Florida

In April, we went to Florida.  It was the annual Managing Director's Conference and we decided to take Baylee along. (of course, we had Noah too)  We took a red eye to get there... here is Baylee, VERY excited to be on an airplane for the first time!  A few minutes later she was panicking that we were going to crash as the wing on our side of the plane dipped while we turned around.  It was pretty funny, I was a little concerned that she was going to get really upset, but she calmed down and did fantastic.

Both of them did great, when we finally made it to our room, everyone crashed!  It was a wonderful afternoon nap.

That evening, we went to the welcome reception and Baylee loved all of the yummy fruit they had there.

We explored the resort a little and enjoyed the gorgeous weather.

They had many interesting plants in Florida that I had never seen before.  Baylee loved this one!

Here she is in front of the huge fountain.  If you can see in the back, there was a giant bowl that overflowed and made a wall of water that fell into the pool.  It was fun to walk behind it, actually I spent a lot of time back there because the noise and cool breeze always worked to calm Noah down!

Here is the little slide that we spent so much time playing on.  By the end of the week Baylee worked up the nerve to go down the big slide... but mostly she played on this one.

One night at dinner, Noah was wide awake the entire time and he was looking around making eye contact with everyone who came by to see him.  People kept asking how old he was because he was so tiny and yet so alert.  I am not sure why he was so awake that night, but it reminded me a lot of Jaden!

Baylee enjoying dessert

There was a live band every night and she especially loved that... she even knew some of the songs.

Playing with Daddy behind the wall of water.

She had the best time being the center of attention all week!

She loves hanging out with daddy

A sign Baylee and I saw while on a walk... a little disturbing.

They had this great bridge that went from our hotel through the mangroves to the marina.  We walked it every day and saw some lizzards and crabs and funny birds... but no alligators.

Relaxing by the pool.

Baylee loved the hammock!

Smiles!

I still have not been able to capture a really great smile on camera, but I sure am getting a lot of them these days!  I love this little guy so much, he has been the most challenging by far, but we are getting into a better groove and even with all of the challenges, I can't remember ever enjoying the newborn stage so much.  Maybe because I imagine that he will be our last... I don't know, but I sure am trying to soak up every moment!  :)

Jaden's Birthday Update

kid Quotes

Jaden observing me nurse Noah: "God is kind of like the chef, and you are kind of like the waitress."

Happy Birthday Baylee!

Kid Quotes

Tony was telling me a Sammy Davis Jr. joke and Baylee was listening. She asked what we were talking about, and he explained to her that a long time ago, black people had to sit in the back when they rode on a bus. She asked, "What is a black person?" with a very puzzled look on her face. We laughed. Tony said, "It is just someone with darker skin than you have. Do you know anyone with darker skin than yours?" She looked at me, puzzled still, and said "no". We laughed again. She skipped out of our room and started playing with her sisters, clearly not understanding why grown ups talk about such silly things.

Kid Quotes

Jaden: "I don't believe that "read" is a verb, there is not much action going on when you read."

Does it get any cuter???

Yellow Belt!

He opted for a serious shot... for dramatic effect.  :)

The Littlest One

I love how tiny Noah is, it is something I was just not expecting and know will not last for very long.

He always looks so much bigger in the pictures, I try to capture how small he is, but it never comes across.  I remember having the same problem with the girls.  The only way to really remember is to look back at their little outfits.  It is unbelievable some of the things the girls used to fit in!  I can't believe Jaden ever fit into the clothes Noah is wearing now... (Aubrey never really did.)  :)

I will enjoy the smallness while it lasts, because I know very well that it just doesn't.

Birth Announcement

The one that made the cut :)

The "Okay, everyone squeeze in" one.

The "The girls are smiling, the rest of you hurry up and smile too!" one.

The "The girls are getting giggly and wiggly, try to hold it together for a few more shots!" one.

The "Livie is past the point of no return, I think we are done." one.  :)  (This one almost made the cut, it is pretty funny, but Livie kind of took the limelight so I thought I better pick a different one since it is Noah's announcement... he sort of gets lost in there doesn't he?)

Look Who's Walking!

This and That