Destin, Florida

Mitch finished the biggest test of his life...Step 1! We celebrated by going on a trip to beautiful Destin, Florida. It was the best just to have Mitch all to ourselves, all day for a week.

We stopped half way in New Orleans which is a place I've wanted to see since we've moved to Houston. Rhett did so great on the drive. He had lots of friends to keep him company.

It had some really cool sights but felt pretty unsafe. We even watched a guy cut a bike lock and take off with the bike all while we were staring right at him. We weren't brave enough to chase him down.

 French Quarters, New Orleans

Jackson Square Cathedral (the oldest cathedral in the US!)

We had to have beignets from Cafe du Monde- donuts covered in a mountain of powdered sugar. The lady who took our picture made us put the sugar on our noses before she would take the picture. Rhett made us share them and he loved them- weird that he would like fried sweet bread covered in sugar! ha! 

The next morning we went for a run on the beautiful empty beach. Let's just say most of our trip was spent with 65 year old couples. I've never seen an older crowd at Wendy's for dinner. It was definitely the off season which was perfect because we had the place to ourselves!

This picture shows just how excited Rhett was to be out of the car after a 9 hour drive the day before! Ha ha I love his face!

We went to lunch at the Fisherman's Wharf and had some yummy fish tacos and looked out over the beautiful Destin boardwalk and harbor.

They had the cutest turquoise chairs, and even had his and her's water cups (pink and blue)

 

                             

Since the ocean was too cold, the hotel swimming pool was probably Rhett's favorite part of the whole trip.

We also went to the cutest little village- Baytown Wharf. It was so charming and we watched a beautiful sunset right on the dock.

Rhett is reaching for a little girl whose mom is taking the picture. He was in love!

Rhett was obsessed with the shells in the sidewalks and did not stop walking around.

We wanted to have a beach day but it was just too cold. Mitch felt pretty stupid in his bright swimsuit while everyone walked past in their coats. It was beautiful though and Rhett was obsessed with the white sand! He got so much better at crawling on he sand. The best part was that the sand would just brush off because it was so fine. No shower needed.

We found a little playground and Rhett was loving the swing. Pretty sure it belonged to the nice resort behind us, but nobody kicked us off...

                           

The sunset was so gorgeous again that night. The water is emerald green (none of these pictures show it) and the sand is pure white against the blue sky. 

We ate at a yummy legit Italian restaurant for dinner and loved every bite! We ate at lots of yummy places in Destin. Some of our favorites were the Donut Hole Bakery, Poppy's right out over the wharf, La Famiglia, Fisherman's Wharf, and of course Wendy's and Chick-fil-A. Oh and for breakfast, the hotel continental spread never disappointed (well only a little. but it was free) 

Mini golfing was awesome even though Mitch won by a couple of strokes. Hard fought battle. Look at the monkey. now look at me. now look at Mitch. He's on a rhino.

Good thing it was rainy the day we were supposed to leave or else we might have stayed a couple of days longer.

Our second time stopping in New Orleans felt much safer. We went to the beautiful City Park and saw the cute Storybook Land and sculpture garden.

Rhett loved the ducks and laughed every time they came up to eat his baby puffs. 

 

We had yummy pizza and then some amazing gelato at a cute little Italian parlor.

We loved our week in Destin and are planning our next trip there already! 

                            

Today...

Today was one of those days that nothing special happened. Our Monday playgroup at the park was canceled because of rain. Rhett and I were both disappointed. To cheer us up, after Rhett's short morning nap, we face timed with Minds, Tagg, and my mom, and then ventured to Trader Joe's, just for fun, just me and Rhett.

We got settled in a bright red shopping cart and set out. Rhett started swinging those little legs hanging out of the cart and reached for everything we passed on the aisles. He was so happy to be out and about. He loves grocery shopping and all of the bright colors and different shapes and textures. He keeps track of the things I put in the cart and loves playing with empty produce bags. Rhett smiles at everyone we pass and makes lots of new friends.

As we were nearing the check out stand, a lady motioned us over to her lane and pulled Rhett and the cart behind the counter. Rhett looked at me across the counter and smiled his little cheesy smile and my heart almost stopped. He is getting so old so fast and I just realized in that instant how much I love that little boy and his sweet personality.

Rhett wouldn't let go of the bag of clementines (his favorite food) so the lady had to scan them and leave them in his tight grip. As we walked out with our bag full of groceries, Rhett almost jumped out of my arms because he was so excited about something. He had found a telephone wire full of birds. Some were flying away and some were just sitting squawking but they might as well have been the tigers at the zoo. He even found one hopping on the ground and insisted we follow it till it finally flew away. He was screaming and so excited about his little discovery.


We put the groceries in the car and then on a whim headed to Petsmart, which is right next to Trader Joes. We have no pets and absolutely no reason to go to Petsmart- besides a chance to see some fish for free. Rhett loved those little fish. 13 cents for a goldfish. What a deal! I didn't buy one. Maybe because my little 12 year old sister in law is still waiting for hers to die, two years later. Yep, we were there, the poor med student's wife and her baby, at Petsmart, looking at fish for entertainment.

We walked past this 6 or 7 year old boy and Rhett once again almost jumped out of my arms. He was so excited to meet this little boy. The little boy didn't quite know what to do so he just started explaining the nearest hamster cage to me. We said goodbye and moved on to the doggie toys which Rhett also got very excited about. I realized doggie toys are very similar to baby toys. Dog Chew toys, baby teething toys, same thing just sold at different stores. We ended our trip to Petsmart by watching a video on "The Furminator," an exciting infomercial about a new shedding tool for dogs. Rhett loved it.

