Sea Isle City, NJ with the Williams Family

The first weekend in October, we had the opportunity to vacation for a long weekend in Sea City, NJ with the Williams family...we had so much fun!!

When we arrived on Friday afternoon, the weather was beautiful and we headed straight to the beach! It didn't take them long at all to get a little wet, even without their bathing suits on :)

These kids have all become such great friends, we knew we were in for one great weekend together.  After getting unpacked and settled, the kids got their baths and watched a video before bedtime.

Saturday morning brought a yummy big breakfast made by Dan and the kids were ready to embrace their first full day of vacation together.  We brought lots of toys and games to keep them busy when we were in the condo.

 

Saturday's weather was gorgeous and so we headed out to the beach early, especially knowing that Sunday was going to bring some cooler temps and rain.

After a fun day in the sun, we spent some time at a local parade and letting the kiddos get some exercise on their scooters and roller blades.

After dinner, we headed to the local arcade for some video game fun.

 After over an hour of video games and winning tickets, we put all of the tickets together and divided them evenly among Alexia, Megan, Alayna and Grady...this helped keep the peace when it came to picking out prizes :)

 

While Saturday was a great day whether-wise, Sunday was much colder and rainy...we did what we could to make the best of it.

 

At one point, the rain did stop for a little, so Dan took the kids out for a quick bike ride.

Unfortunately, they all got caught in the rain on their bike travels, so some fresh cinnamon rolls and a few nice warm cups of hot cocoa were in order when they got back.

On Monday morning,a few of the kids woke up very early, so Dan took them all to the beach to watch the Sunrise, while the Mommies slept in....a perfect ending to a wonderful vacation!

 GREAT TIME WITH GREAT FRIENDS!!!  This photo of Alexia says it all :)

Alexia's Baptism

Over this past year,  Alexia has been very active with our Kids Worship Team at Daybreak.  She loves to sing and especially loves to sing Praise and Worship Songs. She has been developing such a love for Jesus and told us this summer that she wanted to be baptized so that she could let everyone know that she wanted to "follow Jesus with her whole heart, for the rest of her life."

So, Alexia signed up to take the Kids Baptism Class at church and was baptized on September 9, 2012.  It was an incredible experience and certainly one as a parent that I will never forget.

Pastor Matt baptized Alexia and thanks to Pastor Ron...we have some incredible pictures which truly capture the joy from the experience.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS NEXT PICTURE... it definitely speaks volumes of how much this experience meant to her.

Alexia ~ Daddy and I are so very proud of you for the beautiful young lady you are becoming.  Being baptized is just the first of many important decisions and steps you will take as you continue to allow God to be the leader of your life. 

Another School Year Begins!

I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated our blog.  School began and life got BUSY!!!  My health challenges and surgery didn't help much either, but things are beginning to feel like we are in a good routine and so I will attempt to get our blog up to date.

Our Fall began with the kick off to another school year!  Megan headed to Kindergarten and Alexia is now in 2nd Grade.  Here are a few pictures of them getting ready for their first big day!

Megan was a little nervous about riding the bus, but thankfully she had her big sister who took good care of her and of course she received lots of hugs, kisses and silliness to help ease her nervousness.

I asked Megan if she was ready to get on the bus and she gave me a somewhat hesitant "Thumbs Up."

Both girls had a great first day of school and have been having a great year overall so far! I'm thankful that we live in such a great school district and that both girls are excited about school and all that they are learning.