One year later

The Allens are back!

I just read my last post - April 6, 2010. You should read it too! :) The day Toby and I were heading to the hospital... the last day it was just "us." My oh my, where has the year gone? It seems like I was just sitting here in the same spot on this same couch, uncomfortably pregnant and wondering how in the world I was going to know how to be a mother. And it's already been a whole year!!!

It would be an understatement to say I've learned a lot this year... a HUGE understatement. I mean, I knew my life would change, but it seems like the me from one year ago isn't even me anymore. Weird. One year ago, I was quitting my job, wrapping up grad school, hanging out with friends, going out with my husband, and living a semi-carefree life. Today, I'm cleaning up puke and poop and making up songs about banana pancakes and toothbrushing. I'm dancing like a crazy person to shows like Imagination Movers and The Wiggles. I wash clothes and mop floors and cook and clean toilets. I've learned to be dependent on my dear husband who goes to work everyday to make sure we can live a comfortable life. I love him for that. Rather than stressing about making my boss happy with my work, I stress about diaper rashes, new teeth, fevers, the consistency of poop, and whether or not I'm going to be able to effectively teach my son his ABCs and how to count to 10 and the colors of the rainbow. But never in a million billion years, would I change one single thing.

People are right when they say you forget about the bad stuff. Well, they're semi-right. I don't think I'll ever forget the first 2 months of Cooper's life... a diagnosis that seemed to take forever (he's allergic to milk) and a small bout of post-partum depression - no doubt due to non-stop crying and sleep deprivation. But all the great things that we have celebrated over the year have FAR outweighed the first few months of craziness. When he smiled and laughed for the first time, when he learned to roll over and crawl... when he got his first tooth and said "mama" for the first time - like really said Mama... when he took his first steps toward Dada, learned how to ride his 4-wheeler, and made his first best friend... even getting his first bloody nose and a forehead covered in bruises. I hope I never ever forget these memories because they are the best. And they make me so proud.

It's been a great year with great change, and I know the Allen family has many more great things coming. But in the meantime, if you ever stop by, you might find Cooper and me dancing and singing songs like... Oooooh, banana pancakes. Banana Pancakes... we mash bananas and we make pancakes. Oh yummy pancakes, my favorite pancakes... too bad Cooper, you can't have syrup. :)

Newborn Cooper...

11-month old Cooper...

The Big Day!

Well, I suppose tomorrow will be the day our lives change forever. Toby and I will be heading up to the hospital at 10pm tonight to start the induction.

I'm pretty sure today has been the slowest moving day of my life. I've been searching for things to do to help the time pass, but nothing seems to be working. And I still keep glancing at the time... 11:53 AM... seriously?! I've known about this date for the past two weeks and have naturally been so excited; however, this morning, when I got up from another sleepless night, my nerves were overwhelming. Talk about nervous! I'm not sure what's better... to know the day you will become a parent, or for the day to come by surprise. I can definitely say we are more than prepared... the house has been cleaned three times over, grocery shopping - done, numerous trips to Babies R Us for last minute supplies - done, bills paid up for the month - done, and I must admit, there's not one dirty piece of clothing in the entire house... But all this preparation can hardly prepare me for what's to come.

For weeks I've been consumed by the thoughts of what he will look like. I think I'm most excited to see if he'll be blonde like Toby or brunette like me - and if he'll have Toby's killer dimples. I've also been assessing my reaction if it turns out he has Down's Syndrome. When we first found out of the increased possibility, it was waaaaaayyy back at 20 weeks. I've since been able to put it out of my mind, but now, the day before his birth, the thoughts are back. How will I react? What will the Dr. say when she delivers him? Hopefully, we won't have to worry about that at all, but I can't help but wonder how I will react when I see my son for the first time. ...The little guy with the feet that have adored my rib cage for months.

Nevertheless, Cooper is coming... soon, very soon. Tomorrow, Toby and I will be mom and dad. We'll have someone we're responsible for other than ourselves and someone we'll worry about for the rest of our lives. We'll have a helpless little creature who will depend on us for every little thing in his life. He'll laugh with us when he's happy, he'll cry for us when he's sad, and he'll learn that no matter what, we'll always be the people he can come to for anything. I can only hope that I'm as great a parent as my mom and dad were for me. I hope that when Cooper is all grown up that he'll be able to look back on his life and smile when he thinks of all the great experiences he shared with his family. Maybe I'm thinking a bit far into the future... I suppose for now, we should focus on how to feed him, bathe him, and change his diapers. Hopefully, I'll remember that when using Desitin... it only takes a dab. (Sorry, Lily.) But nevertheless, these are the things I'm thinking about today. I just want to be a great mom. For years and years I've thought about this day... the day I turn into a mother. A comforter. A nurturer. A protector. And I can't believe it's finally here. :)

Ready or not Cooper... here you come!

