Dada's Day

The term "Daddy" has not yet caught on in our household and I'm not sure if it ever will.  Evan has called Robert "Dada" since he was first able to utter words and it has stuck.  I'm assuming once Evan starts school his name choice might change, but until then it's "Dada" around this house.

So, yesterday we celebrated Dada's Day!

After showering Robert with cards, homemade gifts and a fishing trip for just the boys, we gathered everything we needed to spend the day at the water park.  The weather was beautiful and the kids were elated...as were we.  This was Mattie's second trip to the park, but her first time truly getting an experience.  And it definitely was a positive one.

Robert said something to me yesterday that really struck a chord - he said, "When Father's Day is equally as important as Mother's Day, I know that we have a great marriage."  While this may not be true for everybody, in our case it all comes down to  running our household 50/50.  I'm certainly not that mother stuck feeding and bathing the children and changing diapers around the clock.  Robert is extremely hands-on and contributes in all areas, not just being the fun, playful dad who likes to wrestle and throw the kids around.  He is more than just a dad to our family - he is a DADA - and that is way cooler than dad any day.

My children are blessed to have such a loving, caring man who would literally do anything to make them smile.  Watching Robert fall into the daddy role has made me love and respect him even more than I already did.  Every year reconfirms that I found "the one."

Happy Dada's Day, Babe.  You are amazing.

Happy Belated Anniversary to Us

Even though our official anniversary date was June 9th, we were busy celebrating a more seasoned anniversary in Knoxville (Happy 25th to Rob & Sharon).  But we certainly weren't gonna let our 5th anniversary go by completely uncelebrated - who passes up an opportunity to have a night out with just your spouse?

After receiving several recommendations, we decided to drive up to North Myrtle to try out Joe's Bar & Grill.  We sat at a cozy table for two on the covered deck overlooking the waterway.  The atmosphere was relaxed and casual, yet had the perfect fine dining touch to make the occasion feel special.  We started off with crab stuffed mushrooms served with a corn/black bean salsa.  The flavors were amazing.  I then completely devoured a small filet and twin lobster tails while Robert polished off a perfectly cooked filet with roasted potatoes.  I am disappointed that we didn't have room in our stuffed bellies for dessert, but I'm sure whatever they serve is wonderful.  We enjoyed the experience so much we decided this might just be our future anniversary spot.

We had originally planned to see a movie after dinner, but the phenomenal meal paired with delicious wines steered us in another direction.  We decided to head back to Murrells Inlet to stroll along the Marsh Walk.  There was a live band playing and an outdoor bar open for business.  We moseyed up and down the pier enjoying an adult beverage and the music - and of course each other.  It sure has been a lovely five years so far...looking forward to many, many more.

Roadtrip to Knoxville

Not many marriages make it to 25 years these days, but Robert's sister and brother-in-law are one of the few that have beat the odds.  And to celebrate this milestone anniversary, they threw a big bash with friends and family to share in their happiness.  We were more than thrilled to make the trip west to Tennessee to be a part of such a special day.

(The day was also special because Robert and I were celebrating our fifth anniversary, which seemed so inferior to 25! Ha!  We are gonna take the time this weekend to celebrate together - five years of marriage, 11 years of happiness.)

We had to squeeze in a lot of visiting in the four days we were there.  We spent the first day with Grandma and Grandpa Bopp and Granny.  Kaylin, our niece, also spent the day with us.  She was so wonderful with Evan and Mattie - sure wish she lived closer so she could do a little babysitting :)  Granny was talking up a storm when we got there.  At 97 years old and bed ridden for the last two years, I was blown away by how much she was talking.  It was the most verbal I've seen her in at least two years.  Even though much of her conversation seemed confused, it was amazing hearing her verbalize her thoughts.  We asked her if she wanted to get out the bed and she responded, "Let's get out of here!"

I remembered to take a few pictures of everyone - some of them are a bit grainy because I realized my settings were off AFTER I took most of the pictures - of course.

We met up with my dad for lunch since he only lives a hour from Knoxville.  He surprised the kids with a stuffed animal and Mattie has been attached ever since.  Her pink bunny, whom she refers to as "Hop," is dragged around the house where ever she goes now.

We had plans to spend the day boating with Robert's dad and Kathy, but the weather decided to keep us indoors with rain that didn't seem to want to go away.  We spent the time at their house instead and I think Evan was just fine with that.  Any time we go over there, he feels like it's Christmas because they have the mother load of toys stashed away in their closets.  The rain did finally subside, however, and we took the kids outside to play in the yard.

As for the anniversary party, I have no pictures.  But Sharon and Rob had a professional doing that work, so I'm hoping we'll get a chance to see some of those soon.  The kids had an absolute ball at the party.  They danced and danced until they literally could dance no more.  Robert and I laughed when we clocked ourselves leaving at 9:15 pm.  That was by far the earliest we've EVER left a party.  Welcome to the world of parenthood!  We had a blast nonetheless.

We had a wonderful time visiting everyone.  And as always, we look forward to going back to visit again soon.

Happy Birthday, Old Man.

