Garden City, SC 2011!

A month ago we decided to plan our last vacation before we become a family of 4. We went to our go to beach...Garden City, SC. This year it was only us and we took my mom along. We left on Friday Sept. 2nd at 4:30 pm and planned on driving half way. We like to do this b/c then we have ALL day Saturday to enjoy the beach and Josh isn't dead tired from driving. We encountered 10 plus miles of traffic that took us an hour to get through (looked like someone went over the a guard rail) and then tried the next 3 exits to get a room only to be told they are booked due to a Flea Market Convention....what?! So we drove to High Point, NC and got a room FINALLY, at this point it was after 11pm.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHY WHEN I HIT PUBLISH POST IT SPACES MY PICTURES SO FAR APART (SOME OF THEM!) DRIVES ME NUTS!


Miss Avery ready to be at the beach!


We got to Garden City on Saturday at 11:30 am, checked into Dunes Realty and our condo wasn't ready so we ate lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, gave mom the GRAND tour of GC (heehee) and at 1pm we got into our condo and by 1:30ish in our suits and hit the beach!

Miss A's is double fisted and she's ready to DIG in!

Avery having the time of her life!

Our night life activities :)

Lots of walks on the beach in the morning.

A nice fisherman let Avery touch a fish he caught.

We met a nice family that owned one of the units in the condo we stayed in and he had dug a huge, deep hole for the kids to swim in but as you know it quickly fills in, Avery still had a blast.

Avery just loves going in the ocean with her Daddy.....and her Daddy loves it too. The water was warm.

That evening we venture to GC so Avery could do some fun things since they close down after Labor Day. Last year she LOVED this trampoline jump.

And loved it this year............

Till the guy helped her since she wasn't jumping up & down she was jumping more front to back and he made her go really high then she got scared (no tears) but she was DONE.....oh no I hope she doesn't have the Proper's fear of heights! Kinda made my mad that the guy did that to her, b/c we had to pay $8.00 & she only jumped less then 3 mins & her time wasn't up but like I said she was DONE!

Still smiling though when done.

Having fun in the Mickey Mouse Bouncy House

Mommy and Avery

GC arcade


GC Pier Arcade became a morning ritual of walking to the Pier, eating breakfast then playing in the arcade. Avery liked to play games at first then what she liked even more was being the Cheerleader, collecting the tickets, putting them in the machine & collecting her prizes :)

STUCK!

The pier was 1.3 miles each way and Avery usually did VERY good walking/running the entire way but sometimes she just needed a lift :)

She loved chasing the birds!

29 weeks. It was SOOO windy on Tues. but that was our only "bad" weather we had. The rest of the time it was mid 80's sunny with a nice breeze. So thankful! We love to go to the beach on Labor Day weekend since it's off season and after Labor Day we practically have the beach to ourselves & no waiting at any restaurants!

Trying to fly the kite Mimi got Avery - tried SEVERAL times couldn't get it to fly. Avery was so disappointed!

After eating at Bubba's Fish Shack in Surf Side!


One cool girl!

She loved this puppy and thought it was silly wearing a "shirt".

We found lots of conk shells on the beach this year, 1st time ever we've seen those on the beach. Think it was from the hurricanes stirring up the ocean.

Waiting on our breakfast at the Pier.

Avery thought this was so funny and wanted to take a picture....so this was her first "professional" photo. She did a good job just needed to edit it a bit :)

Our one and only jelly fish we saw

Chillaxin!

Raise your hands if you LOVE the beach!

Playing in the ocean with Nana and Mommy!

Avery's favorite thing to do was to cover herself with sand b/c she said it was so warm.

FINALLY on Wed. she swam in the pool! The water was a bit chilly since Hurricane Irene had dumped a lot of sand in the pool and the Tues before we came they had just got the pool cleaned out plus it wasn't heated. And WHY she is holding her nose is beyond me......she saw her new friend do it so monkey see monkey do :)

Murrell's Inlet

This crane was on the boat dock right by where we walk and had caught a fish and swallowed it whole, by the time I got my camera out I missed it :(

Daddy trying to show Avery the cranes and the goats. It's like the blind leading the blind with those two lol!

Some guy was making roses out of palm leaves and said it will last forver. So we got her one.

