Trying to stay cool!

Mary Sofia came over for her 1st play date a t Claire's house. They played outside for as long as the mommies could stand the heat! They did splendidly at taking turns going down the water slide! Fun was had by all and yummy snacks followed inside...where it was a bit cooler!!
Mary Sofia became a pro at the slide....
You can tell she's used to hamming it up for the camera!
Hollywood Claire ready for a splash.
Thanks for coming Mary Sofia and Carrie! Sure we'll do it again real soon!!!

Sorry it's been so long......

Well ,today we visited the Mud Island Riverwalk for the 1st time. We went with friends Lily Grace & Elliot from gymnastics class, and their mommies. The kids had a blast! They splashed til they could no longer and then after getting sprinkled in the "Gulf of Mexico", we had lunch in the shade. The kids were exhausted. Yay! All the kids enjoyed the water and were on their best behavior.

Ms. Barb, Claire, & Lily Grace having some fun.
Can't tell Claire liked it at all......
Elliot & Claire having some sort of discussion.
Jesse was a great help with the little kids on the Riverwalk!

I promise to post again real soon!
Love,Gretchen

Sorry it's been so long (continued)........

Well, we've been having a very fun and busy summer. But I finally have a free t moment to post a few new pictures. We're trying to fit lots of fun stuff in before school starts in 3 weeks! Hard to believe!


Claire playing dress up. Actually, she walks around in these shoes most of the day....
Jesse at a Redbirds game with PawPaw, cousin Dylan, and his friend Ryan. Jesse thoroughly enjoyed seeing his cousins this summer!!
Handsome Jesse before going out to eat.
More pictures from today's visit to Mud Island Riverwalk. The kids had a blast and were exhausted at the end of the day....just the way we like them!
Jesse with little Elliot staying cool at the Riverwalk.

A few more beach pics.....

In my hurry to blog last night, I failed to include some pictures of Mary Grace, who came down to our condo Friday for a day at the beach with us, along with her mom and dad, Leigh Ann and John. I told John I would have many incriminating photos of him on the blog, but he was well behaved so I have no incrimenating photos to offer!!

As many of you know, Mary Grace and Claire were in the same orphanage together in China. She particularly enjoyed playing in the sand with Jesse, who is smitten with her. The girls were exausted by the end of the of the day and we hope to see them all very soon!
All the other cousins were just as taken with Mary Grace as hey were with Claire!
Mary Grace had a full crowd at her attention, offering snacks and buddies to play in the sand with!

We're Home!

OK, So we're home now and I'm sooooo sorry I'm just now posting. We had a bit of trouble with sleeping arrangements this week, as Claire did not like sleeping in her pack and play AT ALL!! She was unconsolable, so we had to rock her til she fell asleep, whick took about 1 hour.After that we would put her down in the pack and play and she would wake up around 2am screaming because she had no idea where she was. Anyway, I never had a chance to sit down at the computer after she went down to blog. So forgive me, as I have included many pictures tonight! Other than the sleeping thing, we had a great vacation. I should call it a trip, because Lance and I decided a vacation was something you take WITHOUT the kids!..... We stayed on the beach all day every day and were blessed with the most wonderful weather. Lance enjoyed golf one day and took Jesse and Peyton to Waterville one afternoon but Claire and I could be found at the beach at almost any given time!! Enjoy the pictures and will post again real soon. I think I need a vacation from my vacation.....

Love,Gretchen
Claire begged anyone who would be willing to take her into the water. She kept pointing to the water and saying, "I go......"
Sweet siblings

More Beach Pictures as Promised.....

This is a special picture because this is my Grandma with all her Great Grandchildren! There are 9 and 2 more on the way!! All the kids really enjoyed having Great Grandma Hydrick on this vacation with them!


Getting a decent family picture is impossible! Apparantly, just before the pictures were taken, Claire decided to put her hands through my hair and pull away. My family never said, "Hey Gretchen, you have a huge chunk of hair pulled out of place", or "Hey Gretchen, your hair looks a little like you just woke up!" Oh well, the pictures are done and this is as good as it gets! I'll always have the memories of a great trip though!!!
Claire with one of her cousins, Peyton. All the "big kids" were so big to play with Claire and give her attention! Claire thought she was one of the big kids!

