Summertime Fun, Part 2: Beach Vacation

Two weeks ago, we loaded up the minivan and headed out for a 2-day, one-way road trip to Myrtle Beach, SC. (One of the drawbacks of living in the middle of the continental U.S. is that it takes a long time to travel to the ocean...any ocean!) Fortunately, my family lives at the midway point, and since we were vacationing with them as well, we broke the trip up over a couple days. The downside was that once all the fun was over, we still had the 2-day drive home. But we made it, and it was worth every minute of the journey! As promised, here are some pictures:

Of course, the top priority was to swim in the ocean! (Little Miss had been

to the ocean a couple of times, but Little Man had only been once,

and he was too young to remember it!)

They took to beach life like fish to water (pun intended :))

Little Man and Zoe playing in the ocean with Nanee.

What's the point of going to the beach if you don't build a few sand castles?!

We got to see family we hadn't seen in awhile...like Zoe (above left), and we met

Baby Ezra for the first time (with Little Miss above)

Our resort had a putt-putt course, and the "big" kids got to go with

Nanee and PaPa one evening.

Little Man got a hole-in-one (actually, he got two of them!)

Zoe "walked" down to the playground to play  (video to follow in a later post).

The tunnel slide was his favorite.

Zoe with Mama and Aunt Nanc

Another highlight was visiting Ripley's Aquarium.

The kids were fascinated by all the underwater creatures.

They even got to pet horseshoe crabs!

Little Man especially loved the rays.

Overall, I'd say it was well worth the 2-day drive!

Welcome, Baby Ezra!

Many of you will remember Baby Zoe and his struggles early in life. Many more may remember my sister's brush with fame on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

I'm now happy to announce that Baby Zoe has a new little brother...Ezra Joel. Born a few weeks early, Ezra weighed in at 5 lb. 5 oz. He and mama are doing well.

Welcome, Baby Ezra! We can't wait to meet you!

It's Extreme Makeover Time!

This Sunday, January 16, my sister and her family will be featured in ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. (check your local listings for time). Tune in to see Baby Zoe and his family receive their new home!

We were in Savannah for Christmas and stayed in the new house. Let me just say, it is amazing! Zoe is doing wonderful and even started saying, "Aunt Na" over the holidays! (This aunt couldn't be more proud!) Don't miss Sunday night's show. You'll be amazed at their journey and inspired by their faith. Grab an extra box of tissues and join Ty, Tracy, Paul, Ed, Shaun White, and Paula Deen as they welcome home the Simpson family.

Extreme Thanksgiving

Many of you may remember the story of Baby Zoe, my nephew who was born a couple years ago with a very rare and severe condition. My sister and brother-in-law were told he would not live and if, by chance, he did he would not have a normal life. Well, they were right about one thing, Zoe's life (and that of his family) is anything but normal!

Zoe (or "ZoBug" as Little Man calls him) is a now thriving 2-year-old. This year, he and his family will spend the first of many Thanksgivings in their new home....compliments of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I was able to fly down to Savannah, GA last week for the big reveal. The show will air sometime after the New Year. You'll have to check back for an exact date; I'll let you know as soon as I hear. In the meantime, here are some highlights from my trip.

Extreme Makeover's Paul DiMeo and Tracy Hutson (background) warm up the crowd
before the big reveal. Both were instrumental in the design of the new house.

The man himself...Ty Pennington


The true hero in my book...Tripp Turner of J.T. Turner Construction.
He and his team were phenomenal!

Two-time Olympic gold-medalist Shaun White helped design
8-year-old Isaac's room.
Isaac was floored that Shaun was there in person!

The bus is in place and volunteers gather to MOVE THAT BUS!

Welcome Home, Simpson family. Welcome Home.

Paula Deen was also a huge part of the entire process, including the design for my sister's new kitchen! You'll have to wait until the show airs to see shots of the inside as well as many other amazing things they did for my sister, her family, and their community. Trust me when I say, it will take your breath away!

To watch the local coverage of the build, click here.

And as they say in Savannah...Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

Aunt Mimi's Wedding

We made it to Birmingham and back and got Aunt Mimi married off. The kids loved their time with Nanee and PawPaw, and hanging out with their cousins.

The cousins digging into presents from Mimi.

Baby Zoe (not so much a baby anymore) with "G"

Of course, the wedding was beautiful. Here's some snapshots of the big day.

Little Miss, flower girl and Little Man, ring "bear" ROAR!!!

The bride and flower girls.

The three sisters

Time out for a snack

The happy couple

Thanksgiving Highlights

Here are some photo highlights of our Thanksgiving festivities:

Nanee and the cousins decorating "turkey" cookies.

They didn't exactly look like turkeys, but it sure was fun!

Even Little Man got to enjoy his organic, allergen-free cookie
(with a little allergen-free icing)..YUM!!

Baby Zoe...not really a baby anymore!

Hubby enjoying a few minutes with Zoe.

Little Man and me are ready for turkey dinner!

Zoe playing on Mommy's lap.

"G" with all the kids.

Little Miss snuggling with PaPa.

The Last Hoorah of Summer

It seems a bit ridiculous to post highlights from our "summer" vacation the week before Thanksgiving. However, I did promise pictures from our trip and I intend to keep that promise (even if it is two months later!).

So, here is a BRIEF photo highlight of our trip to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. (I highly recommend a visit there for any history buff...it's entirely fascinating!)

Happy Birthday, Little Man (yes, another party!)...and Cousin ZoBug!

And Happy Birthday, PaPa...the big 6-0!

Little Miss helps grind cornmeal at the historic Jamestown Settlement.

Nanee taking a snack break with Little Man a Baby Zoe.

Hubby and Little Man aboard a replica of one of the colonial ships at the Jamestown Settlement.

Hubby and me at dinner in Colonial Williamsburg.

Little Man and PaPa eagerly anticipating the train at the Yankee Candle Factory.

Princess Cousin Kate-Kate.

The boys having a good wrestle.

We had a great time with Nanee & PaPa, Aunt Carmen and the cousins, and Aunt Mimi. It was a long trip for us, but worth every moment to share these memories with our family. There's so much more we could share and so many more pictures to show off, but we'll leave more for another time... :)