Caswell Beach Retreat

Since we've been in Raleigh, each year over Memorial Day Weekend we get to go to Fort Caswell at Oak Island for a beach retreat! Since Ryan is the Pastor of Young Adults and Singles this is one of the events that he is in charge of for the Singles Ministry and it is so much fun every year. His parents get to come with us to help with the kids so that we have more time to spend with those attending the retreat and not always be tied down by nap schedules and feeding times.
Hailey started asking us months ago when she was going to get to go to the beach with Mimi and feed the seagulls with Poppi. We were amazed that she remembered from last year. Just for reference, this is Hailey at our first beach retreat in 2012, and then her this year. She was 11 weeks old the first year. Crazy.

We left on Thursday to set up for the retreat. Ryan had to go pick up a 16 passenger van to help bring down stuff from the church. On the way to our house from the rental place he noticed that it made a terrible noise and shook really badly when you got over 30 miles an hour. He warned me about it but didn't really think there was much we could do. Well after picking up me and the kids, loading our stuff into it, driving it to the church, taking out two seats, loading more stuff into it and finally leaving it got worse. We weren't 10 minutes down the road when Evan called from the van behind us and said that our tire was shaking on the axle and looked like it was going to come off! So we immediately called the rental place and explained what was happening. By the grace of God alone, they had just had another van turned in and said we could come switch it. Picture this, unloading a van full of stuff, two carseats, a three year old, three month old, and 5 adults into the parking lot at Enterprise into another cargo van, and SUV and then another 16 passenger van. All while standing in the parking lot. Oh, and those two seats we had unloaded at the church...yeah, the super helpful manager at Enterprise said that he would drive the old van up there to get them for us. Talk about God providing! So instead of leaving Raleigh around 11, we ended up leaving around 1:30 or so...yeah, it was a long ride with Hailey not sleeping at all and Reece only sleeping about an hour and a half. Which is why Mommy pulled out the big guns...lollipops!

Ugh! We finally arrived at Caswell, after some traffic detours, just in time to go out for dinner. I couldn't imagine loading those two kids back into the van to drive another 30 minutes to dinner so Ryan's parents graciously agreed to keep them at the house. On the way to dinner we saw the most beautiful rainbow!

Friday morning we set-up some things for the retreat and then had a little time to relax. I braided Hailey's hair that morning and somehow it made her look so much older...

She was super excited she got to feed the seagulls with Poppi!

That night we went out to dinner at a local seafood restaurant and Hailey had to sit with her buddy Mimi.

Ryan got to try paddle boarding at sunset that night. Beautiful sunset, but he said all he could think about was that it was feeding time for sharks. My husband, the shark informant!

Saturday morning we had breakfast in the cafeteria at Fort Caswell and Hailey rediscovered her love for cereal. Ryan is the only one who eats it and he likes Raisin Bran type cereals so Hailey never eats it. But they had Lucky Charms and "colorful cheerios" (Fruit Loops). I just love that she called them colorful cheerios because she didn't know what they were called! Such a good description for a three year old!

After breakfast we hit the beach! Hailey LOVED it. She was in the freezing cold water up to her neck! Reece wasn't a fan of the wind.

 That afternoon the retreat officially started and we had a great night of worship and teaching. I took Hailey to the session for the music and she did really well. I was impressed!
Sunday was a whirlwind. Hailey went to the beach with Mimi and I stayed at the house with Reece while Daddy did retreat stuff.

That afternoon we all took naps!

On Sunday night of the retreat we always have a BBQ dinner on the lawn overlooking the ocean. Then there is a dance and worship under the stars. It is such a great, memorable night every year. This year the theme for the dance was neon so we dressed up in our neon! There was a costume contest with prizes for the winners with the most neon outfits. There were some good ones!

Hailey was fascinated by our friend Cassalyn's flip flops that had neon balloons tied to them.

Monday morning was the end of the retreat. We had one last session and then packed up and headed home. Hailey had to test out the microphones before they were packed. Luckily, they weren't on. ;)

Each year we stop in Wilmington for lunch and while Daddy meets with the leadership team to "debrief" about the weekend, Hailey and I get to walk along the Riverwalk. (Reece stayed inside with Daddy because it was pretty hot)

After lunch, we got some amazing ice cream and then headed home. It was a long trip back with lots of traffic but we FINALLY made it. There were some tears (not mine, but almost) lots of snacks and lots of watching the DVD player. At one point there was a little tantrum because the sun was in Hailey's eyes so I gave her my sunglasses to wear.

Caswell Beach Retreat was amazing but we were happy to be home after almost 6 hours of traveling.

We are so thankful for a great church that invests in their people and takes care of their pastors. We are thankful we get to share this retreat with Ryan's parents each year.

Until next time Caswell...

Reece is 3 Months Old!

My little boy is three months old!

Here is my guy on the actual 3 month birthday (yesterday, the 19th).
At three months, I have no idea how much Reece actually weighs because we didn't go to the doctor this month but I'm guessing 13ish pounds. He is growing out of his 3 month clothes and beginning to wear some 6 month ones, especially sleepers. He wears a size 2 diaper. His hair is getting more and more blonde and is still super thin on top just like Ryan's was at that age.