Flora/Bama 08'

Claire in the annual "Beach Chair Picture." We have used the same chair every year since Jesse was 12 weeks old and at the beach for the 1st time! Claire loved it!
Beach picture.....we stayed in our swimsuits from early morning til bedtime.....
A sweet moment with the kids taking a break from the ocean.
Claire just played on the last day of the beach til she couldn't go any more. Grandma enjoyed every minute of it!
Uncle Tommy (Gretchen's brother), Gretchen, and Grandma (Gretchen's mom) enjoying the ocean breeze.... Once again, sorry for the delayed post. Hope you all enjoyed the photos! Will post again soon!
Love, Gretchen

Vacation Time....2008!

Well, we began our vacation by stopping off in Prattville, AL at Mary Grace's Home for a lovely cookout lunch! Claire and Mary Grace are from the same orphanage and we traveled to China with Leigh Ann and her good friend Amy! We had a great time and the kids were good and tired when we got back in the car for the rest of the trip! Always great to see Mary Grace and her family!!
Mary Grace immediately took to Jesse, as he did her!
This is what I woke up to this morning! Ready to start their day on the beach!
Claire had a great time on the beach today. She actually prefers the ocean to the sand. She kept wiping the sand off all day and finally gave in and just enjoyed playing in it! She just went from relative to relative for snacks.....

Will post lots more tomorrow!!! We are enjoying lovely weather and company! We have about 50 family down here now and a blast is being had by all!

Love,gretchen

A Homerun for Jesse!

Sadly, yesterday I was so caught up in Jesse's baseball game, that I failed to take a single picture! Jesse stepped up to the plate and cracked his 1st home run last night. I would have damaged the camera if I were holding it anyway, as I was jumping around like a lunatic. The look on his face as he was rounding the bases was priceless. He was chased down from 3rd to homeplate and I swear to you I've never seen my son run so fast! I knew he had it in him! His whole team cheered him on and he was beaming the rest of the game. He also assisted on making an out and that added to his delight! Way to go Jesse!!!! Last regular season game is Friday evening and I promise pictures will be taken.

Will post again soon!
Love,Gretchen

Jesse & The Sea Lion

Jesse and Claire went to the zoo Friday and Jesse found a new friend.......

Here Comes Sun!

Claire has been taking advantage of this beautiful weather we've been having. She decided to water my lantanas after taking a dip inher new baby pool from Nana and Pawpaw.

Lily Grace and her mom dropped by with these brand new shades for Claire. Lily Grace is sporting her new shades as well! Thank you Lily Grace!!
Jesse is smitten with Lily Grace and of course, had to have his picture taken with the girls. Lily Grace had no problem plopping down in Jesse's lap for this picture! Will post more soon....2 days left of school!!!

Portrait of Claire

My wonderful neighbor, Chantel, painted this picture and brought it over on Claire's Birthday. I was just overwhelmed beyond words when I saw it. It captures the essence of Claire perfectly and can't wait to find the perfect frame! Thanks Chantel!

Will post again soon!
Love,Gretchen

Planting with Grandpa

Jesse was so excited when school was out Tuesday because he knew it was the day Grandpa and he were going to plant tomato plants. He immediately ran upstairs and changed into his "dirty clothes" and started to help Grandpa. They had great fun and can't wait to see our first sign of tomotoes! Claire and Grandma were onlookers, as Jesse and Grandpa did all the work!



Jesse with his finished product and and fresh new scrape form the chicken wire! What is it with boys wanting to show off their injuries?

Will post again soon!
Love,Gretchen

Claire on the go....

Well, Claire has been under the weather this week, but I have been able to snap a couple of decent shots when she's not being held....Jesse is finishing up the 1st grade and I will have lots of "end of the school year" photos soon! Baseball pics to come soon also!
Claire puts this backpack full of heavy blocks on and scoots through the house saying "Bye Bye"!
Claire with her new "bike" from Nana and PawPaw she received on her 2nd Birthday! She loves it and thinks she's one of the big kids! More to come soon!

Love,Gretchen

Happy #2 Claire!!!

Claire woke up on her big #2 with an Elmo balloon, a tiara, a special gift, and her favorite breakfast! The day was very yucky outside, so we stayed in and made cupcakes and played all day!
Claire's Birthday Party was wonderful and our fabulous family and special friends celebrated Claire's Day with her! We hung pink and orange lanterns all over the house and Claire followed mommy around going "oooooh" to every lantern. We are so blessed to have such a sweet daughter and wonderful family and friends!
Will post again soon!
Love,Gretchen

Guess Who's Two?

Cousin Alice looking all grown up!
Daddy helping Claire open her gifts! I think Daddy has as much fun as Claire!!!!
Claire and Lily Grace sharing a Birthday hug!
Thanks to Ms. Ann for the delicious cake! We had barely any leftover!
Claire on her Birthday making strawberry cupcakes...of course she had to try the icing.....