Summer Trip to Georgia, Part One

Just like everything else in the world, our summer travels look significantly different this year than we planned thanks to coronavirus. Although I know vacation isn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, it was still a big disappointment to us. I think now more than ever we really needed our annual Ormond Beach trip to have a change of scenery and a morale booster, but we're keeping our fingers and toes crossed that we can get back there next year!

We had originally planned to fly to Atlanta for a week or so to spend time with family and then go on to Ormond Beach with my parents. We cancelled our reservation in Ormond Beach, but the kids and I still flew to Atlanta to see everyone. Because of everything going on in the world, Southwest isn't flying directly from San Antonio to Atlanta..and of course masks were strictly enforced. So while our crew is quite experienced with flying, this was a whole new ball game for us flying with masks & navigating a layover/connection flight. The kids were total rockstars though, and the trip was a breeze!

We got LOTS of quality family time--two highlights of the trip were the kids finally getting to meet their new baby cousin Ryan & Shelby getting to play Euchre with us! :)  And of course two things the kids love doing each and every time we come to Grammy & Grampy's house--rope swing and getting massages on their bed. :)  So many fun memories made!

Brady is FOUR!

This past weekend, we celebrated Brady's FOURTH birthday!! So hard to believe he is four!

How did we go from this....

to this?

It seriously feels like it happened in the blink of an eye! These first four years have gone by the fastest by far with Brady, and perspective really is everything. I can still vividly remember Shelby turning four and thinking how BIG she was, and Brady still seems like a baby through & through!

As weird as life is right now for everyone, this was actually the first "normal" birthday Brady has ever had & we enjoyed every second of it! We moved to Las Vegas when I was 38 weeks pregnant with Brady, so when he was born we were still settling into our new house & adjusting to our new normal. When Brady turned one, we were on vacation in Ormond Beach with my family; we certainly celebrated his special day, but it was more of an afterthought. ;)  Brady's 2nd birthday was probably the biggest whirlwind--we had just arrived to our new home in San Antonio two days prior, and the morning of his birthday our household goods arrived. His entire birthday was spent with us unpacking box after box after box. And last year on Brady's 3rd birthday, we were flying home from Atlanta. So, this was Brady's very first birthday with just the five of us celebrating him all day long! We did it all--birthday donuts for breakfast, presents, zoo, picnic in the park, train ride, cupcakes, and dinner out at one of the kids' favorite restaurants! We squeezed as much fun as we possibly could into one day! Prepare yourself for an onslaught of photos! :)

These first two pictures are actually from the day before Brady's birthday as he was helping us make his birthday cupcakes. Brady requested chocolate cupcakes with orange frosting & red sprinkles. :)

We woke Brady up that morning with all four of us singing Happy Birthday to him, and then it was off to pick up birthday donuts! I cannot handle the sweetness in the next two photos!

The day after Brady's birthday, a few more packages arrived for him...it's always fun to stretch out the celebration!

Brady also went for his 4-year well visit the day after his birthday. Thankfully, Derek had the day off, so he was able to take Brady while I stayed home with the girls b/c the hospital doesn't allow anyone other than the patient & one parent to attend the appointment. Brady weighed in at 32.6 pounds/20th percentile for weight, measured 40 inches tall/42nd percentile in height, and measured 14.3 BMI/9th percentile. Since the girls were always off the charts for height/weight, Brady's stats never cease to amaze me..especially since he's been our best eater from day one! Brady also got his 4 year old immunizations while he was at his appointment, but didn't even realize it--ha! When Brady came running inside after getting home with Derek, the first thing I asked him was how his shots were..but he told me he didn't get shots. I was very confused b/c I knew he had gotten them. Turns out, Derek never told Brady that he was getting shots. So when the tech came in for the immunizations, Derek laid Brady down on the table & pretended to "crush" him like they do when they're wrestling...so Brady never saw the needles or realized what happened!

At four, Brady's favorite color is orange but he always says his second favorite color is red because he loves the Georgia Bulldogs. Peanuts and grapes are two of his very favorite foods. Brady still takes a 2.5-3 hour nap every single day {which I almost always have to wake him up from in the late afternoons hence all the sleeping Brady pictures I post} just like Shelby did at this age. He loves books, cars, swimming, and his sisters. And his favorite place to be is in my lap for a story. We love this guy to pieces, and we're so thankful he's ours! What a gift he is.