A Wedding & Vacation

Our family just got back from a week long vacation and it was wonderful!  There weren't too many activities planned and we were able to relax most of the week.  We went to Treasure Island, FL, and while we normally don't travel that far (the trip took around 12 hrs!), this year we had a wedding to attend.  One of Josh's cousins got married and Josh's parents, his niece and another cousin, and our family decided to attend the wedding and then make a vacation out of it.  We found a great house to rent with plenty of room on Treasure Island and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.  If you are ever vacationing on the FL coast, let me know and I will give you the info for the house. 

The FL coast was also beautiful.  The Gulf's water was really pretty and thankfully, the oil has not moved that far down.  Thomas really liked playing in the sand, but wasn't crazy about the waves.  He liked being in the ocean, but not on the shore.  We didn't put Josiah in the ocean, but he did get in the pool and loved it.  He instinctively knew to kick his legs and looked like a little tadpole in the water! 

Josh and I had heard a few months ago that Busch Gardens had just opened a Sesame Street mini-park within the park and we thought it would be fun for Thomas.  In hindsight, we should have taken into account that the heat index would be over 100 and having two small children who both still need naps.  We were also very worried about Josiah because he was so red and hot.  We were constantly blowing a fan on him and spraying him down with water.  Thomas did have a good time, but we spent a few hours riding a train around the park and trying to see an Elmo movie in 3D (it was canceled several times).  We should have spent the day in Elmo land, because that is what Thomas enjoyed the most.  He rode the rides and played in the water. 

We had a great time learning to play poker at the house where we stayed.  They had a poker table complete with cards and chips.  Josh's dad knew how to play, so Josh joked that "the Baptist deacon taught the Baptist preacher and his wife, as well as two underage girls how to play poker!"  We played poker almost every night after the boys were in bed and while I didn't win very many games, I still enjoyed it! 

I'll admit this vacation was hard to leave.  The only time we truly ever get away is when we are on vacation.  Because we do live right by the church, Josh never truly gets away from work.  He heard a pastor say a few months ago that when he and his family moved out of the parsonage into their own house, that their family's stress level decreased remarkably.  We aren't moving anytime soon, and I'm very thankful for our home, and will continue to strive for relaxing vacations! 

Mr. & Mrs. Culbertson at the wedding. 

Josh and his dad kayaking in the inlet.  We all had a lot of fun in the kayak with our experienced guide, Josh's dad!

Thomas riding a hippo at Busch Gardens...he loved it!

Our sweet baby at Busch Gardens. 

Josh's wonderful parents!

The girls and Thomas.  He had a great time "playing" with them all week. 

My wonderful friend, Elizabeth, came to visit!  She lives only an hour and a half away from where we stayed and it was wonderful to have a day to catch up with her.  We have been friends since our freshman year of college.  A true and sweeter friend you will not find!

Vacation Pictures

This first picture is a classic family picture. We were at a harbor and there were tons of gnats. Don't you just love my expression and Thomas covering his face?

Picture with the grandparents - everyone is looking at something different!

Look at my sweet boy - don't you just love those cheeks?!
A good picture of us!

Thomas resting by the pool.

Playing in the sand! I know he looks like a little "gangster" with this hat, but he loves it and it is too big for him. If he wears it sideways, he can see!

View from our balcony - I didn't want to come home!

Josh & Thomas at the ocean. Thomas liked to be held when near the ocean. He said, "Hold Daddy, hold!"

Look at my sweet little Josiah with his stylin' hat! He really didn't care about the beach. He just cares about eating and sleeping!

Josh in the top of the castle at the inflatable playground. This castle was great - 2 slides and there were costume for the kids to play dress up. Thomas just wanted to slide!

Playing with the balls.

Josiah even got in on the action in the exersaucer. This is just like our one at home. He didn't stay in it too long. At three months he isn't quite strong enough to support his weight on his legs, but he sure does look cute!

Trying to show Thomas how to play with the dinosaurs, but he wasn't interested. I think he was a little scared.

Disney World

Yes, this took two weeks to post instead of two days. I said in my previous post that I would begin blogging regularly again, but I should have made that a new year's resolution! We have been extremely busy. The first week of December, I was busy planning and preparing a meal for our deacons and their wives for Saturday night, the 6th. We had a wonderful time and I'm so glad we were able to show them our appreciation for all of their hard work in our church. Last week, I was planning on doing a couple of blogs on Tuesday, but the stomach virus had another plan. All three of us came down with it in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. Needless to say, we were completely wiped out and I'm so thankful for my mother-in-law taking care of Thomas. Unfortunately, she and my father-in-law got it after being exposed to it here! Doesn't family share everything?! Thank you Roger and Vivian for compromising your health to help us - we couldn't have done it without you!

And finally, Josh graduated from Southern Seminary with his Master of Divinity on Friday! We left on Wednesday afternoon to travel to Louisville (and no we didn't feel the best) for the festivities on Thursday and Friday. We had a wonderful time and I'm so proud of my husband. He started seminary single with no responsibilities and left married with one child and another one on the way, and not to mention the pastor of a church! I will do my best, Lord willing, to post pictures of graduation later this week, but I will warn you - this week is very busy too!

Without further ado, here are some pictures from Disney!

