The Baldridges Come to Florida!!!

Well, the Baldridges finally made it to Florida to visit us. While living in Texas, we spent countless hours with Hollie and Stephen... we took weekend trips, we had numerous sleep-overs where we'd stay up late watching movies and then we'd sleep in the next day until we felt like moving about. Then we'd get up, Hollie would make breakfast (she's the cook), and we'd "veg" out some more. It was great! My how our lives have changed! Now, there are little ones, and our time together, although still great, has certainly become more complicated. :+) Having children changes your life in so many ways, but for all the differences they bring, none of us would trade what we have for anything in this world. Our children have now become the center of our lives, they don't run our lives, but we certainly do have different priorities then we did just a few years ago!

We appreciate them taking the time to come and visit us. It means so much to us! Thank you for coming, and we look forward to the next visit we have with you guys. We hope you'll come back for another visit in the future, and maybe our beaches can redeem themselves! :+} We love you!

Ayla and Hobson, enjoying a sucker in front of the television. No fear... the only way I'd let them eat a messy sucker in my living room is if they are contained. Ayla is in the Bumbo, and Hobson is in the "sucker" chair. It's where I sometimes have Jackson sit when he wants a sucker at my house. :+}

Penn, sitting in the Bumbo seat! He has such a big smile, and he looks just like his mommy when he smiles! Those eyes just disappear!!! :+}

Ayla and Hobson in the bath together!

Hollie snapped this one of Ayla!

Our day at the beach didn't exactly go like I'd envisioned. Our beaches are so beautiful here, but certain conditions ruined that image on this particular day. We drove a bit farther down the coast to Navarre Beach. As Brett was heading back from making one or two trips, with all the stuff we had, he told me the seaweed was really bad and so were the jelly fish. I've never seen it like that here before, so I honestly thought he was exagerating. Once I got out there and saw how bad it was, we decided to pack up and head down the coast (closer to home), hoping the conditions would be better on Pensacola Beach. Once settled there, they were a little better, but not much. In my 7 years of enjoying the Panhandle's beaches, I've never seen the jelly fish as bad as they've been this summer. It's almost made it to where you can't enjoy going to the beach. It's too hot to stay out of the water, but you go in at your own risk.
So, not only was the water cloudy from the seeweed the day we went, but there were so many jelly fish that you could hardly get in the water. Needless to say, I was very disappointed in our marine life. So much for my description of our beautiful Emerald Coast Beaches!
We went just the other day, and the water was clear as pool water, but those dang jelly fish were all over. I was stung three times. I think that's the first time in 20 something years that I've been stung.

Ayla and Hobson had fun playing in the sand!

Penn, hanging out. He probably had the best seat in the house!

Bath time again! Notice their bottoms are red from the waist down. Both Hollie and I like our water (showers and baths) very hot, and I guess we are both set on getting our kids use to the same. :+}

I really like these black and whites! The one below really looks like they're working hard!

Ayla has really loved all the babies she's been around, but I think it was with Penn's visit that she became facinated with them. She loved to get right beside him and pat him, sometimes a bit too hard, hug him, kiss him, and just stare at him. She couldn't get enough!

The second to the last day they were here we went to MacGuire's, which is a famous place in Pensacola. One of the things they are famous for is there 3/4th pound hamburgers and the signed, 1 million dollar bills stapled all over the walls. It's almost hard to believe that there are so many. Just about every where you look there's dollar bills (except the bathrooms). There are many bills from famous people, there's even one from John McCain, but his is framed, not stapled. In all the times we've been there, while living here, we've never signed a dollar and stapled it to the wall. So, that's just what we did on this day. We each did one for our kids.

Jackson, holding tight to his dollar!

Notice I'm the only mother (of-the-year) that put her daughter's full name. I think it was Sarah that said, "Why don't you go ahead an put her birth date, social, and address while you're at it!" Leave it to my sister-in-law to tell me like it is! ;+}