We finally ate ate one of the many restuarants in Murrell's Inlet. On Emilie Rickly's recommendation we ate at Dead Dog Saloon. Avery didn't want to eat her b/c she didn't want to eat a Dead Dog...haha! Em also recommended was Bubba's which we ate at earlier.

Sunset

Our annual fort we build

Another fort we built which Avery just LOVED!

Daredevils!

Avery did get hit by some waves and thought for sure she'd want to come back to shore but she didn't.

Mmmmmm Painter's ice cream!

"twins"

She just LOVES the beach!


3 generations

This was our last day on the beach and the tide stayed out forever and you could walk a long ways with the water still only being to your ankles/calves.

The mermaid fort we built. That was the best $4.00 we spent on those 4 mermaids!

She danced and sang and played so well in the ocean.




The fort got washed away.

YUCK...sand everywhere!

Another day she swam in the pool for a bit

Thought this was a cool picture with the full moon

Hanging out on the pier watching a band set up....of course Avery wanted to stay and dance. We also saw lots of fireworks on the beach that week.

Last morning I got up and took pictures of the sunrise.....just beautiful!

Avery who rarely sleeps in the car slept over 2 hours on the way home :)

We left at 7:50 am with only 2 stops made it home by 6:15pm.

28 weeks = 7month & 3rd trimester & last sneak peek!

Had my Dr's appt today and the baby's heartbeat was 150bpm & when I looked in Avery's baby journal at 28 wks & 5 days her heartbeat was also 150 (the only time she made it into the 150 range)...hmmmmm, how ironic is that?! She said I was measuring right on and then I asked her something I didn't want to but I knew I had to...if she thought I had a hernia...yes I said a hernia!!! When she checked me nothing was sticking out like it has been on some days (TMI?!) but said she's 90% sure that's what it is. They normally would do a CAT scan to check but due to my pregnancy they can't do one. She also thinks I can make it till after the baby is born to have surgery. Again, how ironic, had to have my first surgery ever after Avery was born but for a dermoid cyst on my ovary. I thought I would NEVER say this but with having 2 uncomfortable/painful symptoms "down there" I'm so ready to have this baby! I will take a picture tomorrow, my hormones got the best of me today and I had some melt downs, it started when Avery woke me at 630ish am complaining about her thigh hurting, then her belly hurt, then her area "down there" hurt oh so much whining was had. Also, at my Dr's appt. they closed the lab due to shortage of help so I had to drive to another building and the guy had to try both arms to get my blood drawn for my glucose test, then back to the Dr's office for a shot since I have negative blood, then I noticed Avery's one eye had goop in it and was a tad redish so after a few phone calls & some tears I called the pediatrician's office to have her checked out AGAIN - her 2nd trip in less than a week (last week was a allergic reaction to neosporin)! We saw yet another pediatrician and Avery loved her, so did I, she said it was too early to tell if Avery had pink eye, she wasn't concerned about her thigh (Avery is still limping tonight) and that it is common for girls 4-6 yrs of age to have redness "down there" due to hot baths, wet swimming suits & not wiping correctly! DING! DING! DING! Avery does all 3 things!

Allllllllllrighty then now that you didn't want to know all that I will sign off! :) Tomorrow is another day and we will know if she had pink eye or if it's just allergies or a cold in her eye.

Update as of today, Sept. 2, 2011: Got a call from the nurse yesterday that I'm anemic (good grief wasn't with Avery) how ironic since we got an entire cow this year that's all I've been eating is beef!! So I have to take an iron supplement. Today was my last u/s and I'm measuring 4 days behind (27 wks and 4 days) and I'm 28 weeks and 3 days, baby's heartbeat was 146 & weighs 2lbs. 10 oz and yea the cysts on the baby's brain are gone, as they expected they would be!! woohoo!

Last sneak peak.....side view

Are you looking at me?!

1st Day of Pre School for 2011/2012!

This was a picture from Sunday all ready for Church! She's looking so grown up!


1st day of Pre School for 2010 and now 2011....Oh my look a difference a year can make!!! Can't believe this is her 2nd year already! Of course I had to wake her up this morning and there were some tears starting but I reminded her that she will have 2 of her BF's in her class this year so then she said she wanted to go to school but she was so tired, I even had her in bed by 8:15 pm but she was up 2x's during the night. They also weighed & measured her on the first day and she lost 2 lbs in a week....I'm not surprised she hasn't been eating :(

Putting stuff away in her locker.

