Shelling Adventure - 123/365

Today it was a shelling day!

Ray, Jenny, Pam and I headed out on a morning shelling walk over by Briarcliff. We found a HUGE dead Horseshoe Crab. I flipped it over to make sure it was dead and it was. It was pretty much just the shell. We wanted Raymond to pick it up, so we could take a picture for scale. We kept chatting at him to "pick it up, pick it up, pick it up." We were howling. He finally did and we got a great pic. LOL!

This afternoon, we were heading down to Georgetown for a shelling adventure! It's about an hour ride, so Raymond, Jennifer and Reagan watched the Bear movie. LOL!

We were doing a tour with Rover tours. They take you out to a deserted beach where you could find all kinds of cool shells. The boat ride to the island was a little wet and chilly, but it was still a beautiful day. Once we got to the island it was perfect! The sun was shining and big blue skies.

We were the first ones off the boat and I found some GORGEOUS shells. I was thrilled! Everyone found some cool stuff!

It was so fun to walk around the island just exploring. We could have stayed all day.

We were originally going to head to Drunken Jacks for dinner, but we were all a little tired. We decided to get some pizzas and wings from Mellow Mushroom and head back to the condo to watch the Cavs playoff game. We were so glad we did. We had a great time hanging out. Lots of laughs.

When the game was over, Reagan and Jim went swimming in the lazy river for a bit, so Raymond, Jenny, Nana and I went down to watch them. Raymond and I got into a game of checkers on the river island. I ended up winning the hard fought battle.

It was a great day!

Shelling Britts

"Pick it Up!"

 

 Shelling Britts

 Gorgeous Island

 Pizza Party

Intense Checkers!

Violet Visit & Arrivals - 121/365

Today was going to be a busy one. We had all kinds of arrivals happening!

Ed and Pam were getting in around 11:00 and Ray and Jenn were due in from the airport around 4:00! It so exciting once everyone arrives.
This morning, Nana and I did an early morning shelling walk. We didn't find much except a dead pelican. Yuck.

Violet, Deanna and her mom were going to come down to North Beach to hang out for a little bit this morning. The girls spent some time jumping in the waves, playing in the sand and swimming in the pool. They loved jumping off the side of the pool at the same time. It was a hoot. We had a nice time.

We went up had some lunch, then Reagan, Nana and I went back down to the inlet for a little before nap time. We didn't find much there either.

Ray and Jenn finally texted that they were there, so we went down to the garage to let them in. When we went around the corner they had little beach headbands on. It was SO CUTE! Loved it!

This evening we were having our first family fun dinner at Bistro 90. It was a first for everyone but Nana and Papa. The food was delicious, but the dinner was a little long. Almost three hours. Whew! If we go again, we'll ask to speed it up. It was worth the wait though. Fun first day at the beach!

 

 Dead pelican....

 Beach Beauties

High Divers

 Inlet digging

 Britt arrival

 Family fun dinner!

 

Fog, Myrtle & Coons - 120/365

Today we were doing our final leg into Myrtle!

We woke up early and headed down for our complimentary breakfast. It was quite good and they had a great selection of stuff. YUM!

We went back up to the room to grab our stuff and were ready to shove off. I was a little uneasy because, from our room, all we could see was fog. I was nervous about heading out onto the highway and not being able to see, or have people see us. Jim drove excellent and it only lasted about a 1/2 hour. Once we got to a lower elevation, it was fine. Thank goodness.

We got into Myrtle around three and didn't have to make any stops! Reagan did fantastic! She watched movies and put stickers in a sticker book.

We got to Myrtle and I started our unpacking, while Jim and Reagan hit the indoor pool real quick. It was a little rainy, but warm at least.

This evening, we were going over to Joe's to have dinner. Nana and Papa thought Reagan would love seeing the Raccoons. Papa requested the "raccoon table," but unfortunately they had a huge wedding party at a rehearsal dinner and they were all on the indoor patio. We ended up having to eat in the main dining room which was crammed with two other parties of twelve and it was SUPER loud. It was crazy. The food was great as always but the atmosphere wasn't what we were hoping for.

After dinner, we went out on the outdoor patio and got to see a few raccoons. None went up on the platform, but Reagan loved throwing them bread. They did it eat it all!

It was a nice first day at the beach.

Foggy!

Coon feeding!

Raccoon!

