Book club beach fun...

Last weekend my sweet husband gave me the green light to spend some time with friends.  My book club gals booked a condo in Biloxi and headed down for a long weekend.  The water isn't the best, but the sand was nice, the pool was great, and we ate like queens.  I don't think the Mississippi coast gets enough credit for the quick getaway that it is. 

Most of our time was spent by the pool, indulging in (too much) wine, and playing a card game or two.  It's not lost on any of us that we're in a book club, and book clubs are usually stereotyped as really nerdy, stuffy people who wear sweater vests and collared blouses. (Ahem, not that there's anything wrong with that...) I feel like we're a pretty eclectic group that has an exceptional time when we're together. 

 

View from our condo.  We had a neat little deck with a great ocean view.

The pool where we killed most of our time.

See? We're normal.  No sweater vests.

We had a great time at dinner all 3 nights.  We stuffed ourselves to the point of misery at The Blowfly Inn, Halfshell Oyster House, and Phoenicia.

  Saturday we were incredibly obnoxious when we stopped here:

We went inside to order custom made airbrushed tank tops.  The joke--if that isn't enough--is that we call ourselves "The Finer Things Club."  If you're a fan of The Office, you get the reference.  It's self-deprecating.  Anyway, we battled through the people who were very seriously placing orders for Confederate flag t-shirts inside of deer silhouettes.  For reals. 

We had them customize these awesome tanks.  The front says "The Finer Things Club."  I hope the irony of a "FTC" label airbrushed on a wife-beater is not lost on you.

And we all wore them home. 

As a friend put it, our matching clothes made us feel like we should be going to  cheerleading camp.  I wish you could have seen the looks we got from the Sunday church crowd when we stopped in Hattiesburg for lunch. 

Holy cow, it's hot...

Like the much of the country we are suffering through a ridiculous, although not surprising, heatwave.  The humidity is pretty awful, and it's wreaking havoc on my hair.  (Side note--I used to think that since my hair was straight I didn't have to worry about frizz.  WRONG.  Why didn't anyone tell me?) 

Sam is out of school, and he is capital B-O-R-E-D.  This makes me C-R-A-Z-Y.  He really is a good kid, but he is definitely going through an autonomous + rebellious phase.  His need to do things for himself is great, but I can't say I have the patience to deal with milk he spilled because he had to pour it himself.  I just pray for patience.  Lots and lots of patience.  You can pray for me if you like. 

He's already completed a day camp at his school, attended church school, and now we are in the middle of swimming lessons.  We have taken a trip to the zoo, made multiple stops at playgrounds, & hit up the sno-cone stands.  We are doin' it up right around here.  He's headed to his grandparents later this week for a few days, so I'll have a little alone time with the A-train. 

And Alex...two words--fat and happy.  Sometimes he looks so much like Sam did it's scary.  However, they are two completely different babies.  Sam was such a serious little thing, although he's not anymore.  He watched everything and took it in.  Alex is my giggle box.  He smiles, laughs, and coos all the time.  I'm looking forward to seeing this relationship grow.  It ought to be pretty interesting.

Alex just had his 6 month check-up.  He has 2 teeth that just popped through in the past 2-3 weeks.  He weighs 18 lbs., 11 oz. and is 27 1/2 inches long.  Lugging around his car seat is serious work.  Sometimes I wonder why my arms don't look like Jillian Michaels'.  They should.

We were not in the car when this picture was taken.  I am the OCD Queen of Carseat Use.  (Buckle at the sternum, never below, and have it tight enough so that you can't pinch any slack. There.  Off my soapbox.)  Anyway, how cute is he?  Seriously?  And yes, I'm bragging, but it's my blog and that's what I'm supposed to do. 

More sweetness.

Sam is obsessed with pajamas. The second he gets home, he strips down to a t-shirt and pj pants.  I've had to hide his fleece ones because he demands to wear them and then wonders why he wakes up all sweaty.  He will try to wear them anywhere at any time.  Even if they're 3 inches too short like the ones above.  Anyway, last week he had been in his room playing.  Alex was asleep, and all was peaceful.  Too peaceful.  When I went to see why my house wasn't filled with noise as usual, this is what I found.  Apparently even though he's dropped his nap, his nap hasn't completely dropped him. 

Remember his best friend in all the world?  They were reunited at the children's museum last week.  He had the best time.  And isn't she presh?

Sweet sun baby. 

Just started some foods with Alex and he is taking to them like a fish to water.  I'm hoping this child won't be as picky as his brother.

Post swimming lessons Sponge Bob Popsicle.  He annihilated it.