Kathryn, Walker and I have been in Mobile for the past week and a half, and boy did we stay busy.
We stayed in Dauphin Island several nights where Walker and Kathryn had their first big girl/big boy bed experience. Because they are quickly outgrowing their pack n plays, we purchased
this for Walker and the princess version for Kathryn.
They were surprisingly really good about taking their nap and going to sleep in their new beds. We did find them on the floor a time or two, having fallen off the bed, but overall they worked really well.
We spent most of our time there swimming at the condo pool and riding around on Grandpa Marshall's golf cart. We even made it down to the beach one afternoon. And believe it or not, Walker and Kathryn liked it. Walker HATED the beach last year. He did cry the first time he stepped on the sand this go round, but after that, he was fine! And Kathryn picked up right where she left off last year, loving every minute of it!
Mom, the kids and I drove to Gulf Shores one day to visit with Kerstin and Chris, who were in town from D.C. with big brother Constantin and sweet baby Sophia. This was our first time to see Sophia, and she was precious!
Kathryn and Walker had so much fun playing and swimming with Constantin. He tried to teach them a few things about Star Wars along the way:) Of course, Walker wasn't going to miss out on his nap! He fell asleep on the floor, ON THE FLOOR, in a room full of about 15 people! That's my boy:)
Kathryn was too busy visiting with Jack to fall asleep. They saw each other on the fourth of July, so it had been almost an entire month since the love birds had last seen each other.
Jack didn't immediately warm up to Kathryn, but in typical girl fashion, she walked right past him, and said "Jack," just to let him know she was there.
After lunch, Kathryn and Jack picked up where they left off in July with a hug followed by a fun game of hide and seek.
We ended our tour of Gulf Shores with dinner at
Lamberts, home of the throwed rolls. If you've never been to Lambert's, you have to go. They not only throw rolls across the restaurant, but they are constantaly walking around offering tastes of Southern favorites like fried okra, fried potatoes and macaroni & tomatoes. Of course, the rolls are the best, especially when topped with sorgham molasses or apple butter. YUMMMMO!!! Of course, Walker preferred honey on his roll. Thankfully, cousin William was on hand feeding him a bite of roll with honey every 1-2 minutes. Hey, whatever it takes, to keep a toddler happy during dinner!
Other favorite restaurant stops while we were in town included the
Dew Drop Inn and
Roussos.
Kathryn and Walker were especially spoiled at Roussos. Mrs. Georgia treated them like royalty by giving them a special pass to the kitchen to make their own ice cream sundeas. I, of course, followed closely behind, cringing at the thought of the damage my two year olds could do to a working kitchen. But much to my surprise, Kathryn and Walker listened and obeyed Mrs. Georgia as she helped them with their sundeas. She even announced to the entire kitchen, "This is Kathryn and Walker and this is their first time here!" Needless to say, Kathryn thought she was a celebrity. Walker just wanted the ice cream sundea:) And as luck would have it, Mom didn't have her camera:(
And as if they knew we were leaving, the ducks that have been frequenting Pops and Tula's house (begging for food and leaving their "mark" on the back porch) showed up Monday morning to bid us farewell. There were 15 in all, more than we had seen all week. The perfect ending to a perfect visit!!
After much needed naps on a rainy Saturday afternoon, everyone gathered back at Cori's for a yummy pizza dinner. Here are freshly bathed cousins, Mimi and Daniel, reading bedtime stories with Nana and Papa.
Walker is never too far from a pack of crayons. Here the guys are coloring with Papa.
And Sissy's never far from Quack Quack!!
We are so blessed to have these wonderful memories. Thanks Aunt Coco for the pictures!
This was Kathryn at breakfast Saturday morning! I think she could rival Fancy Nancy in her desire to be "oh so fancy." She doesn't speak French yet, but we may just need to start working on that. I need someway to put that French minor to use!!
And here's an old standby...English muffin pizza!
You guessed it....Walker! The best spoon licker this side of the Mississippi!
