Beach Blast!

We just got back from a fabulous week at the beach. We all had a blast getting away from our routines.

We are fortunate enough to stay in a family friend’s wonderful home. One of my favorite parts is being with family and having lazy days. We all really missed Kinney and Wilma this year. But he was not up to make the trip.

Here is my mom and her dear friend shagging and entertaining AnnaKate.

We spent hours on the beach playing. Billy got very serious with castle and tunnel building. AnnaKate was very serious about tearing it all down.

Some days she even took her short 15 minute nap on the beach.

But mostly this is what she wanted to do. It wore us out each day. She could ride the waves constantly!

 

Riding the waves!

Our family friend had her great nephews over to play and AnnaKate thought it was super to have playmates.

A mermaid!

Family time is the best!

I hope you are having a relaxing summer!

Favorites and Firsts…

Favorites…

My birthday was this week and I had the best time with friends and got so many beautiful things. Here are a few…
I have wanted these measuring bowls from Anthropologie for the longest time. My sweet mom gave them to me. I love having them sit on the counter and using them every time I cook.

My wonderful sister-in-law gave me this neat bag. It has a velcro closure and of course a great monogram. You can use it for shampoo or a ton of other things but right now it is in my pool bag to keep my cell phone and other things dry. So nifty…

This gift just takes the cake. My dear friend, Jessica, and I love Lisa Leonard for a variety of reasons. On Jessica’s birthday I sent her a pair of Lisa’s earrings and for my birthday, I received this. It is truly a special gift.

I really am a novice photographer but thanks to my dad, I have the best gear. I got an awesome 18-105mm lens. Paparazzi style pictures will be coming soon!

Firsts…

AnnaKate got her first pair of riding pants. Aren’t they so cute?!

They must have been what she needed because she actually stood on the horse last week and rode around the ring. I did not get a picture because I was assisting but this will give you a hint of what it looked like. WOW!

We had our first swim of the summer. AnnaKate is a huge fan of the water and we found out that her new puppy, Beau, is too!

All of these things are a great way to kick off summer!