Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Summer Fun in MS Part 2

 I suppose my last post had too many pictures because it wouldn't let me add my last 3! So, I'll just make a new post.  How about that, Picasa?!?
Mac fell in love with the McDonald's in Magee because they have game screens at the table.  While one would think such a thing would cause children to not eat, it had just the opposite effect on Mac.  He ate an entire Happy Meal himself, which he ordinarily shares with Drew because he eats so little.  A win, win for all involved.

I was sooo excited to fit in a trip to the Coast to see Momo and Papa!  I miss them terribly and look forward to being back close to them soon (or having them in Jackson every time we visit...Hint, Hint, Momo!)
 
All that traveling about makes one very, very tired!

Summer Fun in MS

 We spent some time this summer in Mississippi.  We all love going to visit family...it can be quite the task making rounds to see everyone while we are there but it is always worth it.  We are blessed with lots of family that love us, and we are fortunate that all can be seen with a few hours drive from each other. 
We sure did borrow my sister's zoo pass and take the kids to the Jackson Zoo.  Yes, it's quite a sad sight.  But the kids had fun! :)

Drew waving at the bear.  He waves to anyone and anything.

Our real motivation for going to the zoo was the fun splash pad that they have.  Drew loved it!
 
 
 

Mac, however, did not love the idea of water splashing around all over and possibly getting his face wet.  He wanted to just watch.

I was trying to convince Mac that if Drew could do it, he could...

But my convincing wasn't working.  The only thing that worked was getting wet with him.  I'll pretty much do anything to help a fear be conquered!

Shielding his face from the water.  That's my boy! :)

After the splash pad, both were beyond thrilled to ride the train.

Yep, us and maybe one other group in the very front enjoyed that ride.  Cause you know these boys picked the caboose to ride in!

This is a "I'm having a blast" face...much different from the face you saw earlier at the splash pad. LOL

Our travels took us to Magee where we were so very excited to spend time with Aunt Olivia and Ardsley.  She is the sweetest little thing :)

Belly laughing with Mim in the pool
 

They thought it was so fun to pour water on poor Mim. haha

We wish Aunt Olivia and Ardsley lived closer so we could visit more often!!

Fun at McDonald's

 
 

Exciting News!!!

 
 
We are beyond excited and blessed to be welcoming Baby Taylor #3 to our family!!!
 Due to arrive February 3rd :)

Fireworks on the Fourth

 
We decided to take an adventure and go to a small neighboring town called Rockaway Beach for fireworks on the Fourth (most towns in our area actually have fireworks either before or after the Fourth.)  We were told that we'd be venturing into some possibly "sketchy" areas, but we were unalarmed and ready for fun!  We parked at a great little church that was running a bus all evening to take people down to the lakefront (what a great service for them to provide!)  My boys were ecstatic to ride on a "real" school bus.  A first for both of them :)
 
Our longtime friends, Jon and Bobbi Caranna, were in town visiting for the week from Kentucky.  So glad they were around for all the fun!

Drew is trying to decide if he's going to look up for the fireworks.
 

I L-O-V-E my little crew

Our crew waiting for the show.  We were very fortunate to have perfect weather.  I actually wished I had brought a sweater with me!

CeCe and PePaw

A little glimpse down the lakefront that went way down.  It was packed!
 

Loving the fireworks

And Mac did too...
 

Oohh...Aahh...

The big finale came at the end with a giant boom...

That Drew loved and made Mac cry.  Perfect description of my children's personality differences :)

A little more bus fun

Drew enjoyed the whole show, as long as he was holding my hand.  Melt my heart!
 
Some Fourth fun playing with new bday toys. 

Drew's 2!!!

 
My sweet, sweet Baby Drew can no longer be called "baby."  He has moved to the big boy world as a two year old.  Drew's birthday is July 1st, and since he has a current obsession with flags, we decided that a flag party on the Fourth was a great fit this year.  
 
CeCe found a great sparkler candle to go on Drew's cupcake. Only problem was that Drew didn't think it was so great...he was pretty terrified!

Once the sparkler ran out, he was happy to blow out his candles

I can't believe he is 2!

Enjoying every bite of his cupcake
 
 

He was even willing to share some of his icing with our friend, Jon :)

You know what opening presents at a kid's party is like...crazy chaos!

Family pic on our deck, which we have few of because we seldom have extra people hanging around to take one.

And oh yes, we were "that family" who bought matching flag shirts.  I mean, if you're gonna go all out, go ALL out!

CeCe and PePaw were able to come at the last minute, and we were so thrilled!
 

A little outdoor pool fun for the kiddos.

Crazy :)

The guys enjoyed hanging out watching the kids swim. And Sam fell in love with that Cadillac chair!

A sampling of some of our goodies.  My mom was a big help making it all look so great.

We were decked out for the Fourth! 

By the end of the day, the kids were cold and the water was disgusting!! haha  Those kids were in and out, in and out...
 
This is the sign of a little boy that partied hard and long and had a great time!