The Leonard Family: September 2012

Sunday, September 23, 2012

It's Fall!!!!

The Leonards LOVE FALL! I think I say that every year. It is VERY much our favorite season! We have already bought our Octoberfest beer, got out all of our Fall decorations, noticed some leaves changing colors, made homemade banana nut bread, worn some cute matching Fall outfits and made it to a Georgia Tech football game! And we are only one day in to the season! Lots more fun to come this Fall! The weather is really helping out! It's so nice to have a break in the heat!

We had a fun...and LONG Saturday! Mommy started the morning very early with an 8 mile run with some fabulous ladies! Then we all headed to Jack's t-ball game! Jack slid into home for the first time! We have been begging him for two seasons to slide! And he finally did it (And Mommy missed it! Yikes... I was chasing Miss Lucy!) He is continuing to be aggressive going after the ball and really having fun with his team! After the game, we had a quick lunch at a local bakery and went home to get ready for the football game. Jack was so excited and has been asking about going to a Tech game since we went to Fan Day. We met up with a few friends and some Turner people for tailgating. As soon as we got on campus, we walked into the band and cheerleaders playing in front of the Student Center. We had to stay and watch the whole thing. Jack LOVED it! Lucy thought it was "too loud"! Jack kept asking when we were going to go into the game! We finally got to our seats and Jack had the best time. He watched all the plays, kept up with whatever "Buzz Bee" was doing, and paid attention to the band! It was so fun to see him be so excited and cheer. He always wanted to be able to see! It was so fun! Lucy did pretty well considering it was a long day and no nap for her. She was getting pretty tough by half time. We stayed to watch the band at half time and then headed to our favorite pizza place to watch the end of the game. Unfortunately, it was a TERRIBLE end to the game, but it still was a fun time for our little foursome! Kiddos crashed when we got home and so did we!

It's a gorgeous morning and we are headed out to enjoy the weather!

Snacks on Friday evening with friends!

Daddy made up a game of running the kids around on a giant shovel. They loved it of course!

Whee!

Hold on Lucy!!!!

Cute Fall kiddos! Can you believe how big they are?!

Katie and Julie at another game at Tech... been doing that for a long time (I would rather not say how long! Ha!)

Kiddos at Tech!

Jack and Lucy found fun playing in the ice (full of beer) at the Turner Tailgate!

Lucy thought the ice was "Coooooold!"

Let's go to the game Daddy!

Jack loved watching the game! Beautiful day at Tech!

Lucy "enjoying" the game! Snacks and a drink!

Happy girl with mommy!

Everyone was happy to get out of the sun and enjoy some pizza!

Monday, September 17, 2012

A Little Bit of Perfect!

It always seems like we set our expectations too high for a trip down to Seagrove Beach. It is such a fun and happy place for us! It NEVER disappoints! This year was no exception! We were in a DESPERATE need for a break from life and reality...as we cruised down the road it seemed like some of the stress started lifting away! :) We got in town around 2pm Saturday afternoon. We headed straight to Seaside and had a great lunch on the upper deck of Bud and Alley's overlooking the Gulf! The kids were so excited to see the "BIG Wa-Wa" (as Lucy says!) We got to Ramsgate and as soon as Daddy started unloading, we started getting on sunscreen and swimsuits! We ran down the stairs to the sand and spent the afternoon on the beach! The kids LOVE the beach and it makes it so much more fun (and relaxing) for us when they just love playing! It was such a great feeling to know that we were there all week. Jack just kept saying over and over about how happy he was to be at the beach and that we were going to be there for SIX NIGHTS! It was fun to see them so excited about it! They were also very excited about sleeping in the same room! They did so great being together! They both loved getting in Jack's lower bunk bed to read books together at night!

We spent our mornings VERY SLOW! We drank coffee on the deck, played games, had yummy breakfast (including Monkey Bread and Cheese Dreams!) and just took it easy! We spent most of the late morning on the beach and had a nice lunch on the deck. It was our version of perfect...and slow! No schedule and nowhere to be! I think the kids really needed it too because they really enjoyed the slow pace!

We did a few new things on this trip...including renting bikes! It was so much fun and we went on a bike ride everyday! Steven pulled the kids in a trailer behind his bike. They thought it was fun! We ALL thought it was great not to get in a car! We rode our bikes to lunch in Seaside, for treats in the afternoon (We got a shaved ice from Frost Bites THREE TIMES!!!! A family favorite!), and we rode all the way to Grayton Beach one morning for a really good breakfast! We ventured out one night to a yummy dinner at George's in Alys Beach. We went into Rosemary to walk around and see some shops before dinner. The last night we were there we cooked hotdogs and stayed down on the beach to watch the sunset. It was BEAUTIFUL and we couldn't believe how much the kids got into watching the sun sink down! That was a first for us too! Jack also tried boogie boarding for the first time! He definitely did a couple of flips into the water and it shook him up a little but he would want to try again! He was so cute riding the waves! Lucy had no fear of the water (As you can see from the pictures) and wanted to go in every time Jack did. (Imagine that... there is nothing he does that she doesn't want to do too!)

We made some amazing memories on this trip! It was so sad leaving but we will be back again next year! Jack even teared up as we pulled off and said, "I already miss the beach!" The kids made the trip so much fun (and a little tiring of course!). It was a really happy time for us! Until next year! (There are a LOT of pictures!)