36 weeks...

I'm a little late posting this pic, but here is baby Cooper and me at 36 weeks...

32 weeks and 3 days...

So I may be a tad bit outdated posting this picture, but hey, at least I got it up here. I'm now two days shy of 34 weeks - wow! - 34 weeks. Only 6 weeks left?? Seriously?! It seems like I was JUST 6 weeks pregnant. Time sure does fly.

Toby and I are getting very excited and nervous about the big day. We've got all of our shopping done (err, I've got all of our shopping done) with the exception of a few little things... like a couple more bottles. But for the most part, we are ready and prepared! For those who don't know, I've been on medication to keep from contracting; however, some days it seems my body does what it wants to do despite the meds. Anyway, my Dr. said at 35 weeks I can stop taking it and let whatever is going to happen, happen. At my appointment today, she said I'm measuring a bit ahead of schedule - about a week and a half - so I can only pray that Cooper makes his grand entrance at least a week and a half early. ...sigh... The weeks sure do drag about this time, so I've heard.

Anyway, here are Cooper and me and 32 1/2 weeks...

Abby Homemaker

For Christmas, Toby got me my very first sewing machine. Being that I was in between semesters with not too much to do, I decided to take on a couple of projects. My first was a bedskirt for Cooper's crib. Since it seemed to turn out okay, I ventured into the world of stockings. Not just any stockings... but patchwork stockings. So now I just want to show off my work a little bit since I FINALLY had our names embroidered.

I'm not sure what I'll tackle next... perhaps curtains for the living room... perhaps. Only time will tell... to the attic go the stockings.

Great friends make for a Great Day!

Last Saturday, a few of the greatest friends in the world hosted a wonderful baby shower for me to celebrate Baby Cooper's upcoming arrival. Melissa, Jamie, Kimberly... you guys really are the greatest! These same wonderful gals threw Toby and I our wedding shower before we were married, but I must admit, this one was way more exciting for some reason. I think it's the anticipation of what's ahead - with the wedding, I kind of knew what I was in for. :) But with Cooper, there's so much that I don't know - what will he look like, how big will he be, will he be blonde like Toby or dark-headed like me, will he have those big "get you out of any trouble" dimples like his dad... We have a whole new life with new experiences waiting for us and I am so excited. I guess for all these reasons, this baby shower was a great day! A great day of celebration and preparation! But of course, it wouldn't have been the same without my amazing girlfriends! For those who don't know, we all went to high school together. I'm pretty sure Jamie was my first friend when I moved from Corpus to Tomball - we met in the youth group at Salem and she helped make my transition an easy one. Melissa and Kimberly I met at high school - they were close friends with Jamie. I have amazing memories with each of them - Kim and I seemed to always be getting into something that last year of high school and Melissa and I... oh Melissa and I... my first years in College Station wouldn't have been the same without you! :)

I am so very grateful and appreciative for these girls. I consider myself lucky to have such amazing people in my life who I know care a lot about my family and me.

Thanks girls!!! ...for everything you've done for me and all the help and advice I know you're going to give me when baby Cooper comes! :)

Here are a few pics from the shower...

Bring it on, 3rd trimester!!!

So... my pregnancy book I read here and there told me to enjoy my 6th month as much as I could because when the 7th month/3rd trimester came, that's when I'd start feeling uncomfortable. Well, like clockwork... the 3rd trimester came with a bang. My rib cage (the right side) will randomly ache and feel a bit tingly and the pinched sciatic nerve doesn't help much other than distract me from the discomfort in my ribs. I think I might need a wheelchair by the end of this pregnancy. But, all in all, I guess it's not so bad. I mean, I can't really move when I'm laying in bed, it hurts to bend over (heaven forbid I need to pick something up the ground - I'm getting good at using my toes), and if I ever need to take step with my left leg, as soon as my foot hits the ground, I get a wonderful jolt of pain that shoots from my butt down my left leg. But, really, who uses their left foot when they walk anyway...