 North Beach from Joe's

Winter Celebration and Opossom - 60/365

Today was another winter weather advisory. JOY! Thankfully, we didn't have anywhere far to go.

We were heading over to Tippy for their Winter Celebration for the kids. The "Frozen Sisters" were there along with their snowman friend.

It started with a yummy brunch buffet. They had eggs, waffles, mac and cheese, chicken frances and some other yummies. It was delicious!

After the brunch, the special guests arrived. They went around to the tables to visit the kids. Then they performed a story and did some dancing. It was a lot of fun. Reagan was being a little shy, but still had a great time!

Before we left, we gave Papa a couple of his birthday presents, since today was his actual birthday! We gave him a couple framed pictures from Reagan's Frozen birthday party, since it was a Frozen day! We had a fun morning.

This afternoon, Jim, Reagan and Brinkley went out to play in the snow for a little bit. When they headed out, they happened to see a little opossum in the yard. He looked sad and hungry in the snow. I did a quick google search about opossoms and learned they come out in the daytime in the winter, because the nights are too cold for them to find food. With all the snow, we thought he may be hungry. It said they will eat just about anything, including dog food. I ended up making him a little plate of fruit and dog food. Jim walked right over to him and set it down. The opossum ate every single bite and then disappeared. Hopefully his little snack gave him enough energy.

Jim, Reagan and Brinkley had a good time playing in the snow! Reagan just loves it! I was sad I couldn't participate with this stupid leg, but I enjoyed watching them!

Reagan with her Winter Friends

 Nana and the snowman!

 Reagan being silly!

 Birthday dance

 Our new Opossom Pet

 

Breakfast with Santa - 354/365

This morning we were up and out early to the Akron Zoo to have breakfast with Santa and the Animals! 

We have gone the last two years and just love going. The zoo is closed until 11, except to the people who are there for the event. It's so nice! 

The have a huge buffet, visits with Santa, cookie decorating, and a craft. As a bonus, you get to feed the penguins. When you are all done with that, you are free to walk around the zoo. It's so nice!

We started with pictures with Santa. There was no line, so it was nice. Santa really took his time with Reagan. It was so sweet! Each child gets a little gift. There was a little stuffed elf in there, and some candy and pretzels. She was so excited. 

After Santa, we went and had our breakfast. The buffet was great! There were scrambled eggs, vegetable scrambled eggs, pancakes, hash browns, sausage, bacon and muffins. YUM! Reagan was loving the hot chocolate to drink, too. When we were all done, we were cleaning off our table and taking our garbage over to the trash. Their was a man, separating the garbage into three categories. Reagan had her cup of hot chocolate she was finishing and handed it to the man. He didn't quite grab it all the way and it fell right onto his shoe. There was still a bit still in there and it dumped right on his shoe. We felt so bad! He was a really good sport about it though and just said, "accidents happen!"

After that, we decided to take a walk around the zoo, while it was still technically closed.  We went up around Grizzly Ridge to check out the otters and bears. On the way up, there was a little gray cat that started following us everywhere. He was so cute and I thought for a second, we would have to take him home. When we got over to the coyotes, they went nuts trying to get the cat. It was crazy! They were pouncing and banging on the glass! We got a pretty cool video of the whole thing.
By this time, Reagan was crying that she was cold, so we went back down to the aquarium part for a little bit. She loved that and we couldn't get her out of there!
It was a great day!
Reagan and Santa

 The pouncing coyotes.

 Our traditional Akron Zoo picture with the sign.

Creeper Morning and Family Garden Day - 143/365

This morning, we went to get Reagan up for the day. We had to wake her up, which never results in a great mood. LOL! This morning, she REFUSED to come out of her room. It was so weird. Finally, we would just leave, go in our room and watch down the hall. She would slightly peek her head around the corner to see where we went. When she would see us, she would quickly retreat back to her room. She did this for at least 15 minutes. I went downstairs to grab my camera and layed down on the floor in our room pointing down the hall. I said, "OK, daddy and I are going to play cupcakes, (her favorite game) we;ll see you later!" She finally came crawling out of her room at a pretty good clip. When she saw the camera, she zoomed back into her room. 

She eventually came around and was pleasant the rest of the day, thank goodness!

This afternoon, we went to our first Family Garden Friday for 2014. We had to miss the first two, but we were glad to be back now. Uncle Raymond even joined us today! It was fun!

They were learning all about worms today. Reagan was brave and held a few, but not without a few squeals.  It was cute! She loved digging for them though! 

