Gulf Shores 2013

Last week, we were excited to go on our beach vacation to Gulf Shores, Alabama. I was really hoping that this year would go smoother than last summer. While they were okay last year, they were not a fan of the sand or the ocean...not a good combination! When we got to Gulf Shores, our condo wasn't quite ready, so we went to walk on the beach and re-introduce Bailey and Griffin to the ocean. Griffin LOVED it right away and giggled nonstop with his feet in the water....Bailey on the other hand took a little while to warm up. After a few minutes though, she was good to go! Over the week, we had a great time and made some great memories with Bailey and Griffin! While we were there, another milestone is that Griffin learned to climb out of his bed...let the adventures begin. I will go ahead and apologize for the many pictures that I have posted, but I just had to include all of them!

Griffin and Daddy having fun in the waves!

Bailey was a little more hesitant, but loved it while Daddy held her!

Love this sweet profile picture of my little man!

Ohh....our bathing beauty! Mom, Hannah, and I were sitting in the chairs, and she came over and told Hannah to "Mooze (move) peese (please)"...what a good Aunt!

Griffin had to wave to each airplane that flew by!

Bailey is working hard to get water from the ocean for playing in the sand!

 

Having a blast!

They let me help a little bit!

My Dad and Griffin were covering Jacob with sand, and Griffin decided he should do the same! It cracked us up!

Bailey decided she would join until she realized she would have sand in her hair!

My sweet babies...having a hard time grasping that they will be two tomorrow!!!!

They really do love each other and have the sweetest relationship!

Trying to take the traditional picture in front of the shark....but they realized it was a shark! haha

Checking out the hermit crabs!

Bailey sharing Bebe's ice cream!

I'm a lucky girl!

Mom, Hannah, and I

I was so glad I got to be with my Dad on Father's Day!

Griffin loves his Poppy!

 

They made all kinds of things!

She wasn't in the mood this day!!!

Trying hard for a family picture!

Juice break!

Bailey took a little snooze on Bebe's shoulder....it was much needed!

Time to bury Griffin!

He loved it!!!

 

She was much more pleasant after her little nap! She loves Aunt Hannah!

Staring Daddy down!

Such a special bond!

Mom and Dad....I love that we got to spend the week with them!

No words to describe this one! haha

She has him wrapped around her little finger!

Hug break!

Bailey was NOT in the mood for pictures!

Silly boy!

Buddies!

We had a great time together! I sure wish that my brother, Hayden, could have gone, but he had to work! :( It's so hard being an adult! :)

I'm ready for our next vacation!!!!

Changing the blog name???

Well, the big news in the our household is that we are expecting a sweet new member to our family! It is a huge shock, but reality is setting in, and we are getting more used to our new reality! :) Jacob and I have known that we were expecting for about six weeks. While it was hard to keep the secret, it gave us times to get over our big surprise!

Our sweet baby at 9 weeks and 1 day....I love that you can see his or her little hands and feet already...yes, that's a whole body, not two babies! haha

I will say that when I first found out, I was an emotional wreck! I'm quite a planner, and this wasn't part of my plan yet! However, I have to say that I am so thankful to have Jacob as my husband because he has kept me sane! For anyone who knows Jacob, you know that he is the most practical person ever when it comes to decisions we make in our life. I thought he would be so upset because it wasn't our "plan", however, after he stopped laughing (never saw that one coming), he began to reassure me. He told me that God obviously thought we were ready for another baby because he wouldn't have given this opportunity to us if we couldn't handle it. I still laugh thinking that we tried over a year and a a half for Bailey and Griffin, now we get this huge surprise! 

I thought that I could answer some of my frequently asked questions that I am getting these days:

"Are you serious????" Answer: Yes.

"Are you sure it's just one?" Answer: Yes, that's all that I remember from my dr's appointment. My doctor asked me why I was shaking and I told him that I was just nervous it was going to be multiples. He got a kick out of that!

"Were you trying?" Answer: No, but apparently God thought it was the right time for us...I feel like every time we try to plan something, God just laughs and shows us what His plan for us is!

"How are you feeling?" Answer: Great! I haven't been sick at all, just tired and sometimes emotional! When we found out, Jacob said that explained why I had been going to bed at 8:30 or 9:00 every night!

"Do you realize you're going to have three children under three?" Answer: Yes I do...while it will be a challenge for a short period of life, I know that they will have awesome relationships by being so close in age!

"Can you fit three carseats in your car?" Answer: Nope....not in either one....we are officially in car shopping mode!

