Beachin' It, Again

We had a great weekend at Carolina Beach. We invited Ryan's cousin John and his family to join us. I don't invite people to my parents' beach house very often (or EVER!) because they are normally there. And my mother is very particular. Especially about kids and most (all) of my friends have kids. So it has just been easier to go with our family. After our West Virginia trip got cut short, we decided to try to do something else with Ryan's cousin and family. And the beach was it!

It was a very low key weekend. We were only out on the beach around two hours the whole weekend. I could have stayed out there all day, but unfortunately, the little ones did not feel the same way. We tried to go to the boardwalk (there are several amusement park rides there), but sadly, the weather interrupted our plans. It is sad my parents have had the house 3.5 years and we have never been to the boardwalk. Oh well, next trip!

I have been very tired and not feeling well, so while the weekend was really fun, it was exhausting. I am hoping to feel better soon, maybe in about six weeks..............

Child Free Weekend

Hmm, I didn't think I would be saying those words EVER the way this year has gone. But I decided it was time to have a little break and visit my friend Tiffany in Charleston. Before Ashley was born, I would visit her 2-3 times a year. We would go to the beach, out to eat and chat! We could talk for hours and we do every time we get together. We have lost touch over the years. I was pregnant with Ashley when she got married in Mexico in 2007, so we decided not to go. We did get to go to Las Vegas with Tiffany and Keith, prior to their wedding in Mexico. They legally were married in Las Vegas, so Ryan and I were witness to that. It was very special, but to this day, I wish I had attended her wedding in Mexico as well.

Ryan and I are making more of an effort to do things together as a couple and also separately with friends. It is so important to do this and honestly, we have not made it a priority in the past. We would "keep score" on who did what and the result was a lot of fighting. So I think we have finally realized how important it is to have "me" time as well as "couple" time and time with our separate friends.

I had a great time in Charleston. We went out to eat and spent all day on Saturday at the pool. It was the first time I have been at the pool where I have not been watching children. It was fabulous! I did not not partake in many drinks on this trip because of some news I received a couple days before I left. More on that to come....................

Ashley and Peyton had a wonderful time with their daddy. He took them to Chick Fil A and to the pool. They love their daddy so much, I was happy they got to spend some alone time with him. They spend a lot of alone time with me, which I love, but it is nice to be with just daddy too.

A Peek at Age 2

My sweet baby boy is two. There is so much I want to remember about Peyton as this age. Every day he amazes me. He picks up something new, says something I can't believe he is able to grasp and does something dare devilish. He really is a little man. I can have a real conversation with him where I understand him and he understands me. I just love him so much, I cannot put into words how much this little boy means to me. He may drive me crazy getting into everything, climbing on anything he can and dumping toys/puzzles/books everywhere. But at the same time, he is the sweetest, most cuddly and loving little boy. He loves to give hugs and kisses. He will give you a kiss on the lips and say "muahh". He still likes me to rock him at night before bed. The other night I was rocking him and he had his arms around my neck. He said, "I love you Mama" out of the blue. It brought tears to my eyes, he had not said that to me before without me saying it first.

He has also recently started saying "sorry" and I think he understands it. Ashley bumped her elbow the other day and was crying. He went up to her, gave her a hug and said "sorry Ashley". So sweet. He will also say "beep beep" or "excuse me" if he bumps into you or needs to get past you. He is still very good about saying thank you if you give him something and asking please. He loves to count and can count to 11. He is very good with names and always makes a point to say "hi so and so" and "bye so and so". He also loves to say "goodnight" to Daddy, Ashley and Riley and give them a kiss before he goes to bed.

He is a big helper too. If he wants a snack, he will get his own bowl (without me asking him to) and will get a spoon as well. When I am getting ready in the morning, he will say "blowdryer?" and get my blowdryer out for me. If we are going somewhere, I will tell him to get his shoes and he will run to his room, get his shoes and bring them to me. He will put books away on his bookshelf and put his clothes in the hamper. He likes to help me unload the dishwasher and put the clothes in the dryer from the washer.

But his all time favorite thing to do is read books. I think I hear "I read book" about 15 times a day. His favorite thing to do is curl up in your lap and hear stories. I hope he always likes to read. 

I could go on and on about my sweet, special Peyton, but I will stop for now. I just wanted to capture a small portion of what our lives are like right now with this wonderful two year old.

Peyton's Party

We had a small family birthday party for Peyton on Sunday afternoon at our house. Or as Ashley called it "a party with no friends". After having a big birthday party with friends, a birthday lunch at Chuck E Cheese and a birthday dinner at Outback all for Ashley, we decided to do something very low key for Peyton. We knew he did not know the difference anyway. We grilled out chicken and had corn on the cob and mashed potatoes. I made a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake for dessert. My parents, my sister and Ryan's parents came. It was perfect. Just the right amount of people, the right amount of presents and the right amount of money spent and time invested. He loved his gifts and I am constantly finding his little trucks in Ashley's room because she seems to think they are hers too! We had a busy couple of birthday weeks and so far, I am loving age 5 and age 2!

Beachin' It and Birthdays

Whew, the Douglas family has had a busy week! My baby girl turned five and my baby boy turned two! And we had a great week at Carolina Beach. We go to the beach for the 4th of July and to celebrate Ashley's birthday. Ryan could not come with us this year because of work, so Ashley, Peyton and I visited with Mom, Dad and Christine. It was nice to get some beach time, but we missed Ryan.