As I may have mentioned before, Toby and I finished Cooper's room and what a great accomplishment that was. I was determined to finish his room before school started this semester, and we actually did! I hope you all think it's as amazing as we do!!

And to think... a small part of us actually enjoyed all this! :)

Anyway, I also realized that I've lapsed on the belly pics. So my first was at 6 months and this one is at 7 months... only 11 weeks and 4 days to go (but, seriously, I'm not counting).

I realize I'm not the whale that I think I am, but there's something about someone saying "your belly is so small for being 7 months" that kind of gets under my skin. Is that supposed to be a compliment? Should I feel honored that I'm not entirely busting at the seams? I mean, I do have 11 weeks for this big boy to grow. I guess it's because I'm so achy these days that when someone tells me my belly is "small," I feel I don't have the right to complain about my pains. If I feel this way "small," what in the world am I going to feel like when I start getting the "you look like you're about to pop!" Anyway, that's my venting for the day. To those who think I have a cute, small belly... thanks. But there is zero part of me that feels small!

I suppose that's all for now. I'm digging deep at the moment to find some motivation to start my homework for the semester. I keep telling myself, I must stay ahead of the game... do not feel procrastinate... get going, Abby, it's the last semester... gotta finish those projects before Cooper comes... two last classes... go team! And nothing works!! I have no motivation. I am a procrastinator. In fact, I'm convinced that's when I produce my best work - when it's due the next day. I work best under pressure. So if I can possibly stop searching for distractions like the laundry that needs to be folded, the movie that has captured my attention, the stack of papers that need to be filed... and so on... maybe I can start reading Chapter 1 in my books. Chapter 1. ugh... last semester.

May I officially introduce... Cooper Cole Allen

Toby and I recently (Dec 22) had to go back to the hospital for a follow-up ultrasound regarding the "markers" the doctor saw at our last appointment 4 weeks ago. If you need a refresher, we met with a genetic counselor who explained to us that the baby had some choroid plexus cysts, an echogenic cardiac foci (or something like that), and his kidneys were a little "brighter" than what would be considered normal. So, knowing what to expect at this next appointment, we went in hoping that the markers would be gone, but with full acceptance if they weren't. Needless to say, we had good news and bad news... the good news is that his kidneys seemed to functioning properly and there were no additional markers / findings. The bad news - everything looked exactly the same. The doctor verified to us that even if the cysts and the foci were gone, the odds of a chromosomal abnormality such as Down's Syndrome would not be reduced. We're still confident (as confident as possible) that he's going to be completely fine, but I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't cross my mind everyday... how will I react if he does have Down's Syndrome...
Anyway, onto more exciting news... Toby and I have officially given him a name. Drumroll please... dddddrrrrruuummmmm rrrrrooooollllll....

Here is COOPER COLE ALLEN at 24 weeks - about 1 1/2 pounds:

In case you were wondering, that's his hand by his mouth... not sure what's going on there. We decided on Cooper because from the list that we had, that was both of our favorites. And Cole is Toby's middle name, so we're just passing on the goodness.

And me... and my belly... at 24 weeks:

Feeling him move around and kick and punch, or whatever he's doing in there, has been absolutely amazing. He's pretty active just before I'm getting ready to go to sleep, so I find myself regularly yelling at Toby to come and feel my belly. Just recently, we've discovered that we can actually SEE him moving around as my belly moves also. Now that is quite intriguing, to say the least. Nonetheless, we are enjoying these moments as the time seems to be flying - only 3 1/2 more months. I find that I am smiling more at what some people might think is nothing, but I know it's because I feel his little hands and feet moving about. Toby has also become quite the communicator - he likes to talk to Cooper through my belly button. hehe... And I adore him for that. He often starts his talks with, "Cooper! Cooper, this is your dad."

So that's my news for now. Thanks for all your prayers and support throughout our journey! It's been a bit of a roller coaster, but I wouldn't change any of it, as it's made us appreciate the blessing we have coming more and more each day.

So long December... So long 2009...

Well, it was my original intention to post a blog on a weekly basis - or at least every two weeks - but clearly, that isn't happening. So now I find myself trying to play catch up. December... what happened during the month of December... Well, Toby and I had both of our Christmas parties. At my Christmas party, I must confess that we (though Toby would say him) won over $200K at the craps table. Yeah, so, it was fake chips; but, as our luck would strike, we had over 200 raffle tickets that we put in a raffle prize bag and actually did NOT win anything. We never win. EVER! So long $100 Starbucks gift card. So long spa package... maybe next year. **Toby would like me to add that he did not want those raffle prizes. There Toby... it's been declared. He wanted the iPod; however, since we have 3 iPods currently (2 of which are out of service), he did not win that battle.