They were also planting sunflowers today. Reagan is a pro at planting and had her's done in no time! 

 We also got to take a few tulip bulbs home. I can't wait to see if they come up next year! Reagan had fun digging through the bulbs to select the perfect one.

The first picture is our little creeper....

The next is our little worm catcher...

Finally, her with her sunflower...

  

Bye Beach - 130/365

It was our last afternoon at the beach, before we head for home. 

I got up early and did my solo shelling walk, while Reagan and Jim slept in. This morning, there seemed to be a lot of interesting stuff going on. I was finding lots of cool stuff, when I stumbled on a teeny tiny starfish. He was so stinking CUTE! I scooped him up and checked him out. I noticed his underside was moving around. I was happy to see he was, in fact, alive. After I took some pictures, I put him back in the water. Hope the little guy makes it. He was so amazing to see. 

Once Reagan and Jim got up, they met me in the inlet for a little exploring. We caught another blue crab, along with more black snails. Reagan was excited! 

After that, we went up to hit the pool one more time, before heading up to finish packing. 

Papa always gets the condo for an extra night, so we can all hang around most of the day instead of rushing out before 11. That way, we can usually stay till around two, and still make it to Beckley for a late dinner! It works out great!

We headed out and had a pretty uneventful drive. Reagan napped and watched movies. She was perfect!

We got to Beckley right on schedule, dined at Applebees and hit the hay, before our last five hours into home tomorrow. 

Another amazing trip in the books! 

The photo of the day is my little starfish friend....

 

Alligator Adventure - 128/365

It was another busy beach day today! 

 Jim, Reagan and I checked out Alligator Adventure this morning! We just love that little place. It's right across the street from the condo, so from the time we leave till we get back is usually an hour and a half. Reagan LOVES it. It was quite exciting when we first walked in today though. We watched an alligator, catch a bird, that was in a lower bush nearby. Then, all the other alligators where chasing him trying to get it for themselves! It was gross and fascinating all at the same time! 

We of course stopped to see our tortoise friend, too. We always stop and Reagan loves giving him big hugs and kisses. She was all concerned this year, since he had a "boo boo" on his chin. We convinced her, he'd be OK. 

After alligator adventure, we hit the pool for awhile. 

Then, Pam, Nana and I hit the spa, while the rest of the crew napped. The spa was AMAZING. We each got massages and were totally chilled out after. It was wonderful! They give you wine after, so we hung around sipping wine and just chatting in the "meditation room." 

This evening we were hitting Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Another one of our yearly traditions and favorite spots! Our food was delicious and we kept a close eye on the Browns draft while we ate. Super fun day! The photo of the day is the alligator scuffle.

Girls at the spa!

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Inlet Exploring and Chianti's - 124/365

Today, we spent the morning exploring the inlet with Ray and Jenny before they had to take off for the airport. 

The tides were super low this year, even at high tide, so it was fun to walk around. We chased down a couple blue crabs, before we finally got a couple. Jenny and I caught some at the same time. We had fun playing with them on the shore. They are fiesty little buggers, they were snapping away at us! We finally let them get on with their lives and headed back upstairs. 

Turns out, Ray and Jenny's flight got cancelled, so they ended up having to drive home from Myrtle, since Jennifer HAD to be at work the next day. We felt so bad for them. 

The rest of the day was spent swimming and drinking Bahama Mama's YUM! This evening, we had dinner at one of our favorites in Myrtle, Chianti's! They have the best Italian food. We always get a little side room to ourselves, so it's so FUN! We always have a lot of laughs there. 

After dinner, we explored the huge trees in the side yard. Reagan was fascinated! Perfect day! The photo of the day us with the HUGE tree....

Next, Jenny and I with our crabs...

Stupid Stink Bugs - 275/365

Since it's been so warm these last couple days, it seems the Stink Bugs are making a crazy comeback. They are EVERYWHERE. There had to be five or more wandering around the patio door today. They are so gross and weird looking. I wish they would just go away now. I don't remember them ever being this bad. I actually don't ever even remember seeing them! BIZARRE! 

Anyway, Jim went off to work, and Nana and I were going to attempt a Halloween shoot with Reagan. We went to Poland Woods to try to find a spot, but couldn't get real far. We ended up driving a little bit where we weren't supposed to. It was quite funny. 

After that, we decided to try Yellow Creek in Struthers, since we were right there. What a great little place it was. We had the best time down there. 