Avery remembered how to write her name on her own from last year, we practiced a lot over the summer with all the cards for weddings, bdays, baby/bridal shower gifts and thank you cards I had her sign :)

Her Best Friend, Natalie! These two are going to have a great year! Keith Hawkins is also in her class but he didn't show up before I had to leave.

Got 2 thumbs up when I picked her up at the end of the day so I think all went well! yea!

Not a bunch of Kroc!

Well another summer is closing to an end and there were some things I wanted to do last summer that just didn't happen and almost didn't happen this summer either!! Time goes WAY to fast (boo!). Anyway, I did get to take Avery to Tuscora Park last Friday and today we got to have a play date with Emilie (whom I use to babysit for :) and her 2 kiddo's! We went to Kroc's Spray Park in Ashland, Ohio. It was so nice and FREE (well they have a box for donations). Took Miss A awhile to warm up but soon her and MacKinnley were BF's. What a beautiful day we had too and I got to catch up with Emilie.

Playing on the play ground that was right there at the spray park too.

Getting started

Lots of running and giggling were had! :)

Awwww holding hands :) MacKinnley was 4 in January and Avery was 4 in June

This is SO much fun!

This Emilie's 6 yr old, Max, who was too busy playing with boys all day. He wouldn't let me take his picture with the girls but let me take just one of him alone :)

Snack time, yum! yum! So glad we could finally make a play date work and get to go to the spray park!

Tuscora Park Today!

What a beautiful August day! Hot but no humidity! I decided to boycott the Fair this year (1st time in a LONG time), go ahead judge me, anywho I've been wanting to take Avery to Tuscora Park forever and today we did! Me, mom and Avery headed to Sugarcreek for some breakfast, then stopped at 2 winery's, again go ahead and judge me ;) I did buy 3 bottles and will wait till Butterball has arrived to celebrate! Then we headed to Tuscora Park.


We started off by feeding the geese and ducks. Hands were in constant motion :)

Then we rode some rides. We ran into Avery's friend, Jackson who is 10 days older than Avery.

This was one of her favorite rides.

Then Nana and Avery rode the train.

Then Avery wanted to ride the roller coaster and they wouldn't let adults ride, but she wanted to go anyway. Round #1.....smiling.

Round #2 still smiling :)

Round #3.....she was done! It was very jerky for the smaller kids. They let her off and gave her a ticket for another ride.

Of course she had to have the pink one :)

HI everyone!

Loved the noisy horn on the car!

She didn't want to go on the swings but we talked her into it! Yea she was just tall enough!

Nana wanted to ride with her.

Having fun!

At this point Avery was still having fun but mom was talking herself out of getting sick! This ended up being Avery's favorite ride. We wanted to ride the ferris wheel but it was broken :(

Then she played and played and played on all the different playgrounds they had.

What a fun day!!! She told me "thank for the best day EVER, you are my best friend and the best mommy ever and I will love you forever, ever and ever!" I'm going to say she loved it :)

24 weeks = start of my 6th month!

This picture was taken 2 days later AND at the end of the day :)

I had a Dr's appt. on Fri. July 29th for my monthly check and got to see a new Dr. I REALLY liked her, she was a new Dr. and very through. Anyway, at my last appt. on June 29th I had told my regular OBGYN I've been having pressure "down there" and she brushed it off saying that is normal after delivering a child vaginally. Well over the next month some days were worse than others and figured out a lot of it was from my chair at the CPA firm, so I lowered it and took a pillow in to sit on, plus if I'm on my feet all day at the craft store I feel it a lot more. I insisted that I be checked and the Dr. agreed, she checked me and did some kind of swab test and said yup that I was dilated a little on the outside but everything was closed up on the inside which was good and that I don't need bed rest just to not lift heavy things. That was a HUGE relief to me because it's just not my nature to sit or lay (don't get me wrong I have my lazy days which consits of scrap booking and messing around on the computer :) Don't worry I'm not over-doing anything, I take my breaks at the craft store and when I'm at home but if I don't do the work at home it just won't get done, that's just how it is at our house. Josh does a good job on the outside and keeping his jeep clean and I will just leave.it.at.that. :) The baby's heartbeat was 150 and butterball has been very active :)