Cinderella's Castle at Night!

Me showing Thomas the fish at Animal Kingdom.
He fell asleep on the safari ride!

Josh, Thomas, Grandma, & Poppy at the bird show.

Thomas trying to take off his Mickey ears - isn't he cute?!

Thomas mesmerized by the parade!

Thomas & Josh in a parade at our character breakfast.

Thomas meeting Winnie the Pooh for the first time!

He touched Pooh's nose!

My Long Absence

I usually try to post a couple of times a week, but that hasn't happened since September. Morning sickness is the main reason for not posting and we have just been very busy. I'm hoping the morning sickness will subside soon. Thankfully, I'm not "sick" just very nauseous and it doesn't end until sometime after lunch. When I was pregnant with Thomas I began to feel much better around 14 weeks. As you can see on the sidebar, I'm 13 weeks and 1 day now, so I'm hoping next week will be much better. Plus, we are going on another short trip next week and I would really like to feel normal!

Just a little update -

• We heard the baby's heartbeat on Friday, the 21st. I loved hearing the whoosh-whoosh and remembering why I'm sick and that it is completely worth it! Thomas went with us and he started bobbing his head when he heard the sound. He loves to dance and he thought it was music!
• Last Sunday, the 23rd, we left for a week at Disney World! While it was a fun and exciting trip, it was also very exhausting. Thomas was such a trooper with all the changes and lack of sleep. Poor baby didn't get to bed before 9pm anytime we were there and he only had one nap most days. I thought he might be ready to drop his morning nap, but he definitely isn't. By 11am, in the middle of fun rides, he was yawning. I'll post some pictures in the next few days of Sleepy - I mean Thomas!

Hopefully, my posting will become more regular in the next few weeks, even with the Christmas rush. We already have our tree and decorations up. Thomas loves the tree, but I think he is a little mystified by a tree being inside. Pictures of Disney World coming soon - I promise!

Pigeon Forge Getaway

Our trip to Pigeon Forge was relaxing, a little stressful, and even convicting. We got there around 6pm on Friday, checked in with the rental agency, and then went to find the cabin. As I was backing out of the parking space, we heard this awful noise. Josh immediately got out to see what had happened. The right side of the front fender had come completely loose! There was a huge spike sticking out of the concrete in front of the parking space. When Josh parked, he apparently got too close to it, and when I backed up, it held on to the fender. We didn't worry about it too much while we were in Pigeon Forge, because the only time it mattered was on the mountain roads.

The cabin we stayed in was beautiful! We were at the top of a mountain road, and while it was a little scary driving up there (I always felt the car was going to fall backwards), it was well worth the view. We had a pool table on the ground floor; a living area, kitchen, bathroom, & porch on the 2nd floor; and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the top floor. Josh & I enjoyed sitting on the porch and even playing a couple games of pool (I was awful). Thomas also enjoyed the pool table (see pictures below).

We stayed at the cabin most of the time, because we just wanted to relax and not spend a bunch of money. On Saturday evening, we ate at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant and had some of their wonderful apple fritters! Josh was very sweet to me and happily went shopping with me at the Tanger Outlet Mall.

Sunday morning we left around 11am, not realizing that everyone else was leaving at that time too. Once we got through traffic and ate lunch at Cracker Barrel, we were ready to go home. However, now that we were headed toward the interstate and driving around 55mph, we realized we couldn't drive home with the fender hanging loose, because it was dragging the ground. We stopped at a gas station to buy duct tape (we were trying anything we could), but as Josh came back to the car, a guy that we had seen earlier and had been very judgmental about, came over to help us. He told Josh that duct tape wouldn't hold it and we needed rope or wire. Thankfully, he had some rope and he fixed the car up for us. After he helped us for free, Josh and I felt very convicted about our thoughts toward him. He had tattoos all over him, and was wearing very baggy pants that showed half his underwear. More than likely, this guy wasn't a Christian, but instead of sinfully judging him, we were convicted of how we need to pray for him.

We are very thankful for the time to get away, but are glad to be home again. Here are some pictures of our trip.

Mini Vacation

This week our family has been in Louisville, KY. Josh had to take a class this week at the seminary. Thomas and I have visited with friends and taken lots of walks. Southern Seminary is such a beautiful place, and they are working to make everything look wonderful because the SBC annual convention is in Louisville next year to mark the seminary's 150th anniversary. While Thomas and I have been relaxing, Josh has been busy with his class.

Thankfully, he finishes today at lunch and before we head back to SC, we are going to Gatlinburg! We have rented a cabin, with a mountain view, tonight and tomorrow. Josh & I are ready to relax and just do nothing for a couple of days. We decided to rent a cabin because it was about the same price as a hotel room and we have a lot more space. Our cabin has a big porch with rocking chairs and a hot tub! We even have a flat-screen tv in the cabin! I'm sure we are not going to want to come home on Sunday. I'll post pictures next week.

Just a quick update on Calvin: He had his surgery on Monday morning and is now recovering at Josh's parents. He has a recovery time of 8 to 12 weeks - poor kitty. Thanks again to Josh's parents who so graciously took him to Greenville for the surgery, and now are giving him 3 medications a day! I've got to think of something really sweet to do for them!