Anyhow, I thought it would be fun to reminisce from Toby's first Technip Christmas party. This is us in 2007:

And here we are this year - 2009: (Not sure what the Hollywood theme has to do with Christmas)

Time sure does fly when you're having fun! Notice my growing belly... And to think, in 2007, Toby had no idea what he was in for. :)

Other than Christmas parties and the end of my 2nd to last semester in my MBA program (yay for 3 A's this semester!), we've done nothing more than work on baby Allen's room. Toby had this grandious idea to paint stripes on the wall - and not just any stripes, these are meticulous stripes. He's been doing a wonderful job and I'm so proud of him for taking on this task. I'll definitely be posting more pictures of his room soon, but for now, this is all you get...

Here's the proud dad...

I guess the "theme" would be monkeys. I was determined to not have a bedroom that looked like a zoo threw up in it, so we've managed to just scatter some monkeys here and there. I absolutely LOVE the bedroom... it really is perfect. I was so motivated last weekend that I actually managed to redo the bathroom as well. So now, baby Allen has a monkey bathroom. Gotta love it!

OH! And for you northerners (you know who you are) reading this... I would just like to say... it snowed in Houston this year. I think it came down for a couple of hours and was entirely melted within another two hours, but nevertheless, it felt just like Christmas - a little early. Here it is - our big snowfall - isn't it gorgeous???

And that's about it for our December. We had a wonderful Christmas break; we managed to spend a little bit of time with my parents, Toby's mom and step-dad, and Toby's dad. For Christmas, Toby got me a fancy sewing machine. I'm VERY excited to use it; if only I could figure it out. :) Someday... someday...

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!!! Happy New Year!

IT'S A BOY!!!

Well, for our BIG news... Toby and I had our 20 week scan today and it was more than clear that we've got a dirk bike ridin', mud eatin', stinky little boy on the way. We are VERY excited about it being a boy - Toby maybe more so than me - but I'm so happy that we are finally going to have a grandson on my side of the family... enough with those girls already. :)

The ultrasound was absolutely amazing. I can't believe what technology allows us to see in a baby so small. He was examined from head to toe, including his brain, his heart (all 4 ventricles... wait, does a heart have 4 ventricles?), the organs in his little belly, and even his little fingers and toes. I had to roll around a couple of times to try to get him to move as he wasn't entirely cooperative when it came to determining the sex. Thankfully, he did roll over... otherwise, I'd have nothing to blog about because he would still be "it" or "the baby."

While we believe he is, or will be, a perfectly healthy little boy, unfortunately we did have to meet with a genetic counselor after the ultrasound to discuss some of the findings. One being an echogenic intracardiac focus - otherwise known as a bright spot in the heart - caused by what is believed to be a calcium deposit. The second finding was a couple of choroid plexus cysts - cysts that appear on the choroid plexus, or the part of the brain that supplies spinal fluid. While both sound scary, they are expected to clear up on their own and neither will create any kind of difficulty with the function of his heart or his brain. The concern lies in that when the two are found together, there is an increased indication of a chromosomal abnormality such as Trisomy 18 or Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome). However, on the bright side, my quad screen - 2nd trimester bloodwork - did not indicate Down Syndrome and my doctor said that is generally about 95% accurate. The third "discrepancy" was that the baby's kidneys appeared to be a little brighter on the ultrasound that what would otherwise be considered "normal." Again, there is no indication that anything is wrong, as his kidneys aren't enlarged and the amniotic fluid level is normal, but it is something they are going to watch just to be sure nothing else develops.

It was quite a blow this morning to hear all of these things that "could" be wrong with the poor little guy swimming around in my belly, but we're gaining confidence that everything will be absolutely fine. Or... should I say... I'm gaining confidence - Toby is already confident. We were given the option to do an amniocentesis, which would give us a definitive answer as to whether he has Down Syndrome, but we have chosen not to have the procedure. We have another ultrasound scheduled in 4 weeks and if any other DS markers are found, we may re-evaluate at that time; but in the grand scheme of things... it doesn't really matter to us. We'll love him just the same, and the benefits don't outweigh the risks in our view.

