Eyes are windows to the soul, right? Mine is at home in the mountains and theirs are out at sea.

I just thought the world should see this selfie...

A photo update

These first photos are courtesy of our sister-in-law Amy. After Christmas presents were opened we all went out to enjoy the sunshine and she snapped these sweet photos for us. They are the first ones since my graduation that we have had taken as a family. I absolutely love them and am so happy that she was game to take a few. 

The other photos are just from our phones during the month of January. 

Planning for visitors

I received an email from my grandmother last week that mentioned they will come for a visit the first week of March and I have been jumping around and making lists to plan for their arrival ever since. I haven't seen them since Thanksgiving and have been missing them terribly. This is the longest I'll have gone without seeing my grandparents and family and I just can't wait from them to get here! I love my family very much and am thankful to have always had most of them close by me till recently. It sure makes living far away seem even farther after having that closeness though. Hopefully where ever we move next will be a place that everyone wants to visit and doesn't cost them an arm and a leg.

Another bright spot in this month of February is that I made a friend here finally! Her husband works with mine and we seem to have quite a bit else in common as well! I'm excited to start going walking and hiking with her later this week. I knew I would get along with her the moment I saw her book collection on the mantle over her fireplace, the Harry Potter series of course caught my eye first, and I had also read most of the other titles displayed. I'm hoping for the best and couldn't be more thrilled to get to know her better! Hooray for life in PCB looking up!!!

We're also planning a little trip to Destin, where there are the finer things, like a whole foods and *gasp* a B&N, and maybe even a Baby Gap for Em sized goodies. Hopefully, I'll be able to find my dear husband his birthday gift while we are out. I'm at a bit of loss as to what to get him this year. It's hard, when space is limited for what we can fit in the car when we move again, and he hardly has any free time now to enjoy things, or plan an outing. I'll think of something... maybe get some tips from his brothers or friends. He's kind of hard to buy for, but I like a challenge ;)