I love the beach, simple as that.
I feel like summer flew by. Can it really be drawing to a close? I know, it's not that sad because I still get to see the beach whenever I want, but still, where did the time go?
I wanted to make sure we snuck one more "good" summer beach outing in before the days get shorter and cooler.
Snuggles after some fun in the sun.
She's my little Florida beach baby. She enjoys the water, but not the sand. Good thing we have this tent!
Ready for fall or not, here we come.
So here's what we've been up to this summer:
We've been playing softball in a city league with some friends and a few of Robert's co-workers.
One game, Robert got a nice shiner on the thigh from a hard hit ball up the third base line while he was standing on base. We had a fun season. I am still playing softball on the team while Robert helps out with Annabelle. We're taking turns on sports at the moment.
We welcomed our good friends Carlos and Stephanie's baby Emily to the world.
We continue to go to Rays games.
Annabelle even went to her first country post-game concert, Martina McBride.
We celebrated Robert's first Father's Day.
I continue to work full time. For the most part it's going really well. I have Annabelle down to a good schedule that allows me to still work productively. However, on most days I often feel like this:
My sister in-law, Laura, sent this to me during a tough week. Thanks Laura! I've even traveled once for work since Annabelle, which was a nice break. Robert's parents came down to watch her while Robert was at work. They're great and Annabelle was spoiled! I don't think she even noticed I was gone. :)
One thing that helped everything settle down was that Annabelle finished up her physical therapy! Ms. Juliet, her therapist, was so impressed that she was crawling and holding her head up so well at 6 months that she released her. Annabelle's neck and hips seem to be doing well. We continue to monitor her hips and will do so until she goes to kindergarten. However, her last X-ray looked good!
We've spent lots of evenings going for walks and stopping at the park so Annabelle can swing. She loves swinging.
We've also taken trips to the pool and beach this summer.
We took a few trips to Jacksonville to see family and friends. While at Grandma and Grandpa's house, Annabelle learned to master the stairs. She loves Blizzard (the family dog), except for when he barks, then she cries.
She grew up over summer. Before summer, I had this little baby that liked to snuggle and be held and then all of sudden I had this rambunctious little thing ready to explore and take on the world. By 6 months she was standing up in her crib and crawling. The one thing that hasn't changed though is her hair, or the lack thereof. She's still a little baldy.
Robert travelled to Texas for work.
He's also starting to like fishing more and more, especially when you snag catches like this while fishing in the backyard.
Utah or bust!
We took Annabelle on her second plane ride and headed to Utah to be with my Mom and siblings for the Fourth of July.
It was the first time all the new cousins were able to meet each other.
Traditional parade fun.
Later, we had a rousing game of kickball and a Whitehead family picnic.
With firework shenanigans to follow.
We found the perfect spot that overlooked all the shows in the valley. We continued the fun at home lighting a few of our own.
Best buds! Cousins make the best of friends.
I love getting together with all of my family. This year it was tricky with having three babies, but we were still able to squeeze in some fun between naps, feedings, etc.
We took a Sunday hike:
Put our Minor League Passes to good use by attending the Ogden Raptors game vs. the Orem Owlz.
Acted like kids again by jumping on trampolines. We just don't have quite the same stamina anymore.
The boys went to an Air Force Museum.
Went to a water park.
It was a perfect day for the pool. They had these fun high dives that most of us took turns jumping off.
Funny how some things never change, I distinctly remember doing this exact same thing (standing on the fence) while visiting my Grandma Tolsma's house.
We celebrated Jason and Keaton's birthdays. Keaton is now in the double digit club by turning the big 1-0.
A backyard party is not complete without some foursquare. It was a hit with the kiddos. It's a good thing they have us to teach them the "cool" games to play.
We had a blast with everyone! We loved catching up and spending time together, not to mention the food was great.
I'm going to try to better at updating, so we don't have to keep doing these mass updates!
Until next time,
JoAnna & the Family