So... in the meantime, we've got a big 'ol boy on his way. OH! And I have no idea how accurate the weight is, but the radiologist person told us he weighed 11 ounces. If that is in fact accurate, I'd just like to mention that according to my Mayo Clinic book, he should weigh about 9 oz... but not until Saturday. So one thing is for sure... he has no growth problems! If you'd like to add us to your prayer list, we'd appreciate it... and so would Baby Allen. :)

Without further ado... here is Baby BOY Allen at 19 weeks and some odd days. (Toby said I couldn't post the picture that clearly showed his boy parts, so you'll just have to take my word for it... no doubt... it's a boy.)

Weekend in Weimar

So while Toby was buying a gun that he swears he'll be able to use when zombies take over the world, and Dad and Paul were killing Bambis - Mom, Jamie, Maddie, and I were roaming around the country fighting off allergies and fire ants. But, really, we went to a Jersey cow farm where we learned that Blue Bell uses milk from jersey cows for their ice cream because it has the richest flavor. Other than that, we didn't learn too much. I'm sure it was a bit more fun for Maddie despite the fact that she was attacked by a slobbery black lab, which led to a slight breakout on her face. She got to bottle feed a baby calf that was in calf jail and she tried to feed a rabbit a Cheerio, but ended up giving it to the chicken. Yep... that was our trip to the jersey cow farm.

Other than that, Maddie recently got a John Deere Gator from Grammy and Grampy and she's bravely learning how to drive it. She hasn't quite got the pedal and steering thing down - you know, both need to be done at the same time - but I'm sure she'll figure it out soon.

And mom... this one's for you. A Weimar sunset from your backyard...

Wings Over Houston

The weekend before last, Toby's dad managed to hook us up with some VIP passes to the Wings Over Houston airshow. (Because, well, we're kind of a big deal.) I must admit, it's probably been somewhere close to 15 - 20 years since I've actually gone to a real airshow, but I remember the Blue Angels like it was yesterday. I have no idea where my fascination of jet engines originated, but when I hear one roar over head (a rare occasion), and so close to the ground, it absolutely captivates me.

After fighting through two hours of traffic to finally get to the hanger where we could park, our anger and road rage eased a bit with a great BBQ lunch provided by some aviation company at Ellington. We had pretty good seats where we could sit in the shade and still have a good view of the show. When we arrived, they began with a Pearl Harbor reenactment - complete with Japanese and American planes and bombs (no, not real ones).

There were several planes that served as a tribute to the many generations of planes that participated in various wars. Apologies for not being more of an airplane or history guru; otherwise, I could probably tell you what each of the planes are.

If I remember correctly, what was unique about this formation was that it captured 4 generations of planes that played a significant role in the wars from our history. And of course, the loudest and coolest of all, was the F-15. It was by far my fave... only because of its purr... or roar.

There was also this insane stunt pilot who had me convinced several times that he had actually lost control of his plane. It was seriously crazy, but we were definitely intrigued that a plane could perform those maneuvers and recover before crashing into the ground.

And yes, in the pictures below, there is actually someone on the top of the plane. She.. yes... SHE... (girl power!) was doing loops and flips and all sorts of things on the top of that plane.

And of course, the highlight of the show... the Blue Angels. They started off with Fat Albert - that's the C-130 that has the capability to take off on short runways and climb at a 45 degree angle and it flies at an incredibly high rate of a speed for a C-130.

I'm not sure I had as much appreciation for the Blue Angels when I was a kid... in fact, I know I didn't - not as much as I do now. Did you know that they can actually fly with their wings merely 18 inches apart??? Below is a picture. They look as though they're just one unit - or flying on top of one another.

Other pics of the Blue Angels.... Yay Navy!

Farewell Kitty... Farewell

So this week has been slightly stressful for me. Monday morning as I scurried out of the front door for work - running late as usual - I locked the door behind me and headed down the sidewalk to the car, when my path was disrupted by the loud mewing of what sounded like a fairly young kitty hiding in our Mexican Heathers. So I spent about 5 minutes attempting to coax it out of the plants, all the while it was just mewing and mewing and mewing. Finally, I caught a glimpse and thought - oh no, it's a kitten. At that moment, I had to make a decision... get the cat out and feed it or go to work. So, I ran to the car, dropped off my things, darted back to the house, unlocked the front door, and grabbed all I could find that would help out the cat - a bowl of warm milk and some dry dog food that I thought would soften enough for kitty to eat. I dropped off the bowl outside by the plants and kitty sprinted out and immediately began lapping the milk. With a sigh of relief, I headed to work - 10 minutes after my already late morning.

