Weekend Trip to Tampa

Morgan had a DO Conference in Tampa this past weekend so we thought we'd make the most of it and all go down together. We stayed at an amazing hotel, the Intercontinental. The kids loved the rooftop pool and glass elevators. Actually London HATED the elevators at first but loved them after a few rides. On Saturday Morgan's meetings ended early so we got to hit Fort De Soto beach. We spent most of the day hitting the waves, collecting shells, playing paddle ball, and just lounging. We got to meet some friends from AZ, the Heatons, for dinner (at Smokey Bones?? Delish!) and it was good to catch up with them!
On Sunday when Morgan finished with the conference we headed over to Costco (of course!) and then on to John's Pass. It's a little beach front village with a boardwalk where you can see pelicans, fishing boats, shop and of course, eat tons of seafood. So while we didn't do much besides check out the birds, it was still really a neat little town and I'm glad we took the time to go and see it.
I love that Morgan likes to venture out and take advantage of all the great things we've got around us. Thanks, babe, for an awesome weekend!!

London freaking out on the elevator ride...

Max on the roof top by the pool overlooking the ocean.

Look at those guns!!

Teaching London the rules of paddle ball...

London doesn't like to be told what to do.

Getting better every trip!

John's Pass

In front of some cute "candy and sweets" shops. ....mmm...fudge....

Ugly ugly pelicans.

More cute shops...Max and London loved all the giant turtle and pelican statues they had everywhere.

Overlooking the Pass

Eating out with the Heaton's...good times!

Fun with friends

Where has this month gone?? We are so busy with playdates and activities that I can barely catch my breath. Here are 2 random pictures I managed to get of what we've done the past few weeks.

Max and London with Jackson and Lexi after a romp through the sprinklers

Max and a bunch of his school friends having lunch at Chick-fil-a...we might need to make this one happen more often:)

Bedtime? No, it's unders-on-the-head-catch-us-if-you-can time!

Yes. You read that right. My kids love to put underwear on their head and run around naked after baths. It usually ends with jumping on my bed for half an hour while I try to tackle them to get their jammies on. Luckily I got them semi-clothed so I could get some pictures. I think London looks like the creepy dad on Pirates of the Carribbean, but whatever. They think they're hilarious. I can't wait until I can embarrass them with these pictures:)





As everyone knows, I check on my kids at least 3 times before I go to bed (unless I zonk out immediately after they fall asleep) and I probably am trying my luck with the photo taking but I don't care.
I love that Max has to sleep with half a dozen of his favorite stuffed animals and a pillow "shield" to keep bad guys out. Every time I check on him he's switched positions. I have NO idea how he doesn't fall off the bed each night.
I love that London is such a snuggler with her Baby and Monkey, but then it makes me sad because I never get to hold her anymore. So, fighting every motherly instinct to let her sleep, I usually find myself picking her up and snuggling her. I know her cradling time is drawing to an end (what, she's 2 next month!?!) so I'm taking all the moments I can, even if they are when she's asleep and it's 11 o'clock at night.

She is getting too big for her crib!!

Seriously. HOW IS HE NOT FALLING OFF??

Max and his entourage of animals...ok, more like his secret service.

Cute Chiara Girls

The Chiara's live down the street from us and I don't know what we would do without them!! We have constant playdates and Maria (their mom, who is AMAZING) is always having us over for her amazing dinners. She makes it a little bit easier to be away from home.

This is on Labor Day when we had breakfast together.

Labor Day BBQ

This last Labor Day we spent relaxing at my friend Courtney's house for a BBQ. She and her husband totally outdid themselves and we had a fantastic time! Their backyard is every kid's dream come true complete with hammock, HUGE playground, sandbox, and room to run around like crazy...which of course they did. London and Max's faces were dark red and they were covered in sweat within 10 mins. but they didn't care at all. I wish I had a before/after shot of London's hair...it was savage-like by the end of the night!
Thanks, Courtney, for being such a great host!!

No, these are not more pictures from our beach trip a few weeks ago, they are new pictures from the trip we took yesterday. We love when Morgan has time off! I know, some of you are wondering if he really is doing his residency or if we just came to Florida to retire! But all good rotations end, and believe me, Morgan has his work cut out for him.

Catching some made-for-Max waves...

and also some baby sister waves.

Did I mention that on our last trip a Seagull grabbed food out of Max's hand while he was eating it? So now London has to chase them all away from him while he shouts random things like "Sqwaking like that doesn't make me like you any better!!" while he hides behind me.

Some sort of squid (or Octopus, as Morgan insists) that he and Max found.

Great way to start the trip home...too bad they woke up with still an hour and a half left to drive!


Also, I just want to say Congratulations to Lindsey and Whit on their new baby girl, Maggie! We love you guys and are so excited for you!! This little girl is so lucky to be born into a family with such amazing love and strength. We'll be praying hard for you these next few weeks and months.