What a Wednesday!

7 AM, and our condo was shakin' this morning! Steve got the girls up and they had breakfast together! By 8:30 the girls and I were on the beach catching some sun and shells! The water was a little rough and the girls' healthy fear of the water seemed to disappear today, so we didn't stay at the beach too long! We went to the pool for a little while, but then Reagan had, ummm, should I say a difficult time, so we headed up to our room to work through things and regroup! We watched a Blue's Clues and got ready to go on a lunch "date"!

When I was little we would go to this restaurant that had fried pickles. I used to love them! Steve showed me a menu when I got here for a little place that has fried pickles (along with fried everything else!) so my mouth has been watering since I saw the menu! So the girls and I went there for our little "date". We had so much fun! The girls had fried pickles, fried mushrooms and fried pickles! (Along with a very cheesy grilled cheese sandwich and French fries!) Everything was great and the service was wonderful! We just took our time and laughed and laughed and laughed. We sure did wish Daddy-O was with us, though!

By the time we got back home, I thought the girls would be worn out, but they weren't! (It must have been the cake with the yummy chocolate topping!) So, I put Sydney to bed and then Reagan and I grabbed our own rocking chairs on the balcony and read our books!

It was so beautiful outside that I packed up a picnic and we had dinner on the beach! The girls just couldn't stay out of the ocean! By the time we were done they were both soaked! They were so cute!!

Ahhhhh...It's off to relax for a little while!

Tuesday - Ahhhh...Another Beach Day!

Well, I think the pictures say enough about today! The girls had a blast! They were in bed before 7 tonight! They were so tired by the end of the day! The little boy in the pictures is their new little buddy for the week, Carson!

Reagan and I colored and Sydney and I played once we settled back in the condo. Reagan and I also began working on these verses today:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

Topsail Island

Here's where we are staying! It's lovely! I couldn't take pictures of the girls room because they're asleep, but their room is very "beach condo like", too! Reagan loves it because there are Nemo fish all over her bed!

Monday!

We've had a great day so far today! As you can tell, I'm enjoying having my computer back, although all I've done with it is catch up blogging! The girls and I were at the beach by 9 AM and played in the sand for a couple of hours! We met a lady with her two year old and her Mom down there this morning and had such a fun time with them! Sydney even ventured out today and played with her sister in the sand. The beach is so wide and it is so cool how there will be little pockets of water all up and down the beach. The girls (and I!) love that we don't actually have to go down to the ocean to get a little wet! I forgot to put my card in my camera, so I don't have any pictures from this morning! Then we cooled off in the pool and enjoyed tater tots for lunch. (Don't worry, we had some other stuff, too, but the tater tots were the hit item!!)

So, after lunch I put the girls to bed and went outside to read. I came back in and heard quite a bit of chatter...not totally unusual, just louder than normal!! So, I quietly turned the doorknob and this is what I saw...

Sunday Fun Day!

Steve had his day off yesterday and we were all so excited! We had so much fun! We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then went down to the ocean! It was an absolutely beautiful day! Blue skies as far as the eye could see! We played in the sand, relaxed and then all enjoyed the pool for a while. Steve had to do a little school work while the girls napped and I just lounged around the condo. Then we headed into "town" (Jacksonville) to get a new computer for me, do a little more shopping and enjoy dinner at Chilies! It was wonderful having Steve all to ourselves for a day! We are looking forward to next weekend already when we get to have him for another day!!

Sanctifying Saturday!

Saturday we woke up to beautiful weather! As soon as Steve left we loaded up all our stuff (well, at least all I could think of at the time) and made our way to the beach. Try to visualize this...

One mom, a 3 year old, a one year old, a large beach bag with sunscreen, towels, etc, a brown paper bag full of beach toys, a camera bag, two swim rings, a baby float, a beach ball, and I think that's it. What a sight to behold, huh?!?!

We made our way down the elevator and to the beach. Once down there Sydney whined, and whined and whined. Poor girl, she fell right in the sand and then wiped her eyes and got sand in her mouth...at that point (about 8:40 AM) she was done! Reagan loved the beach and found a couple of friends to play with. Thankfully their mommy and daddy let us visit with them under their tent! Sydney calmed down a little bit and then I realized I forgot all snacks and drinks! Once again, thanks to the lovely couple with the tent - the other mommy broke out a bag of pretzels! Sydney was happy once again!! Then we headed for a nice refreshing swim in the pool. Reagan decided at that moment she was in no mood for a swim. After working with her, we headed upstairs to call it a day! (It's about noon now!) We all went down for a good nap...something we all needed! The girls were challenging all day, and by that evening I was in tears, too! Thankfully Steve got home around 7 and we all went for a walk on the beach. It was wonderful having time to talk with him and be encouraged and reminded of the Truth by him that evening.

Also, all day, even though I was battling with my own impatience and anger, the Lord kept reminding me of this verse:

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Ahhh...how grateful I am that we serve a merciful and kind God. How grateful I am that He is faithful to forgive me when I ask Him. How grateful I am that He is allowing me to train my children to see their sin and experience freedom from having a guilty conscience by leading them to the cross through discipline and repentance. Even after our challenging day, we were able to walk on the beach as a family - healthy, happy, and loving each other all the more!

Cloudy Friday!

So, Friday we woke up to cloudy skies and cooler weather. Steve woke the girls up early so we could all spend about an hour together before he had to leave for work. (That's our game plan - up at 7 AM so we can see him before his long day at work!) Then we went grocery shopping (woo-hoo) and played inside. I bought the girls little pumpkins for them to decorate so Reagan enjoyed drawing on both hers and her sisters! We enjoyed the indoor pool and the girls took a nice long nap! I devoured the new Mahaney girls book on time. (I highly recommend it, by the way!) I am really asking the Lord to use this time that I have away to really hone in on some areas with the girls. It's nice not having many distractions and being able to work with them more and have lots more game time/play time, too!