We left Petsmart and Rhett was having such a good time that I just couldn't go strap him back in his carseat. We went into the next store, Whole Earth Provision Company, and found a really fun baby section. Rhett fell in love with a maraca while we walked around looking at puzzles, books, stuffed animals, and other toys. More free entertainment. Finally, my arms were so tired and it was past Rhett's nap time and I realized Rhett would stay out all day and find more and more things to avoid a nap. I carefully took the maraca out of his hands and left the store without buying anything.

Rhett loves everything and finds exciting things everywhere around him. He loves new places and faces and thinks everyone is his best friend. Today was so good even though nothing special happened because I got to spend all day with my best bud. He is my whole world and makes everything so exciting, even a day at Trader Joe's, Petsmart, and Whole Earth whatever it was Company. I am a lucky woman to be his mother.

9 months

Things you Love

-Clementines- you can't eat these fast enough!
-Hangers- when we walk through Target you have to hold at least two or three
-Dancing- You started dancing to the song played on the little dump truck at Grandma's house.
-Cousins- You love them up in your face, giving you toys every five seconds, climbing all over you!
You and Tagg get so excited to play together.
-swings
-Dogs- you get so excited when you see a dog!
-Sleeping with Mom and Dad
-Grocery shopping
-Magnets
-Watching dad play basketball
-Reading books

Things you don't like:

-when dad has to go to work
-being hungry
-getting out of the bath

Things we Love about you:

-Your never ending smile
-The way you get silly when you're tired
-You've started cuddling stuffed animals which is so sweet
-How tough you are
-Your kisses

8 months

Things you LOVE:

• Playing with your butterfly head
• Being with people
• Bathtime!
• Reading books, especially The Hungry Caterpillar
• Knocking towers over
• Your cousins

Things we LOVE about you:

• Your cheesy smiles
• Your outgoing personality
• How content you are

You loved your first Christmas and got spoiled by everyone! Christmas was so much more fun with you.

You went to Disneyland, Newport Beach, and had so much fun with your aunts and uncles.

You sat on Santa's lap with your friend Beckett and told him what you wanted for Christmas

 You put up your first Christmas tree!

And put up an ornament just for you

Thanksgiving in Memphis

10 hour drive there....10 hour drive back....sounds miserable with a 7 month old baby.

 Luckily it wasn't! I'm so grateful Rhett was an angel the whole time. He made it wonderful, even if we got stuck in traffic for an hour and a half on the way home. We had an enormous box of toys, books, and our little friend Mulan for last resorts. Love her.

Memphis was heavenly with family. It was such a beautiful place with some fall leaves still lingering.
Thursday morning, we went to Germantown with my brother Tal to deep fry a turkey. I had heard of this before, but didn't know how complex or delicious it would be! I'm not usually a big fan of turkey, but dunk anything in grease, and it tastes a lot better!

His southern friends were so nice and had the best accents. They made us an amazing breakfast with cheese grits, the tastiest homemade biscuits I've ever had, potatoes, salted ham, sausage, and blueberry pancakes. We were worried about going hungry on Thanksgiving so I'm glad we had such a feast for breakfast.

We also made some stops at Mitch's dad's old house and high school which was so fun! Germantown was such a charming and beautiful little place.

We spent the rest of the day cooking dinner. My mom is an incredible (and perfectionist) cook. My brother Tal is also an amazing cook, especially when it comes to meat. He had a yummy "backup" turkey just in case the deep fried one didn't work out. 

We went for a beautiful walk around the lake near their house while we waited for everything to finish cooking. It was a gorgeous sunset and perfect weather.

These boys love their Nana and Bomps!

Thanksgiving dinner has never tasted so good to me! Everything was so delicious and perfect. Rhett even had some of his own turkey/sweet potato baby food. 

Johanna had the whole house decorated so cute and I loved her table arrangement, complete with place tags and everything. She is the perfect hostess!

Rhett was obsessed with his older cousin. He was so happy when Luke would play with him. Luke is such a sweet cousin and shared all his toys. He even gave Rhett a ride around on his motorcycle. It was so fun to have Natsy there without any boys or friends to distract her! She is so much fun and the perfect aunt.

Lounging after a big meal

We went downtown to see the Mississippi River, ate some yummy oysters, fried pickles, jambalaya, and other good southern food at Pearls, and then rode the trolley to the Civil Rights Museum. The trolley was very cute and charming, and the driver was too...most of the time. 

                                      

Rhett was loving kisses and hugs from his Bomps.

It was really sad/eerie at the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. They have it preserved to look exactly like it did when he stayed there. But it was really cool to see. He was an amazing man and I'm grateful for what he did for this country. 

The next day we went to the Memphis zoo where we ice skated and had fun seeing the animals. 

The weekend flew by and we were sad to go on Sunday. Luckily, Christmas break is only 3 weeks away! We've already started counting down... 

7 months

Happy 7 months Rhett! We love you!

Things you LOVE:

• anything that makes noise
• Banging on things
• peek a boo (you'll hide while I'm nursing and then poke your head back out)
• older kids
• babies
• playgroup
• Playing with your cousin Luke
• Playing with the blinds

Things we LOVE about you:

• Your wet kisses
• Your blonde hair growing longer
• Your sweet laughs and giggles

You went on your first long road trip to Memphis, TN to visit Tal, Johanna, and Luke. You were an angel on the trip and loved every second of being with family.

You make us so happy Rhett and we can't believe how big you are getting!