OOPS!

For some reason, I made this post and never posted it! oops~ So, this is actually from April...

"Every good and perfect gift is from above. " James 1:17

That is the scripture we put on Austin's birth announcement because it best describes what Austin is to us. An absolutely perfect gift from God! A couple of Sundays ago was Austin's baby dedication at our church. Having Austin dedicated was so important to us and it is a day that we will remember forever. We are so thankful that God has blessed us with such a precious gift. And, this day gave us a chance to publicly dedicate our baby to the One who gave him to us!

It was a very exciting day! I was so nervous that he would squeal and cry when our pastor held him to pray for him, but he just went right to him . . . phew!

We are so glad that MiMi & Granddaddy, Nay Nay, CC & Jax all got to be a part of this very special day.

Summer Has Come . . . and Gone!

I have been such a terrible blogger. Where do you make the time to keep up with it all? I just don't know. Something's got to give, and usually, it's blogging for me ;)

Anyway, things in ole' Tampa are going great. We've had a fabulous summer. I know Scott is sad to see it go (since he hasn't had a day of work in a couple months- lucky dog) but for those of us who must work year round, it will be kind of nice to get back on the old schedule. I'm glad Scott has gotten to spend some QT with Austin though, they are getting pretty tight! Speaking of Austin (you knew it was coming) . . . he is SO much fun . . . and so stinkin' adorable!!! He's 15 months and starting to talk and really imitate the things we do, it's hysterical. Seriously, he's just about our only entertainment these days (besides Jax, of course).

Here's a little recap of some of our best summer moments through a few pics.

Thanks Papa & Sunny for the fun splash mat. It may look like he stayed put on this thing and played so content, but that is not the case. I spent about 30 minutes chasing him around the yard and sitting him back down on the mat, and then we went inside. He's a BUSY BODY for sure!

Daddy's hat, paci, phone, golf club, watching Baby Einstein . . . good to go.

Austin discovered Jackson's spider man rain boots and he's obsessed! Doesn't matter what he's wearing, if he sees the boots, he's got to have them on!

Hanging at the house with Nay-Nay.

This is from my 10 year high school reunion. What a blast! It was so much fun to see all our old friends and get to spend an entire weekend together!

I just love this picture- it's also from the reunion weekend. Isn't it so pretty? Two beautiful gals with lil' Austin, what more could he ask for???

Getting some love from Jax.




Ever heard of the Blue Ranger? Well, Jackson met him at MGM . . . definitely the highlight of Jackson's day.



Spending some time with MiMi and Granddaddy.


We also got to spend a couple days with Papa, Sunny and Chance in Orlando at Universal and had such a blast! I didn't take any pix though :( The only thing that could have made our summer complete would have been to see Heather & Joe and Alan, Luann & Olivia- We miss them SO SO much!!!! Alan just got a new job (congrats!) - Luann just started her third year of med school and as for little Olivia . . . she's not so little anymore. . . she's starting KINDERGARTEN this year!! I'm going to do a blog with pix of them soon so stay tuned.

Last, but definitely not least . . . this pic takes the cake . . . ACB trying to use goggles for the first time. Yes, his eyes are crossed. Not his best look, but I can't look at it without cracking up! This is from the 4th of July.

Back in Paradise . . .

Magen's Bay, St. Thomas, USVI

Isn't it gorgeous? This was our view every evening as the sun set. Could God have created anything more amazing? Over Memorial Day Weekend, Scott & I headed south again to the USVIs with our friends Anna & Geoffrey. The trip was just fabulous!! Without a doubt, this is our favorite place to travel and we are already planning to return soon. Relaxing by the pool, sitting on the beach, touring the islands, we just LOVE it all! PURE paradise.









Thanks to the Hancy's for joining us . . . you made it a memorable vacation for sure ;)



This past weekend, we went over to Daytona to visit my cousin Nicole and her fam. We always have the best time visiting them and now that we all have kids, it has become quite a spectacle -- but super fun!

We went to the pool and Austin & Jackson loved watching their big cousins Zach & Makenzie swimming all around. Jackson was so inspired that he swam by himself (with swimmies) for the first time AND put his face under the water holding his breath!! We are so proud of him. He now wants to go to the pool every day. Unfortunately, Austin was trying to put his face under the water like Jackson, so he didn't last long.



Looks like it is going to be a fun summer at the pool with these boys.

Happy First Birthday Austin!!!

Austin turned 1 on April 18, 2008! It is so crazy to think that one whole year has passed, but it could not have been more perfect. Scott & I are loving learning how to be parents and feel so blessed to have such a sweet little boy.

So, I put together a video story capturing our memories from his birthday weekend. There is music, so turn your speakers on!!

Love to all! Enjoy!

Dear ANNA . . .

I promise to post pictures of my "1 year old Austin" in the next few days. I just wanted to build the anticipation and excitement among my readers (ha! because there are SO many and all).

PS- Is it appropriate that I am blogging just to you?? Am I breaking blog etiquette?? Oh well!

21 days until our great adventure . . . yippee!

Meet Chance . . .

my little brother:


Actually, most people reading our blog know Chance or at least know of him. I figured you might want to see him! He is SEVEN years old (so hard to believe) and as you can see he is turning out to be quite the little baseball player (which makes big brother Scott a very happy camper.) Last year he made the all-star team as a six-year-old playing with mostly seven-year-olds!! In case you can't tell, I am a little bit proud of him! When he's not playing baseball, he still keeps my dad & Sunny quite busy with basketball, cub scouts, birthday parties, Guitar Hero, swimming . . . oh, and he manages to fit school in there somewhere. He's a busy little boy.

Seriously, how great are these pictures?!

Anyway, It occured to me this week that I don't blog enough about my WHOLE family, so I'm going to do better at including those that we don't get to see as much. God has totally blessed me with the most amazing family, and Chance is a huge part of that blessing. We only wish we could watch him play more than we get to! We love you buddy! Hit me a homerun!!

My Face Lift!

Well, I am just so tickled by my new face lift!!! Isn't it so fun??? My very dear, incredibly creative friend (who is the one responsible for me having a blog at ALL) gave me a blog makeover. Thanks, Anna!!! Didn't she do a fabulous job??!! I am trying to convince her into doing blog designs as a side business, and I think I almost have her convinced. I will keep everyone posted on that front in case you, too, would like a fresh new look for your blog.

PS- I even have a signature . . .

so fun!