That morning at work, I sat at my desk thinking... hmmmm... I don't think kittens are supposed to drink cow milk. So I did some googling and everything I saw read, "Don't give kittens cow milk." Great... So at lunch, after I had a few hours to process the homeless kitten hiding in my plants, I scurried home and gave it some of Karly's canned dog food. It didn't seem to be too picky at this point. For the rest of the week - up until last night - I fed kitty 3 - 4 times a day. It was so skinny when I first found it Monday morning and by last night it looked to be semi-healthy. I would feed it warm kitten formula mixed with delicious cat food (I'm just assuming it's delicious - I didn't taste it) like oceanfish with salmon and chicken/lamb.

So, the most stressful part of the entire week... as I'm sure many are aware... pregnant women aren't supposed to be around cat feces/litter, especially stray cats, and even more especially, stray kittens as most are still carrying parasites and haven't been vaccinated appropriately. So everyday this week, I've been haunted with the thought of toxoplasmosis... the parasite that is carried in cat feces. ugh... I know, gross. I did play with the kitten - a lot - probably at least an hour a day. And it used our flower garden as a litter box. ...it does smell a little funky by our front door. (Again, gross, I know.) All week, Toby and I tried to find kitty a home and FINALLY... FINALLY... an engineering manager he works with said his mom and dad wanted a new kitty and he would come get it. And he did!! That's the best part. After an exhausting search for kitty last night - it had gone off exploring when it started to get dark - I finally found it. This search involved me crawling around the yard 4 houses down on my hands and knees saying, here kitty kitty, while people drove by and walked... very interesting I'm sure. Kitty is now on its way to Brenham where it will be a country cat with a good home. YAAAYYY!!

So, now, my only thoughts are... certainly, my tender animal heart could not have caused me to contract toxoplasmosis, thus putting the health of our unborn baby in danger. Dear God, please keep baby safe and healthy...

So long sweet kitty, so long... I hope you live a long and prosperous life and catch lots of mice, birds, and snakes.

Port Aransas

For a mini-family vacation, we spent this past weekend in Port Aransas celebrating a couple exciting events and spending time together. Toby and I, my mom and dad, Paul, Jamie, and Maddie as well as Toby’s mom and step-dad, and a couple added friends, had a wonderful time! The weather didn’t entirely cooperate with us as the cool front blew in while preparing for Maddie’s 2nd birthday party Friday afternoon. Yes, she turned 2 already!!

She had a really cute barn cake complete with farm animal cupcakes.

But she was more into the cookies than the cake...

Our other celebration was Lord of Life’s 20th anniversary. For those of you who don’t know, that’s the church where Paul and I pretty much grew up. Our family has made lifelong friends there, who we don’t get to see very often unfortunately; but when we do, it’s always a great time.

We spent as much time as we could down by the water - which Maddie loved.

Maddie and Grammy...

One benefit of that silly cool front blowing in was the added wind it brought, which provided Toby and my dad the perfect opportunity to take on a new hobby… kites. Oh yes, I said flying kites. The course of events was somewhat entertaining. Toby and I decided we’d run into town and buy a kite because it was so windy, so we found one that we thought would suffice for $3.99. After all, it’s just a kite and all it has to do is stay in the air. After much heckling from my dad, we learned that kites don’t just have to stay in one spot in the sky, but rather… they can actually do tricks, care of the person flying the kite. So somehow, the three of us (my dad, Toby, and I) ended up at an actual kite store – I had no idea those existed. An hour and some change later, we walked out with two “stunt” kites and a lesson on how to fly them. Back at the beach, dad was so excited about these kites, he realized he needed a bigger one. Oh yes… a bigger one. So the next day, back we went… to the kite store… with my brother this time who was about to get suckered into this new hobby… and out we came – with a kite the store owner actually said was not recommended for beginners (uh huh… dad). Pshhhh… there are no beginner kite flyers in our party – we’ve been flying kites since we were kids - just not the ginormous ones that pull you through the sand.

They pulled their kites with Maddie's red wagon... boys... so cute.

The first set of kites... for the beginners...

And round #2 with dad's 2nd kite... the big daddy kite... for the master kiter - or my dad.

So as we celebrated Maddie’s 2nd birthday party, Lord of Life’s 20th anniversary, and developed a newfound hobby… the weekend came to an end and here we are – back in reality. It was just too short… but ever so exciting, nonetheless.