Start of Summer

 I kicked off summer break with a trip to the beach with my Mom and the Lyons crew. 

The very day that school got out, Mom came to my house and picked me up and we made our way to Orange Beach. We did this last year and had the best time so, here we were again. For the first three days, it was just Mom and I as MC works on the weekends and they weren't able to come until Monday. 

We had our annual crab legs and they were worth the wait! This is something we have been doing when at the beach for over a decade now. We used to go to the beach as a family and it always fell on my birthday week and to celebrate, we would get crab legs as a family one of the nights we were there. So, not only is it nostalgic, it is delicious. 

Our morning routine of coffee on the balcony. May beach weather is so nice. It's not too hot and it's my new favorite time to go. We always went end of July and it was scorching--we had no idea it was so nice in May. 

Mom and I made some fresh mocktails to save on calories during the week. I'm going to share our favorite recipes at the end. They were so good! We also got a brumate mug and it was the PERFECT beach cup. Kept our drinks cold all day long. We used the 16oz Toddy mugs-check them out here. Obviously we didn't have them in my picture above. We tried using the plastic cup and realized quickly that wasn't going to work for all day beach days.

I finallllly read "Where The Crawdad Sings"--I was trying to beat the movie--and it was worth the wait. It was such a good book! I enjoyed the details of the "marsh girl" and the story of how she became that way and all that she had to overcome. I really loved the mystery inserted in there as well. A very, very well done book. 

I mean, you can't go to the OBA/Foley area without going to Culver's. You think "it's just another place"...it's not. 

The Lyons crew made it down on Monday and Annie girl was beach ready! She wanted to start her mornings on the balcony playing "ships" with Mimi and Aunt Ellen. She is absolutely a beach girl. 

We also got to play Candyland (well, 3/4 of it) and GuessWho with her. She was very interested. Even when she wanted to make her own rules to it--LOL!

Looking at out the beach for day 1! Bennett was there with us last year but, he was so little and wasn't even mobile let. This was his first year that he was able to walk around and actually explore and experience beach life. We weren't sure what he would think!

This girl wakes up ready to get out there. She loves it!

We found out pretty quickly that Bennett likes the beach as long as he has a snack down there...and honestly, me too. 

With MC being 33 weeks pregnant, it was all hands on deck! Our 2:1 ratio was just what was needed ;)

Mom was cracking me up all week. She and I would read on the beach so she needed her readers, and her sunglass readers, and then her regular sunglasses for when she wasn't reading. At one point, they couldn't be found and well....you see where they were!

We had such a good time and I really love this trip. It's the perfect way to kick off my summer and I am thankful we are able to go and enjoy!

Mocktails that we tried throughout the week. I am simply sharing the links to the original website and I'm only sharing the ones that we liked the best ;)

We used all fresh fruit and low/no calorie sparkling toppers. 

One thing we discovered was the FRE (alcohol removed wines). We tried the Rose and the Champagne and they both tasted just like their alcoholic versions and were fun to try out. We were able to get them from Rouses down there. Other than that, we used sparkling waters, etc. 

Blood Orange Mocktail Spritzer

Lemon Mocktails with Mint

Margarita Mocktail

One thing that we learned in our cocktail research is that you can use pickle juice in these drinks and it makes it taste like tequila is in there. We tried it out and honestly, it was so, so, good. 

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

 I love Christmas. 

It is a time to slow down, spend time with family, and for me, it is a time to reflect on the year that is coming to pass. 

Thankfully, Jason and I have two full weeks off from work and we are able to take it slow the days following Christmas. The torn wrapping paper has time to settle and we're able to enjoy one another and rest as we step towards a new year. 

If you couldn't tell from the previous posts leading up to this one, we have had some fun-filled days leading up to Christmas. Since Mary Claire had to work on Christmas Day, we had our main family gathering on Christmas Eve this year. We had our family dinner and exchanged gifts. This year, we only did gifts for our parents and niece and nephews. 

This was Luke's first Christmas with us and he made for the sweetest little addition. He has grown so much in these last (almost) 4 months and he is the sweetest little nugget. 

Big brother James was a bit more in to the holiday happenings this year since he's gotten older. It was fun watching him open presents. I love hearing his sweet little voice and seeing his (literally) most precious grin that there is. He's not too sure about Aunt Ellen's "big" camera so of course, I couldn't catch his grin!

I feel like this is the first Christmas where Ann Hatten was actually in to giving and receiving gifts. It was incredibly sweet watching her eyes light up when she would open her gifts. She was truly thrilled and I think her favorite was her unicorn jewelry box. So stinking precious. 

Some things I want to remember about Bennett this Christmas is him walking more, talking more, and growing up to be the sweetest little bub. His mild manner and gentle spirit are simply the best. 

I mean come on, look at the faces on those boys! 

This girl loves everything clothes, jewelry, princess, pink, and purple related so it goes without saying that she was thrilled with her new leopard print booties that she got from Aunt Blair. 

I love this picture of James looking so intently at the wrapping before getting to tear it off. This was his nerf rocket launcher from Jason and I. 

One thing I always want to remember about Papa Steve and the Christmas holidays is how he always takes the time to get each couple a new devotion book to use in the upcoming year. He wraps them and labels them just for us and as always, there's a handwritten note with the year in there from him. I love this tradition and cherish these things. 

I think it's safe to say that the grocery cart was James favorite gift. He was so funny climbing in there and having Ann push him around. 

Jason and I got Ann Hatten a little, mini digital kids camera and she was all about snapping pictures of everyone. She loves to use my polaroid, big camera, and phone for pictures so I knew this was exactly what she needed this year. 

One thing I never want to forget is the love and care that Mama Carol puts in to our stockings. As we've gotten older those have become the show stopper for the grown kids and we love it so much. Each item that's in our stocking is thoughtful and you can tell that she's taken the time to think of things that would meaningful and useful to us. They are my favorite part as a "big kid" and I appreciate the time, effort, and love that is put in to each one. 

Not pictured was our delicious Christmas Eve dinner. We had turkey, dressing, bean bundles, sweet potato casserole, and an apple crisp dessert. We may not have gotten to the dessert because of the presents and needing to get to church but man, it made for a tasty late night dessert when we got home that evening. 

Our church faithfully hosts a Christmas Eve service and something neat about this year is that it was Dad's 25th time to preach that service and have the communion that goes along with it. 

Christmas morning has become a little more spread out as we've each gotten married and as my siblings have had children. But, this one was special because we had The Welch's join us! They brought some delicious breakfast foods and we all had the best mornings being together. 

These ladies have been the best of friends for years and years. 

The Christmas morning crew oh, and Ann Hatten taking over the self stick below

I'll end with sharing a snippet from a book that I read last year but still rings true this year: 

“On this side of eternity, Christmas is still a promise. Yes, the Savior has come, and with Him peace on earth, but the story is not finished. Yes, there is peace in our hearts, but we long for peace in our world. ⁣

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Every Christmas is still “a turning of the page” until Jesus returns. Every December 25 marks another year that draws us closer to the fulfillment of the ages, that’s draws us closer to home. ⁣

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When we realize that Jesus is the answer to our deepest longing, even Christmas longings, each Advent brings us closer to His glorious return to earth. When we see Him as He is, King of kings and Lord of lords, that will be “Christmas” indeed! ⁣

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Christmas is an invitation to a celebration yet to happen. If you’ve got a Christmas longing, you’re about to be satisfied, too. Just hold on and say with me...Maranatha! Come Lord!” ⁣

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Joni Eareckson Tada