17 & 18

Evie Marelle, Lulu, Lou, Evie Lou, Bop, Baby Bop, Baby Lou, Baby Marelle.........She answers to them all.

Brave, Silly, Focused, Agile, Tough, Girly, Smart, and Squish..............That's our girl.

Evie Marelle is going strong and continues to show us more of her true colors.  She is rough and tough mixed in with a whole lot of girly.  EM loves all kinds of accessories: shoes, hair bows, clips, jewelry, sunglasses, and purses.  However, she spends most of her time playing with cars and balls.  It's the perfect combination of her Mama and Daddy.  She is surprisingly coordinated and can climb up or down just about anything.  She is also great at throwing a ball.  Her most consistent obsession is with bracelets--she does not go anywhere without something on her arms.  She also still loves her paci and her lamby.  Poor girl usually just watches whatever television show Brother has on, but she prefers Dora and Tinkerbell.  Evie Marelle loves to sing and dance like most kids her age.  Her favorite songs are: Baby Bumblebee, Wheels on the Bus, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  Because she refuses to speak very much, she has come up with signs so she can act out all of her favorite tunes.  She has started to talk a bit more and can say quite a few words when she wants to, that is.  Evie Marelle LOVES puppy dogs, pointing to all her body parts, and doing animal noises.  She is all over the place and quite a nut.  I would not say she is one to suffer silently :) and brings a lot of spunk to our days.  She is a true gift.  We love you Lou!

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Beach 2011

We had the MOST INCREDIBLE vacation this year in Fort Walton Beach.  7 glorious days of pure rest just for the 4 of us to reconnect and enjoy one another.  Then, we got to spend a fun-filled Memorial Day weekend down the beach in Watercolor with the Estess family and it was a wonderful end to our yearly break from life.  These two love bugs loved every second and were a complete joy to be with.  They were blessed with TEN full days with their Daddy constantly by their side and I was blessed to just watch family happen over and over again.  It was perfect.

David was the ultimate beach bum.  Getting the boy to take a shower was a feat in and of itself.  He was all about building sand castles, boogie boarding, and swimming at the pool.  I often would hear him whispering how fun the beach is and then he would just come up to me with a huge grin and say, "The beach is FUN!"  I don't think he took his hat of the entire week.  I love that picture of him with his outstretched arm commanding the waves to stay back from his castle....typical first born I guess, thinks he can control it all.  Though it was hard to get many pictures of him, I love these where he is just braving the elements and being a little boy.

This girl is the cuddliest, squishiest, most precious little thing.  Day one was filled with all kinds of new experiences and Lou was overwhelmed to say the least.  She cried at the beach and at the pool.  After watching Brother play in the sand for an hour from the comfort of her beach chair, she decided to get up and play herself.  I don't think ever looked back.  By the last day, she was running in and out of the ocean on her own.  Evie Marelle lived in her sunglasses and neon bracelets.  She loved carrying her Dora and Boots bath toys around and LOVED swimming around like a big girl.  She spent most of her time piddling from beach chair to beach chair, filling her cheeks with crackers. In the end, girlfriend came home with blonde hair and a tan that her own Mama envies.

I look forward to May every single year for this very trip alone, and this year did not disappoint at all!  Praise God for family.  It is a gift!