Beach Trip 2014

In June, we made our way to the Gulf Coast for the  2nd annual Wallace Beach Trip.  This time, we were fortunate to stay for an entire week.  This really worked out great because Nannie, Grandpa, Uncle John, Aunt Amy, and cousin Thomas were all able to come see us!

 

James had an absolute BLAST at the beach this year.  He loved every minute of it.  He loved playing in the sand, splashing in the pool, EVERYTHING!  He was completely spoiled the whole time and got to do pretty much whatever he wanted. SO much fun!

 

 

James loved the pool and beach equally this time.  He loved to splash and swim in the pool but also loved to play in the sand and chase the incoming wave at the beach.  He was one happy boy!

 

The part of the pool he loved the most was when Daddy would join him!

 

 

 

Of course, it wouldn't be a family vacation without a photo session at the beach.  We certainly were not the only ones doing it.  It's the new thing :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at those chubby baby feet!  If only they could stay this way.

 

 

 

One morning, we went to the Pirates and Princesses breakfast at the Hangout.  I recommend this to anyone with young kids.  The food wasn't anything to write home about, but the entertainment for the kids... priceless!

 

Aaarrgh!

 

 

 

 

When Nannie and Grandpa visited, we went to the Zoo in Gulf Shores.  I wouldn't say it is the most exotic zoo I've been to, but it does the trick for a very curious 21 month old who loves to feed goats!  Tip for parents: bring lots of hand sanitizer.  The zoo has several dispensers throughout the park, but most were empty and you really NEED hand sanitizer!

 

 

 

 

Towards the end of the week, our cousin Thomas came to play! And Eat :)

 

I hope they are friends forever

 



 

Vacation for James would not be complete without.... Spaghetti!  So, we had to have his favorite meal.  Success!

 

 



 

This beach trip was truly unforgettable.  There are so many fun stories that I didn't get to share: arcades, merry-go-round, etc.  Fun at the beach has certainly changed to a different kind of fun as a parent.  Seeing everything through your child's eyes is so exciting.  It really brings back childhood memories of my own.  James enjoyed every minute of it.  Mommy and Daddy did too :)  I know James will not remember it, but we will treasure these memories forever.  Although we cannot get them back, we can only laugh from remembering them and look forward to making new memories!

Lucky to be called "Mommy!"

Yesterday was my 2nd Mother's Day.  I really reflected on the last 20 months as a Mommy and I am so thankful to be called the best thing in the world, "Mommy."  or "Mama." James has brought so much joy to my life that I just couldn't imagine a world without his smile and cuddles.  He is such a sweet boy :) 

 

Since it has been awhile since I've posted anything, I thought I would give a quick summary of what we have been up to lately. (Besides tax season, of course)

 

In February, James went to his first Mardi Gras parade with Nannie, Grandpa, Uncle John, Aunt Amy, and Thomas!  We practiced the week leading up to it so he wouldn't be in shock when beads and moonpies were being thrown at him.  I mean, who wouldn't be?? 

I believe he was in awe throughout the entire thing.  Speechless.

 

 

Once the weather started getting better and temperature outside starting warming up, we had many play dates outside, on playgrounds, and we visited the Botanical Gardens. This boy LOVES being outside!  Or "Ha Ha" like he calls it :)

 

 

Around Easter time, we went to our cousins' house to celebrate Delaney's 5th Birthday.  The kids hunted Easter eggs and had so much fun together!

 

 

These two are so cute and sweet to each other.  James loves doing whatever Sam Nolan does.  I think he feels like a "big kid" when he's with him. So sweet!

 

To keep with the spirit of Easter, we went to another Easter egg hunt in our neighborhood.  James had so much fun getting the eggs and putting them in his basket. So stinkin' cute!

 

 

On Easter, we tried so hard after church to get a good picture of James.  Nothing really worked, but here's the best we got.

 

 

 

Yum Yum!

 





 

 



Christmas at the Wallaces

(Picture courtesy of my very talented cousin, Claire Roberts)

 

Christmas with James was so much fun this year!  At 16 months, he knew what Santa looked like and that he said "Ho! Ho! Ho!".  Other than that, he really didn't get the whole Santa idea.  He loved to point out pictures of Santa and say "Ho, Ho, Ho!" Such a cutie!

 

We are starting new Christmas traditions at the Wallace house.  This year, it involved going to Mass on Christmas Eve (and by going to Mass, I mean watching James roll around on the floor the entire time.  I would say I was embarrassed but he wasn't the only baby at the Children's Mass.  When in Rome?).  After Mass, KoKo came over for dinner and then we put James to bed at his regular time of 8:00 so that we could prepare for Santa's arrival!

 

The next morning, I think I was more excited that anyone for James to see what Santa brought him.  As we walked into the living room, I was really talking Santa up.  I was telling him that Santa came last night and brought so many toys for him to play with.  He seemed excited, until he saw it...

 

He saw the rocking horse that Santa had left near the Christmas tree.  From first sight, James hated it.  Scared. Cried.  Pointed to his room and wanted to go back.  Erol pressed the horses ear and it made a noise.  Made it worse.  James cried harder.  Oh well for that.

 

Once we calmed James down and showed him the other toys that Santa brought, he started warming up to the whole idea of Christmas.  He played and played all day with his toys.  He loved opening his stocking and pulling out new things to play with.  Finally, we had a happy boy!

 

Nannie and Grandpa gave him his own chair.  He loved it right away and sat in it immediately.

 

 

 

Every now and then we would try the rocking horse again.  He would fuss and turn his head.  He will warm up to it one day and love it.  Right?

 

For lunch, KoKo came over and I made Christmas brunch.  We played outside for a while and then played with all the toys more inside. 

The day after Christmas, we packed up the car and headed down south to Nannie and Grandpa's early in the morning.  We were prepared for another day of Christmas celebrations!  That afternoon, Uncle John, Aunt Amy, and Thomas came over for dinner and more present opening!  It was crazy having two one year olds at my parents opening presents. Crazy, but totally fun! 

James had a blast the entire Christmas break.  I was beginning to get concerned that he would expect everyday to be Christmas Day.  Luckily, reality set in quick :)

All in all, I would say that it was a great Christmas.  We are so blessed to have so many people to spend the holidays with.  I enjoyed every minute of it and I look forward to starting more traditions every year!

 

Ho! Ho! Ho!

We Love Fall!

The Wallaces have really been enjoying the beautiful Fall that we've been having here in Birmingham!  

We've picnicked at Railroad Park for the Food Truck Festival.  We ate and drank beer while James danced to the D.J. and ate his first popsicle!

Last weekend, we spent a couple of hours at the Pumpkin Patch.  I will have to say that I was a little skeptical at how much James would a) enjoy it and b) understand what was going on.  

First, we went on a short hay ride to the pumpkin patch.  

After searching for a long two minutes, we found our pumpkin!

Perfect photo opp...

We loaded up on the hay ride again to go back to all the fun and festivities.  Another opportunity for some cute photos came at the barn.  Of course, all James wanted to do was stare at the tractors pulling the hay rides.  Oh well, still a cutie :)

Then, Mommy took James on the "Twactor Twain" that lasted all of a minute but was surprisingly a thriller!

After the bumpy twain ride, we ate corn dogs, grilled cheese, and french fries on picnic tables right in front of a country band.  James loved the food and the music and was showing off all of his moves :)

James had so much fun but I think Mommy had the most fun of everyone!  I took in every moment with my baby boy and Erol.  Time is going by so fast but I'm enjoying every minute of it!  

I think James is too!