Sun & Fun in Florida

Over Spring Break we traveled to Florida for a much needed vacation. I was a little unsure about driving since we had never taken such a long trip with the girls, but they were absolutely perfect! Who knew they would be such good little travelers?! While in Florida we enjoyed some very nice weather most days. Within a half hour of arriving, Darren and Ally were in the pool and then out on the beach. We stayed with Darren's parents and as you can see, there was a wonderful view of the ocean from the balcony.

Ally & Daddy ready to catch some rays.

I love all the palm trees!

We just had to take a few pictures by the "lomster" at Our Deck Down Under. This is one of our favorite places for dinner right on the water.

We also have a picture "pre-Peyton" when Ally was 2 by the lobster in our scrapbook.

On a chilly day we headed to the jetty. The sun was bright, but it was very windy and cold to be out there for too long. That didn't stop us from spotting a few dolphins though!

Peyton loved the birds. Here we had a good view of a pelican sunning on the rocks.

Peyton and Ally spent lots of time digging in the sand. Ally had no problem getting coated in sand, but Peyton kept saying "yucky".

Looking for seashells. We collected a lot...I think we managed to leave a few in Florida.

Peyton examines a shell she picked up.

During low tide, there were two sections of water. You could walk out on the sand, into the water, back on the sand, and then back in the water. It was nice to have a shallow area for the kids to play in. In the center of this picture you can see Darren and Ally playing in the water.

Grandpa said this was his favorite part of our visit! The girls are drinking their smoothies we made for dessert one evening.

This is one of my favorite pictures.

Thank you, Ron & MaryLou for inviting us to stay with you. Ally keeps talking about when we go back to Florida...

My Spring Break Reading

I had several suggestions as to some good books for Spring Break reading, but haven't gotten to any of those yet. I did manage to read two books over break, both were good, but they were VERY different! The first book I read was a good "beach read"...John Grisham's Playing for Pizza.

Basically it's an easy read about an NFL 3rd string quarterback who goes to play football in Italy where it's pretty much a club sport. I wouldn't really consider this a sports book, more a life story with life lessons (fictional).

The second book I read was also a life story with life lessons, but much more heart wrenching and depressing...Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. I would not consider this book a "beach read", not light hearted enough, although I do recommend this book.

This book is mainly about the lives and treatment of people (primarily women) in Afghanistan over the past 35 years. It is a history lesson in the most personal of ways. At one point I wanted to put this book down and never finish reading it, but I am glad I read through to the end.

"I'm five years old today!"

And she sang..."I'm five years old today...and tomorrow I'll still be five...ready, set, go.."

Happy 5th Birthday, Allison! What a blessing it is to have you in our lives. You are so sweet, smart, and caring. We love you more every day!

3 months old and nothing but smiles

Still smiling at 6 months

I thought you were going to eat the flower when this picture was taken!

So big...learning to stand on your own at 9 months. This picture made Grandpa Renier so sad because you were getting too big too fast for his liking.


Our first "real" family photo. Look at all those curls you had when you were 1.

18 months old

2 years old...our little doll

Our brown eyed girl

A little lady at 3 years old

Our beautiful Ally~4 years old

Finally 5! Ally is all smiles...she got a Taylor Swift CD.

Making her birthday wish

Happy 5th Birthday, Ally!

Smoothies & Sunshine

Sunday was a really nice day so we made smoothies and sat outside to drink them.

Ally LOVES smoothies! Especially with "whooped cream" on top!

Peyton LOVES to drink through a straw.

Peyton kept looking for planes in the sky. She would say "plane, plane". Another favorite phrase of hers is "Do it!" which means "I'll do it myself!". If you look closely, you can see her mismatched outfit which is a result of "Do it!". Her shirt matches Ally's--black and white stars and stripes, pink pajama pants, striped socks (the right one is upside down with the rubber grips on the top of her foot), and brown shoes. What a character!

I took a few videos of the kids outside too, but can't seem to get them to transfer properly to my computer from my camera. I'll have to keep trying!

One year Anniversary

As I was going through the archives of my blog this evening, I came to the realization that I started this blog exactly one year ago today. While I may not update as often I had hoped I would, I do enjoy posting and reading the posts of my friends. I had no idea if I would like blogging, but it's fun and sort of scratches my scrapbooking itch (if you think I'm behind in blogging, you have no idea how far behind my scrapbooks are!!!). So, thanks to Kristy and Michelle for getting me on the bandwagon and to Jen and Tara for joining too. I feel like I still know what's going on in your lives even though we only see each other about once a year.

That's My Grandpa!

This week my Grandpa was inducted into the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame. Unfortunately we were unable to attend since the ceremony fell during the week and was in NW Indiana. Several members of our family were there to celebrate with him and said that the ceremony was wonderful. My Uncle Bob had the privilege of introducing Grandpa during the ceremony. We're very proud of you, Grandpa! We love you!

Below is what was listed in The Times about him:
Robert E. Burns
During his first season running high school cross country, the 1948 Hammond Tech graduate placed fifth in the state meet. He would be a state finalist again the following year and also go on to star in track and field, earning third place in the state meet. Offered university scholarships to continue his athletic career, he declined to remain at home to help support his mother and siblings following the premature death of his father. He is a retired Hammond police sergeant.

There is also a video online. My Uncle Bob comes on to introduce Grandpa Burns around the 5 1/2 minute mark.
http://www.regionsports.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1718&Itemid=200

Spring Break Reading List

Alright girls, I'm looking for some help here. We're driving to Florida for Spring Break in a few weeks and I want to take some light, entertaining reading material. I am open to suggestions...please help.