Reece generally goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 and sleeps until around 3. Then he nurses but still has a hard time burping enough to comfortably stay asleep after that. He has slept thru the night once! It was a glorious night, but hasn't been repeated yet so we'll see. Because of his amazing ability to spit out his reflux medicine he now gets a bottle before bedtime and first thing in the morning (around 7:00) so that we can mix it in and he doesn't mind it. Those bottles are about 5 ounces each. He still nurses for his other feedings throughout the day, about every 2 or 2 and 1/2 hours. He still only naps for about 30 minutes at a time, just like his big sister used to. The picture above is of Hailey giving him a bottle for the first time. She was so excited and had been asking for weeks if she could. It lasted about a minute, then she didn't want to hold him anymore. ;)

Excuse the red, tired eyes in these pictures. It was about 15 minutes before bedtime.

Reece still loves his mommy the most and daddy claims that he only screams when I'm gone, but I don't believe it. :) Hailey can't stand to hear him cry and often covers her ears when he does. Ha! But if he's in his swing and crying she will go and turn it on or turn it faster to try and make him stop.

 He has found his hands and chews on them all.the.time. When his paci falls out at night I can hear him sucking on his fists to try and put himself back to sleep. He will hold onto a burp cloth or bib and chew on it but isn't really holding onto toys yet.

This little boy still loves to lay on his back and just kick his legs and look around. He is pretty good at moving himself in different directions too. Every morning when I come in his room to feed him, he has somehow completely turned himself around in his crib. He also started rolling over from back to tummy this month.

Reece loves to talk and coo at you. Sometimes he even sounds like he's singing! Hailey likes to talk back to him and often wants to know what he's saying. I think he's going to be an early talker like his sister.

We love you Reece and can't imagine our family without you!

Springtime in Charlotte

Reece, Hailey and I went to Charlotte over the weekend to spend some time with family. My sister, Mary Katherine, and brother-in-law, Justin, were coming in from Atlanta so we made the trip to see them...and everyone else too!
We left Friday morning and drove to Mimi and Poppi's house. It worked out perfectly because we were able to spend some time with them while everyone else was still at work. Hailey loves her time with Mimi, and truth be told, she's not very good at sharing her with anyone, even Daddy. (She doesn't seem to have as much trouble sharing Grams but I think it's because she's always had to share her with Tucker and Mack. She's been the only grandchild on Ryan's side until Reece came along.) Hailey's favorite thing to do at Mimi's house is play on the screened in porch and deck. Mimi has all kinds of "treasures" out there that she lets Hailey play with, decorative birds, flowers, and other fun stuff.
On Friday, Hailey decided she was going on adventure and wanted to write down the things she and Mimi saw outside. (Reece and I stayed inside for the most part)

When Poppi got home from work, Reece got some snuggle time.

Friday afternoon, we went to Grams and Das' house. Hailey had them all to herself that evening and she loved every minute. She and Das had a great time outside playing "soccer"

 and he even let her use his tools! (I can't figure out how to turn this one)

Hailey had a slumber party in Grams and Das' room that night and didn't sleep too well...My mom said she woke up at 2:00 ready to play with Mary Katherine, Justin, and the baby in Mar's belly. Oops!
Saturday morning Julie, Trey, Tucker and Mack came over and MK and Justin had arrived. We all had the best time together. The kids played in the bounce house,

the girls relaxed, (Hailey had to sit in a chair like Grams)

 and then they played with new bubble guns!

Reece just chilled

Because of the rough night's sleep and playing outside ALL morning, we headed home to Raleigh right after lunch. Hailey slept part of the way and was raring to go see Daddy when we got home.
I love that we're close enough to family for quick overnight trips!

Makes My Teacher Heart Proud

Hailey amazes me everyday with her vocabulary, attention to detail and new skills I didn't know she had. But last week my teacher heart loved seeing two more skills.
Sorting: We were playing with a box of her little figurines. There were ponies, palace pets, and mickey friends. Hailey sorted them independently by type. She's done things like that before but what amazed me was when she said "Let's do it again by color!" It was so neat to see her process and realize that the same group of things could be sorted different ways.

 

Then she had to stuff them all in her pockets :)

She has just started to get into coloring pictures. Yesterday we were coloring a picture together and on the back was a color-by-number so I told her how to do it. We worked thru it together because she didn't quite get to color the whole block for each number. But she found every number by herself and colored it the right color!

My big girl is growing up and learning so many new things. I can't even think to what she'll be doing in the fall!

Mother's Day

I am so thankful that God chose me to be the Mommy for these two amazing little people! They teach me humility, grace, gratefulness and a whole new level of love everyday. They are worth every sleepless night, clothes washed and folded, dish washed, hug given, snuggle before bed and kiss on the forehead. They teach me more about God's goodness and love than I every thought possible. I love seeing these two together but it does make me long for the day I will get to meet my other little angel in heaven. I am grateful that the Lord entrusted me with these to raise, love and teach about Him.

And we know there are no sweet pictures without a few good out-takes

Oh well. I love that they make me a Mommy!

He's growing...

Reece is growing so quickly! I can't believe he will be three months old next week! Here are a few updated pictures of my favorite little boy...

Playing with Hailey on the floor. I LOVE this picture

 Having some tummy time

 Sometimes you need Daddy to talk to you about baseball during tummy time

Cute boy in his hat ready to play outside

 All of my loves cuddling on Hailey's bed before bedtime one night

 Sweet boy in Daddy's favorite sleeper

One night Reece needed a few extra snuggles from Mommy

"Praying" before church one morning. Ha!

 Big boy sitting in the bumbo

We love you Reece Anthony!