one down.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY WILLIAM AND DALEY!!! 

One year ago, today, my precious niece and nephew were welcomed into the world! Arriving earlier than expected, as most twins do, tiny Daley weighed only 4 pounds, 15 ounces and "Bubba" weighed in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces. We were so thankful for a safe delivery, a healthy mom and healthy babies. The miracle of birth is one of God's greatest blessings and I praise Him daily for these two bambinos. 

Me and my little man, Will.

Me and tiny tot, Day Day. 

My heart absolutely melts when I'm around these two. They are SO different and it is has been really fun to see each of his/her personalities grow. William has been the first to hit every milestone. He is such a happy, laid back kind of a guy. He is scooting all over the place and is oh so close to taking his first step. Daley is such a diva. She prefers sole attention. She loves to stare. Every time she focuses on me I always wonder what she is thinking because the expression on her face is of total bewilderment. The one thing that they have in common?! They are both beautiful, lovable babies. It is safe to say that I am one proud auntie! Happy first birthday twinkies! 

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

beach bunnies.

Last Wednesday, I was Panama City Beach bound for the "Semanson Family Annual Beach Trip," which has been postponed the last three years because of the buns in my sister-in-law's oven. Luckily this year, Katye sans babies in her belly and Jeff yearning for a vacation at the beach, my brother and his wife were both feeling adventurous and packed up all three offspring, each under the age of two, and everything that accompanies them (can you imagine?!) and drove down to the coast. My wonderful and generous in-laws let my family use their beach house in Carillon Beach for the entire week. Mom and dad had the house to themselves Monday and Tuesday for a little R&R, Jeff, Katye, Abby, William, Daley, and myself joined the party on Wednesday, and John arrived on Thursday. Unfortunately, my brother Andrew could not make it. Note to self: don't adopt a puppy any time soon. We had a great time relaxing on the beach, taking walks, playing in the pool, driving around on the golf cart, eating delicious seafood (and donuts), and above all else, loving on the babies. It has only been one day since I've held them and I miss them already! Although I did not take any pictures of the family or document our vacation...shame, shame...I did get some pictures of the little ones throughout the week. 

With this trip being Abby's first visit to the beach I wanted to be sure to capture her reaction to the ocean and the sand. She is the epitome of a water baby and worships the pool so we were interested to see what she would think of the beach. To sum it up, she LOVED it. What she didn't love was the fact that she had to hold our hands. She wanted to jump right in and do her own thing. The fact that the waves overpowered her did not phase her one bit! Such a courageous two-year old! 

"There is a lot more sand here than there is in my sandbox!"

"Hurry up and take my swim shoes off daddy! I'm ready to put my toes in the water!"

Her face when she started to get close to the ocean.

She loves it!

"Splash, splash!"

Playtime at the beach!

William was fascinated by the sand, but preferred the shade, just like his daddy. Daley wasn't sure if she liked the beach or not. She is a hot/cold child, to put it mildly. I did manage to take a few pictures of her playing in the ocean before she started crying and wanted out.

 

Here are a few more pictures of naptime and playtime: 

Nothing more precious than a sleeping baby...

Abby wearing her Mama's flip flops. 

The little Ham we all know and love!

Smiles from Day Day!

Twinkies.

I am so thankful to be a part of one of my nieces' and nephew's firsts—experiencing the beach and all that it has to offer. I am also thankful for the memories made this past week with my family. Thank you mom and dad for a great family vacation. I cannot wait until next year! 

silly smile.

In my last post I forgot to pin up a few pictures that I took of sweet William and his hilarious smile. My adorable nephew is quite the little ham. The minute I started snapping away he was completely drawn to the camera and started posing...no lie! 

"What do you have there? A camera?"

"With a flash?!"

"Don't mind if I smile for you..."

Is he not the cutest little dude around? 

At this point, he was L-O-V-I-N-G it!

Yes, that is his real smile. 

 William is such a happy baby. His smile brightens my day. I hope that it does the same for you! Have a great rest of your day!

i heart you, red, white, blue.

My heart melted last Thursday when I got a phone call from my almost two year old niece, Abby Grace, saying, “Hi Lala!” I heard my brother Jeff in the background saying, “Tell Aunt Lala that you love her” and not a second too soon she said, “I love you, Lala.” Made.My.Day. You can only imagine how the thought of seeing my precious niece in t-minus two days added to my excitement of the up and coming 4th of July weekend. I could not WAIT to see her little angel face and hold her in my arms. There is nothing better than spending a holiday weekend with those that you love the most!

On Friday morning, John and I headed to the lake for our fun-filled getaway. When we pulled up the entire house was adorned in all of her patriotic glory. After throwing down our bags and changing into our swimsuits we hopped on the boat for a nice, long boat ride with the parentals. After we docked and bathed, we headed to the “Silver Moon” for dinner, the best restaurant in Greensboro! It is a small hole-in-the-wall with lots of personality. And the food? Amazing. On Saturday, we took the boat to the "sandbar” and anchored for a few hours. The water was so refreshing, the speakers on boats were blaring some great tunes, people were lying on floats with drinks in hand and laughing with friends, the sun was shining, and the American Flag was waving in the wind—a piece of 4th of July heaven! 

A view of the Ritz-Carlton from the water. Gaby's, on the far right, is where we held our wedding reception.

A view of the Lake Club from the water.

We ate a great lunch and headed back to the house late afternoon to get ready for my parent’s new next door neighbor’s holiday party. And what a party is was! The house was amazing and the view, even more amazing. We ate, chatted with friends, and enjoyed the entertainment. 

My sweet parents.

The spread.

On Sunday, Jeff, Katye, and the babies came!!!  I immediately loved on Abby, Daley, and Will. They are all so precious. We took Abby down to the dock and she let me snap a few pictures of her. 

So curious about everything.

Like father, like daughter.

Laughing at the squirrels.

After that, we lotioned all three up, put on their bathing suits, and headed to the Lake Club for some pool action. Abby Grace loves the pool and is such a brave little bee. She flutters around all by herself, jumps off the side all by herself, and even went down the waterslide with Aunt Lala! William and Daley weren’t so sure about the pool. Daley preferred to lay in the shade with Papa.

William is looking a little irked, but oh so cute in his little peanut hat.

Daley can't live without her Passy! 

Later that night, mom made a delicious Low Country shrimp boil. The babies were getting sleepy so Jeff, Katye, and their three amigos left shortly thereafter. But for us, the 4th of July party didn’t stop there. We then headed to the Ritz-Carlton Lodge for its amazing fireworks show!!!

Another picture of Gaby's. Oh, the memories. 

All of the boats in the water.

And of course...I saved the best for last! The first video is a taste of the entire show. 

...and the Grand Finale! (I apologize for it being sideways).

Due to a minor mishap (John losing his keys), we were able to stay all day on the 4th (we, as in I…John’s day was consumed by driving an hour and a half to meet his dad to get a spare key and an hour and a half back). Mom, dad, and I spent most of the day on the boat, looking at houses, and relaxing. By 5:00 the husband and I said goodbye and headed back to Birmingham. I was super bummed that we couldn’t stay for the firework show that we venture to by boat at Great Waters Country Club, but we did get back in time to see the fireworks at Vulcan. All in all, it was a great weekend spent with my family. I am really looking forward to our beach trip in a couple of weeks. I hope that everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! 364 more days…