I am, of course, referring to my old man - the one. the only. Robert Stinnett.  You may be old, but you still make me smile.

Happy birthday to you.  

Happy birthday to you.  

Happy birthday dear, Ba-abe.  

Happy birthday to you.

This is what a sense of humor is all about.

Anniversary Celebration

On Friday night Robert handed me a typical Hallmark card that gushed all the usual lovey dovey words, but inside he added a not-so-typical message of his own:

Pack a bag and include:

• beachwear
• change of clothes
• shopping attire
• nice outfit

NO CHILDREN ALLOWED

To say I was excited would be an understatement.  I was freakin' PUMPED.  I'm pretty sure it was the no children allowed that really had my attention - a whole day and night, just the two of us?  I was giddy.

We left Saturday morning dressed to hit the beach.  Our babysitter, Kaitlin, came over to stay with the kids until 3 pm and then Mimi took over for the remainder of the day and night (thank you, mom, SOOOOO much).  It's amazing how easy it is to pack for the beach when there's no floats, diaper bags, strollers, additional towels + chairs, etc.  It was just me, Robert, two chairs, a bag and a cooler.  A number of items that just the two of us could handle.  It was starting to feel like the good ol' days.

Normally we would've gone to Surfside Beach or Garden City Beach, but most of our activities were planned in Myrtle Beach so we set up camp right next to the Myrtle Beach Pier.  The people watching on this beach never disappoints and the ocean was perfect in both temperature and wave intensity.  We literally sat for a couple of hours looking back and forth at each other smiling - it was perfection.  This is what we used to do every weekend when we lived on Fort Myers Beach - some of our greatest memories pre-kiddos.

These are the only two pictures we managed to take the entire day/night.  We thought we took several more, but we are both new to the iphone that Robert just got and it seems that the pictures we thought we were taking weren't saving to the phone.  Bummer.

Behind Robert in the picture above is the new Skywheel built along the Boardwalk.  We took a trip high above the Myrtle Beach coast - three rotations to be exact.  We thought it would've been much cooler if we were served lunch and a cocktail in our car. 

We left the beach around 5 pm and headed to our hotel at Broadway to get ready for an evening out.  We got all gussied up and showered each other in compliments on our spiffy attire.  It's not very often we get to dress up in something other than shorts and a t-shirt - not much of a point when you carry around a baby with reflux and a pack of wipes for your two year old. 

We looked at ourselves in the mirror and a did a daaaaamn, we look good dance and off we went, hand in hand, to have some dinner at Margaritaville.  We chowed on conch fritters and chicken quesadillas and sipped on one of their staple margaritas.  Around 7 pm we headed over to Legends in Concert.  We were entertained by the likes of Alan Jackson, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Tom Jones, Aretha Franklin and, of course, Elvis.  I think we had a better time watching all the old ladies sit on the edge of their seats and scream and squeal over Tom Jones and Elvis.  In their minds they were seeing the real performers live.  Complete insanity.

We ended our evening with a little dueling piano fun at Crocodile Rocks and a midnight snack at Good Time Charley's.  We were absolutely B.E.A.T. at that point.  We were happily in bed by 12:30 am and slept peacefully and undisturbed until 9 am.  We both agreed one more day/night would've been great, but we were excited to get home and see the babies.  Besides, we had promised Evan a day at the waterpark on Sunday.

We will definitely be planning more of these outings in the future.  It was too enjoyable not to.  Thank you, babe, for such a memorable day.  I love you like crazy, boy.

Four Years of Awesome

I married this pure form of AWESOMENESS four years ago...yesterday.  Oops - kinda forgot to give my honey his well deserved shout out on the proper day.  Oh well.  He knows I love him and think he's wonderful.  Besides, I threw out a few words in the name of love on Facebook.  That counts, right?

Actually the main reason I let yesterday go by without recognizing it via my blog is because we always wait until the weekend to celebrate.  We have plans for tomorrow night - BIG plans from what I understand.  Hmmm.  Guess I'll just have to wait and see.  No matter what we do though, it will be fantastic to have a little one-on-one time.  I just want to hold hands.

Wedding Perfection

We spent the loveliest weekend in Boone, NC witnessing the nuptials of our good friends, Amanda and Scott.  It was by far the most romantic wedding I've ever been to given the breathtaking views and intimate setting of the beautiful Inn at Crestwood.  The wedding was small with only about thirty five family members and close friends in attendance. With the more than cooperative weather and the NC mountains as a backdrop, this wedding could make any two people fall in love.

Amanda put in many hours to her wedding planning trying to achieve a theme that hinted towards her southern roots and the love of family that she and Scott both share.  From the biscuit bar to the Cheerwine ice cream to the bbq and cole slaw, I'd say she achieved that and more.  Her attention to detail is what brought this wedding together - simply perfect.

Robert and I had our first kids-free weekend thanks to Mimi.  We could not have picked a better event to spend together enjoying each other and our great friends.  I'm sad that it all went by so fast, but look forward to planning a trip back.

Congratulations to the newlyweds!  Hope y'all have a blast in California - bring me back something good. :)  More pictures in my gallery!