Emma playing with a new friend, Shannon.

Hannah, Abby Claire, and Emma are all smiles. Brady tried planting them to keep them in one place!

Perdido Key Beach

All of the Lawsons made it to Perdido Key Beach for a family vacation! From the wee morning hours (especially for baby Lawson Long and Co.) to the late night hours, our 3 bedroom condo was bustling with activity. Despite a rainy start, we soaked up a lot of sunshine! The kids loved playing in the sand and the ocean with Hannah, Uncle Josh, Uncle Dave, Mr. Randy, Daddy, Me Me, and Pops. Emma and Abby had lots of fun riding go-carts with Daddy and Pops. On Friday night, Pops, MeMe, Uncle Dave, Uncle Josh, Emma, Abby, John Brady, and I went on a crab hunt and we brought in about 20 crabs, ranging from itty bitty to large crabs. Only if I had recorded the squeals and screams and laughter! MeMe says we will be featured on The Deadliest Catch so everyone keep your eyes peeled for our episode! On Saturday we enjoyed sno-cones on the beach; John Brady enjoyed his the most (as you can see). Brady played hero on the trip; he SAVED a 2 year old from drowning in the pool! We had several boo-boos: Abby smashed her middle finger in the sliding glass door and blamed it on MeMe! Brady's foot collided with the edge of a boogie board and now is black, blue, and purple! Brilliance here, ran the van over a curb, an unusually large curb, and damaged something underneath on the frame next to the tire. The van now makes a funny squeaky noise, but there was no cosmetic damage, like we first suspected! This little incident was not so funny at first, but became quite funny, especially when we heard Hannah snickering in the back seat! Speaking of the van, Brady left the van key in the pocket of his swim trunks........WHILE he was swimming in the ocean. It no longer unlocks the door and not sure if it will start the van (I am too scared to check). Emma spilled a drink on a white canvas chair and proceeded to clean it with a dark blue napkin! This left a huge stain that MeMe spent lots of time trying to remove with several cleaning agents. This and MeMe's elbow grease were successful! John Brady shut himself in the bathroom and literally ate half of Pops and MeMe's toothpaste! All we could say was at least he was minty fresh!

We really had a wonderful time, laughing and playing together. We look forward to doing it all again!

You heuh dat?

The kids are staying at mom and dad's today and tomorrow so they can get their "Nanny and Papa time" before we head to the beach. Yes! I can pack without stopping a hundred times! I talked with mom earlier today, and she said they were outside and heard one of the neighbors ringing a bell. Mom said John Brady asked, "Did you heuh dat ding-dong?"

Inspired by the Thomas' (Christy's Parents)

Every time Brady and I talk about giving the girls "chores", our close friend, Christy Albea, comes to mind. You see, Christy has told us several times about how her parents made each of the Thomas girls (there's 4 girls) do household chores such as wash dishes, do the laundry, clean the house, etc. It seems as though children can be taught these things at a very early age! Christy was washing her own clothes at age 5!!! Since we are a wee bit behind, Brady introduced washing the dishes to the girls and reminded them of the things Mrs. Christy had to do at their age! Here's to Dave and Julie Thomas and Mrs. Christy, of course for inspiring us!!