Our days started bright and early, thanks to Mr. P. That boy does not like to sleep much past 6am when he is not home in his own crib. I was prepared for it, so each morning, we took a nice long walk around the lake near Mom and Dad's house. It was not fun getting up so early on vacation, but I enjoyed getting alone time with him and getting in some exercise.

It was super hot, so we avoided the beach until around 3pm each day. Also, Mr. P hates the beach. He won't even get his feet wet. The first couple days, he would cry at the beach and say "Let's go home!" constantly. Loads of fun, I tell ya! Finally the last day, he played in the sand and with his beach toys. On the other hand, Ashley was a total fish. She stayed in the water the whole time and loved it. The water was perfect, there was a sand bar, so we walked out to that and also stayed in the water between the shore and the sand bar, which was very calm and peaceful.

On Friday the 6th, we took Ashley to Chuck E Cheese for her birthday. She had never been and loved it. The Wilmington location is really nice and clean. I am glad she had a special time there with me, Peyton, Grandmom, Grandpop and Aunt Christine. When we got home to Pinehurst, we took her to Outback, or the "mac and cheese place" as she calls it so she could have a special birthday dinner with Daddy too.

Tuesday was Peyton's 2nd birthday. He sort of got the short end of the stick (compared to Ashley). As soon as Ashley woke up, she ran to him and said "Happy birthday". They are so sweet when they first see each other in the morning, they will run to each other and hug. Wonder how long that will last? Ashley also called him "birthday boy" several times throughout the morning. We baked cupcakes and then Kelly and Gibson came over to wish Peyton a happy birthday, bring him a gift and play. We tried to go out for pizza for his birthday dinner, but there was a huge storm, so we had to eat pizza at home. Ryan bought Ash and P a John Deer Gator thing, super expensive!! I hope they grow to love it because we better get our money out of that thing. Sunday is Peyton's family birthday party. We are going to cook out and have immediate family over. Whew!!

The next few weekends are super busy. I love summertime, we are going to soak up every second we can!

Eventful Weekend

Well, the title of this post seems like a huge understatement. This was the weekend of Ryan's family reunion in West Virginia. Ashley, Peyton and I had never been, so we were looking forward to the scenery, visiting with Ryan's family and the chance to just get away. We left on Friday and arrived in Fayetteville, WV around 5pm. We were staying at a local bed and breakfast with some of his other family members. The bed and breakfast was very old and not well looked after. The air conditioning was not working and the pool was out of commission, much to the dismay of Ashley and Peyton. I thought that would be the worst we dealt with, but I was very wrong!

We went to Ryan's family house for dinner. Ryan and his cousin John went back to the b&b to see if it had cooled down. While they were gone, we ate pizza and the kids played. I received a phone call from Ryan, but lost him because cell service was spotty in the area. He called me back and yelled "get everyone in the house, there is a tornado!". I grabbed Peyton and ran to find Ashley. We all ran in the house and hid in the hallway. It was super scary, we tried to console the kids by singing songs. The wind picked up, tree limbs broke off, the rain started coming down and there were thunder and lightning. When everything quieted down, we got hold of Ryan and he said the tornado came rigth by them and took out a huge tree next to the b&b. Power was out everywhere and trees were down. Luckily, we made it back to the b&b okay. It was a horrible night of sleep though, about 100 degrees inside and very noisy outside with the frogs and other animals. We were definitely one with nature that night!

The next morning, I was fully expecting to pack our things and go to a hotel. No such luck. Power was still out everywhere and there was a gas shortage. We had very little gas left, so we waited in line and luckily, were able to get some gas. We spend some time with his family and everyone decided to head home. We were disappointed that the reunion was cut very short, but very grateful everyone was okay and we were able to get enough gas to get us out of the state!

Sunday started as an ordinary day. We had breakfast at home and I was going to take Ashley to the pool after I put Peyton down for his nap. We were all in the basement when we heard a loud crash and then Peyton screaming. Poor baby had stood up on the office chair, leaned on the pull out tray for the keyboard and it broke. He almost bit through his tongue. I have not seen that much blood in a very very long time. We debated taking him to the ER, but he was crying and bleeding a lot and we could see a flap bit off on his tongue. We went to the ER and it was packed. While we were waiting, Peyton started crying again and gushing blood. Luckily, they took us right back. The doctor looked at him and said he needed a couple stitches. They gave him a shot to knock him out, but it did not take. I have one strong little boy!! The doctor could not get his mouth open, Peyton was biting everyone! So they gave him a second shot and the doctor was able to look at his mouth more. He said that the bite did not go through the tongue, so he was not going to stitch it. I then had to wait until Peyton woke up and they monitored him for a bit before we could leave. His mouth is very swollen, he also tore the skin above his two front teeth. He has been sleeping since we got home. I am so upset for my little boy, I hope it heals quickly and he is not in a lot of pain.

We are supposed to leave for the beach tomorrow. I will see how he is feeling in the morning and make a decision then. I feel like it has been one thing after another this weekend. As bad as things were, I am still incredibly grateful and thankful, it could have been so much worse.