"What do Bailey and Griffin think?" Answer: They don't have a clue! However, I was amazed when I showed them the ultrasound and asked them if they knew what it was....Bailey said "Yes, a baby"! Shock...I have no idea how she knows what it is!

"You're going to need help!" Answer: Yes, I will....but luckily, we have an amazing family who helps us when we need them, as well as an amazing support system here that loves our children!

"Do you think 'just one' will be easy?" Answer: I don't know, haha, I have never done it....it will for sure be different!

These are all that I can think of for now! We are now 10 weeks along, and I am excited to be nearing the end of the first trimester! I am so grateful for all of the words of excitement, support, encouragement, and love from all of our friends and family! Those words mean so much to us! I am also SO thankful to have Jacob...there isn't anyone else that I would rather have with me on this crazy journey of our life! 

Guess I'm going to need to change the blog name to Fox Family of Five!!!

Water Fun and Mothers Day!

Now that it has been really warming up, we have been taking full advantage of playing outside! Griffin has discovered his LOVE for water....bath time, washing his hands, drinking out a water bottle, and now playing with the water hose! Bailey's not quite too sure about it! I am hoping that they both love the swimming pool this summer...a few friends have invited us over to swim, but I'm waiting until it warms up...don't want to traumatize them (or me for that matter) with the freezing water!

SOAKED

Little Miss Priss was running from the water!

Not a fan of being wet!

Uh oh...look who has the hose now! 

Daddy rescued her from our crazy, little man with the hose! 

Safe out of the reach of the hose and happy!

 

Sweet smile!

Mother's Day the year was wonderful! I got sweet gifts from my babies and Jacob made it a great weekend by letting me sleep in late, cooking all the meals, and cleaning the kitchen after each meal! Those are my kind of gifts!!! :) We also had fun with Jacob's family in town!!

"A Fower Mommy!"

Just hanging out in the flower bed!

The next couple are my attempt at getting a good picture for Mother's Day! Maybe in 5 years I'll be able to have one with both kiddos smiling!

Giving bubbles a shot!

Still Trying...

Bailey is trying to break free!

Mommy's Sweet Boy!

Look how much they have grown since last Mother's Day!

It's amazing how much Bailey and Griffin have changed in the past year! I'm already amazed at how much they've grown and learned in that time! Motherhood is a stage of life that I always knew I wanted, but I didn't have any idea the love that I would develop for these two precious babies! There are times where I literally feel like my heart is going to burst over how much love I have for them and it continues to grow each day, and with each new stage! I am so blessed to be Bailey and Griffin's Mom! Have there been many challenges and tear filled days/nights with two little ones??? ABSOLUTELY! However, I can now say that life has gotten much easier and I wouldn't trade a single minute of it! Can't wait to see how they will have changed by next Mother's Day!

Bailey's First Bridal Shower!

Two weekends ago, we had the honor of attending a bridal shower for my sweet cousin, Claire. Bailey was formally invited, so I thought she should go! I also knew that some of my Great Aunts would be there who I haven't gotten to see in quite awhile! I worried about Bailey behaving nicely and if she would show any type of a personality....she and Griffin both tend to be VERY shy lately around people they're not comfortable around. They really do have the sweetest and funniest personalities, but don't always choose to show them in unfamiliar situations! Anyway, back on topic, she did GREAT! She played with these two sweet girls the whole time! Eventhough they were older than she is, she seemed to think she was their age and it was the cutest thing! They were so sweet to her!

Happy faces all around!

They were teaching her some new dance moves...she's eating it up!

Taking it all in! These girls are precious and were so sweet to her...even wanted to make sure she would be at the wedding so they could play! :)

Another great part of this bridal shower was seeing sweet family! When I was younger, we spent every Chistmas in McGehee, Arkansas....small place, but so many memories with this part of my family (including decorating the tree on Christmas Eve while my Aunt Marsha played carols on the piano....the kind of stuff movies are made of!). I don't get to see them enough, but it was a lot of fun to let them spend a little time with one of my sweet babies (sorry Griffin, but showers aren't for boys). 

Mom, Aunt Marilyn, and Aunt Marsha

Our part of the shower...have I ever mentioned how much I love family?!?! By the way, so happy for Claire, the Bride-to-Be, who is in the front and center!

Girl cousins!

Bailey loves showers!

Her surprised face...this didn't last much longer when I broke the news to her that we had to leave....one unhappy little girl!

It was wonderful to celebrate Claire's upcoming marriage and can't wait for the big day!!!!