Branson
In late March, 2010 we ventured to Branson as a farewell get together for Ross. Ross is going to go on his mission to Tampico, Mexico in May and because we'll all deeply miss him, we had to say goodbye in Branson. He and Oma went before the rest of us, but when we got there Charlotte and Hailey didn't hesitate to make a play pen of Oma's bed! They looked so cute playing together and were so happy to be out of their carseats after the 4 hour car ride from Lonoke. We were so happy Aunt Rachel was able to come with us to Branson, she was on Spring Break, too and was so deserving of some fun with Kayla! While we were in Branson, the girls got to go to build-a-bear and create some stuffed animals. Although that store is a little pricey, it's kind of worth it because there is so much variety that everybody can find something they love and personalize it which makes it even better. The girls were able to get on Debbie's lap top at the condo and play games that corresponded with their personal animals.
Even though everybody got sick (probably from the crazy amounts of pollen in the air) we all had a great time. On the last day there, Uncle Brad, Aunt Nina, Craig, Cory, Ross, myself and the girls all went around Branson having a lot of fun. We played mini-golf on an inside course and it was really cool. We also went to an outside park where the Shelton Men raced on a Go-Kart track. It seemed like it would have been a lot of fun and they looked like they had a blast. Callie made a friend on the choo-choo train and Rachel and Kayla rode the tea cups until they almost puked. These are great memories!
Pictures from Branson:
(Hailey and Charlotte pose together)
(Aunt Nina, Kayla and Callie show off their 'Build-A-Bear's')
(Aunt Rachel models her new dog)
(All the Girls Sit Pretty at the Outside Mall)
(Uncle Ross sits with Charlotte on the Balcony)
(Uncle Ross Turned the Master Bath into a Jacuzzi for the Girls)
(Oma Teaches Charlotte and Hailey Words)
(Craig Performs a Surgery on Cory - I hope Cory has good insurance!)
(Craig and Uncle Ross at the Mini-Golf Course)
(The Shelton Men Together Again)
(Only Craig could make Go-Karts Romatic)
Good Bye
Before we left Mississippi, The Buckley's gave us a good farewell dinner at their house. They served a delicous taco salad and Tina made homemade blue-berry tarts that were to die for. So good. We're really going to miss all the friends we made while we were in Mississippi. Even though that area is kind of crazy, we met true individuals we will never forget and hope to always stay in touch with.
(Charlotte and Melissa)
(Aunt Cristi and Charlotte mirroring one another)
Easter
Charlotte got to enjoy two Easter's to start off her Easter celebrations. The first was at Aunt Mary's. They fried up some fish for everybody and had an Easter Egg Hunt as well as a birthday celebration for Kennedi who spent the winter in Utah (Kennedi's little sister, Reagan, is a few months older than Charlotte). We had a lot of fun, and the food was delicious. Charlotte's second Easter was the following morning. We dressed her up pretty for church and let her stay all dolled up for everybody to enjoy. She was so sweet and Craig took her to hunt some more Easter eggs (and yes, I ate all the chocoloate...muah ha ha ha!). Gramma got her a fun toy that she's played with on long car trips every since - it's been REALLY nice to give her something she likes to play with when she gets cranky.
(My Beautiful Charlotte has found an egg!)
(Aunt Cathy loves Charlotte)
(Gramma and Charlotte sort eggs and give Mommy the Chocolate)
The Beach
One of the perks of living in Florida is the easy access to some of the most beautiful white sand beaches the world has to offer. While we've been exploring the state of Florida to find a city in which we would like to settle, we discovered a beautiful beach off an island in Bradenton. We thought it would be great to live there after we had the most delicous turkey sandwiches a sunset has to offer. We luckily had a blanket with us and some goodies and laid out on the beach and watched the stars come out. Charlotte loved dipping her little toes in the water when it came in but was slightly concerned about all the birds. She is such a cutie! We had to drive several hours back to our hotel afterwards and we were exhausted, but it was so worth it. We enjoyed another beach in Melbourne, but there were slightly more people there. The waves were amazing though and you could tell it was going to storm shortly which just made it all that much more magnanimous. It is insane to think the force behind a storm when you can feel the pressure of it on your skin.
(Me and Charlotte on the Beach at Sunset)
(Charlotte dips her feet in the ocean for her first time)
(Craig and Charlotte admire the Gulf Coast)
(Craig and Charlotte enjoy a dip in the hot tub!)
(An Alligator!!!! We saw this big guy hanging out on the side of the
road on our way to Melbourne.)
(Charlotte dips her feet in the Ocean with daddy)
(A Storm's a Brewin' but you can't tell by these lovely faces)
(God's power is emphasized through the crashing waves and rolling clouds)
