A Trip to the Beach

Last week Daddy went to youth camp in Gulf Shores, Alabama. It just so happened that the Wilsons were also vacationing there the same week, so Stella and I decided that we did not need to be left out of the fun. We hopped in the car Wednesday morning and set off for a beach adventure. All that traveling wore Stella out, and she took a little balcony nap with Tab. Later they were two babes on the beach.

Poor Spencer had a tough time finding a good wave to ride.

He finally got one!

Stella surveyed the other beachgoers.

Pop and Zach tossed around the old pigskin...er, nerfskin....

Stella sorts seashells by the seashore.

A love note in the sand.

Stella really loved laying out.

Hooray for brown water!

Thursday night we went to Lambert's and it was soooooo yummy! Here's Tab waiting for the throwed rolls.

Tab and Stella cheesing in the backseat on our way to take beach pictures with our new friend Ms. Penny.

Tab in her natural habitat....punishment.Stella tried her hand at putt-putt.

Nana, her sunburn, and her baby.

Pop is already coaching the next generation.

Building castles in the sand....or at least small lumps in the sand...

In spite of the look on her face, she was having a great time.

Bossing Spencer around. Stella thought Spencer wasn't doing it right, and he thought the same thing about her.If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself! Stella explored more of the wide world of sports when she hit the tennis courts with Daddy. I wonder if this is how the Williams sisters got their start?

Our little tiger even found some time to root for her favorite team.

We had a great time at the beach. It was so wonderful to spend time with the Wilsons. Traveling with Pop is like staying at a 5 star resort. He is the best combination waiter, valet, and bellboy ever, and he never asks for tips! We can't wait to follow the Wilsons wherever they go on vacation next year!

Beach Baby

Last June, Stella took her very first trip to the beach. While we were there, we had to do the traditional white and khaki beach photos. Stella wore an eyelet outfit her MawMaw Shirley gave her for the photos. She slept through the entire photo shoot. The sound of the waves was just too much for her.

This June, Stella went back to the beach, this time to Gulf Shores. A year can make a very big difference. During this trip to the beach Stella was a lot more active. Now every time that I say "beach," she claps. Even though she is much bigger, the outfit still fits, so we brought it along and took some more beach pictures. Here they are:

More beach fun to come!

Giggling in the Grass

A Saturday at the Spillway

This past Saturday was the Spillway Adventure Race. Damon, Kirk, and I reprised our roles from two years ago when we competed for the first time together as Light and Momentary Troubles, the team with the longest name in adventure racing. There were many similarities in that first race and this one: one of us had a sweet wreck, Kirk sang, Damon and I argued, I made a grave navigational error, and HBP broke a bike. That is your nutshell race report. I'll tell the rest of the story through pictures. First up, here we are running on top of the levee. I really like this picture, except for the fact that I am wearing my goofy helmet. Apparently, I have an oddly shaped head and there is not a helmet on earth that will fit on it properly. I blame my father, who was known as "Watermelon Head." Hefner Bunny Pie enjoying the beautiful canoe and trying to keep from becoming gator bait.

LMT with yours truly looking very confused. This is probably when I was being loudly and forcefully told to make a decision on the navigation. (I stress loudly and forcefully because someone on the team claims he was not yelling.)

Tearing up the mystery event. We work together so well....well, at least sometimes....

Kirk did not make this shot because he was biking too fast.

Stella enjoying a refreshing breeze back in the transition area while she waited for us to get finished.

"Hey, Baby Girl!" Daddy waving at Stella.

The final mystery event was a kind of inner tube relay across the swimming hole at the Spillway. Yes, the water was disgusting, but in a very refreshing way. We like this picture of Kirk because you can see the water splashing off of his hands. I had to swim back across with the tube to get Damon. All that swimming he's been doing recently really paid off. He was able to push me back across and that trip was definitely the fastest.

Team Beauties and the Beast at their inaugural race. I think Dane is making a Popeye face in this picture. Stella trying out Daddy's bike after the race. Little did she know, he had no brakes at that point. In spite of the face that Stella is making, she really did enjoy the strawberries that Lori brought. All that adventure racing can really wear you out...Yes, Jen, we really do celebrate everything with crawfish.I love this candid shot of Lori. For those of you who don't know her well, she is this vibrant and full of fun most of the time. When she is not, it is because she is competing against you and working hard to beat you into the ground.

We had a great day at the Spillway and had so much fun spending time with friends and family!

Our Day at the Zoo

"I don't think we could have squeezed another ounce of fun out of it if we had tried." That's what Damon said about this past weekend, but I think the same was true for our Tuesday at the zoo. We packed a few of Stella's flash cards so that she could see the animals in real life. This is her face when she realized that elephants aren't actually small enough to fit on flash cards. She loved petting the goat, but was a little confused about his lack of footwear. (see "Goat Shoes" video below)

Don't worry; we washed our hands afterward.

I wonder what she was thinking?

The zoo also has a dinosaur exhibit for a limited time. Mommy was obviously more enthusiastic about it than Stella was, but don't be alarmed. She made her peace with the dinosaurs when she met the stuffed ones in the gift shop.

Out of the stroller to stretch her legs...

And back in for some refreshing water. You can tell from her pink little cheeks it was a hot day in New Orleans.

Climbing the cargo net at Monkey Hill. She made it all the way up! (Okay, okay, Mommy helped a little)

Cooling off her little piggies in the wading pool...

Our carousel ride. We chose a zebra because that was one of the animals on our flash cards.

We stopped by the playground nearby for some quick exploring.

Hello out there!

Whew! All this playing is wearing me out!

The zoo passed the Stella approval test. We can always tell she had fun if she is asleep in her carseat within 5 minutes of leaving.