The minute we pulled in, these HUGE ducks came charging at the car. It was hilarious. You can tell they are fed well, just because they come running to you, but their sheer size was amazing! Reagan got a big kick out of them. 

The photo shoot went great and she really cooperated, which was wonderful! She had been a little testy in the morning, so I wasn't holding my breath, but she really did good! 

This evening, Reagan was having a few more potty issues but we got her straightened around. Jim gave her a bath tonight. After her bath, she always calls the other parent, to come up and give her a kiss. She loves to show off whatever animal towel she has on her head. She was talking about her potty problems and said, "Mama, you go potty like a big girl?" I said, "Yes, honey." She went on to ask, "Mama, does Dada have to put whipped cream on your butt, so you don't get a rash like me?" We BUSTED out laughing, which totally embarrassed her. She turned all red and said, "don't laugh at me!" LOL! She was speaking of Desitin or so we hope! Just LOVE HER! 

The photo of the day is the stupid Stink Bug....

 Next, is Nana with the HUGE ducks...

 

Halloween is Here - 274/365

Today was a spooky good day! 

Nana came over to pick up Reagan for the day. They went to music class, then were going to play at her house for the afternoon, so I could get out my Halloween decorations. They had a good time! They played Legos, Lincoln Logs and even went to Tippy for dinner! They had a different waitress instead of Linda tonight and Reagan asked the waitress, "Where's the Linda?" She just loves her...LOL!

While they did that, I got all my spooky decorations out. It's always so fun to dig down in the bins and unwrap the treasures. There is always a few things that I say, "OH look! I forgot about this!" LOL! I got everything situated then cleaned the house. I got a lot done, it felt good. 

After I was done cleaning, Brinkley and I went up to the Kirk to Herbert trail. We saw lots of wildlife along the way, including two snakes and a tiny turtle! He was so COOL! I felt bad for him being on the trail. I picked him up and put him on the grass, so he wouldn't get run over. The snakes were on their own. 

When Jim got home, he took Brinkley up to the farm to run around, while I got some editing done. 

It was a very productive day! 

The photo of the day is my Halloween decorations... 

Next, is my turtle friend...

 

Pinchy - 269/365

Reagan had an appointment this morning to get her flu shot. 

I have never been big on flu shots, but after the flu went rampant around town last year, we all decided to get them. I don't know if we were lucky, or the flu shot worked, but we made it through. We decided that we would get them again this year, just to be safe. 

We arrived at the doctor around 9:30 and they took her right in. I talked to her a little bit about it on the way there, and just told her it would be a tiny pinch. She did great and only cried for a few seconds, then was her old self again. They gave her a band-aid over her "pinchy". She became quite protective of her band-aid the rest of the day. I asked her several times, if she was ready to take it off. She would get the death grip on her leg and say, "don't take my band-aid off. I need it!" Jim gave her a bath tonight and she held her hand on her leg the entire bath. It was too funny! I always change her diaper before I go to bed, so I pulled it off when I changed her. She did make a groan and put her hand on her leg, but she didn't wake up. Whew! I ended up leaving a sucker on her dresser and if she asks about it in the morning, we're going to tell her the "pinchy fairy" took it because she's all better. And, because she's all better, she left a sucker! We'll see how that plays out. LOL! 

Meanwhile, after her shot, Nana, Reagan and I went to lunch and then stopped in the mall to check out the new stuff at Gymboree. We found a bunch of stuff, which was great, since the last two lines were hideous! Reagan made a little friend named Sofie. They had so much fun while us mom's shopped! 

After the mall, we went and did a quick walk on the three mile trail. It was such a nice day to be out and about! 

When Jim got home, we decided to play outside a little more. He actually dropped me off on the Kirk Road at the trail, while he Reagan and Brinkley went to the experimental farm to look at the animals. I ended up walking from Kirk Road all the way to the experimental farm. It's only four and half miles, but it seems a lot longer. It only took me about an hour and 15 minutes. It was kinda fun! I saw lots of wildlife on my journey. There were a ton of deer wondering around. There was a mom and baby that let me get pretty close to them and take their picture. It was really cool! 

While I was hoofing it down the trail, they bonded with a baby cow and a llama. When they were done playing with the animals they started walking to meet me. It was great to see them! 

 Overall, a great day! 

The photo of the day is Reagan and her band-aid after her flu shot...

The next is my little friend I made on the trail.....