Bye to Summer

Last Beach trip of the summer...

It was fun, but I think I'm ready for fall :)

Hope you all have a great week!

Vacation 2011

We had a wonderful vacation this year! The weather wasn’t the best, but we made it work. We had fun being together enjoying each others company. It was also fantastic to see the kids playing with one another. Can’t wait until there are even more of them!!! (I know… I’m crazy)

Our family headed out around 3:30am last week and made it to our beach house around 11am. It was great getting in there early and feeling less like our day was wasted by just driving. That was nice. When we got there, we noticed a lot of things were not very well put together and that the house wasn’t even ready for renters. Electronics weren’t hooked up right, beds were not made properly, things were broken and it just seemed like no one stepped into that place since last year.

This was unacceptable, so early Monday morning my mom, Brent and my husband walked themselves into the beach rental place and requested that we get our pool headed. (Yes, that’s all we wanted. We just wanted out kiddies to swim without shivering every 5 minutes, that’s all) So, when they went in there the rental company felt so bad they immediately agreed to put on the heat for free (To heat the pool for a week was $400 extra) but then came to find out that there was no heating system for the pool and they felt even more terrible so they upgraded us to another beach house which was a million times better…. See…

Score!

All in all, we had a great week. I just got done editing my pictures from that week so I would rather just give you a look into the week than really writing about it.  You can also go to my sister-in-laws blog and read about vacation and see her awesome pictures as well. 

Is that ok?!
Ok… Here they are!

 Have a great Monday!

Good Things

Hope you all are having a fantastic week so far! 

Just stopping in quickly to say HI!  

We are having a fabulous time on vacation.

There were a few problems with our first beach  house

(don't want to get into it now... leave that for another post) 

So the realty company upgraded us to this beautiful place.  

Like?! 

I DO!

Things have been good here.

Kids are getting a long and having a blast with one another

Tomorrow we get to use the new HeAtEd pool!

(Yay, the munchkins will be able to go in now)

That's all I'm going to say about it for now.  

Just going to leave you with a few pictures of the kids.

(Taken by Aunt Katie because I'm to lazy to get my camera out)

I know... terrible. 

Maybe I'll break it out today.

Have a great day and don't forget out about the swap!

Getting Paid on Vacation… Why Not?!

This past week was my family’s vacation to my in-laws beach house down in Rehoboth Beach. We had a great time! But one of the really exciting things that happened was on our first day down there last Sunday.

Thanks to Craig’s List I got to meet a wonderful family while down on family vacation this year. Before my family headed out on our vacation my sister-in-law, who is just crazy over Craig’s List found a posting from the Stevens family asking if anyone would be willing to take a family photo shoot for their family while they were down at the beach. One thing lead to another and here we are! This wonderful family was great to work with and we got some great shots I know they will be happy with!
There were a lot that I like but this one was one of my favorites… go over to my photography blog and check the rest of them out. Let me know what you think!

OBX – Rewind

I loved going on vacation with my family. I think it’s good that we go every other year, but I must say that I really enjoyed our vacation to the Outer Banks! My mom and dad for Christmas this year blessed us all with the gift of paying for our family vacation. It was very generous of them and it totally blessed us kids. It was a 6 bedroom, 6 bath beach house that had an amazing pool out back and was only two blocks from the beach! She did good! Thanks Mommy!

All family’s come with their own annoyances and aggravations and yes, we did have our moments at times where we did get under each other’s skin, but I have to say it was a pretty darn good vacation for us Balla’s (My maiden name.) It was hard for my dad who had just broken his leg three weeks back, but he did ok and did his best to join us out at the pool every once in a while.

Driving down on my birthday wasn’t the best thing in the world, but I got over it. Kate, (my sis-in-love) not only wrote me the most wonderful poem on her blog, but also gave me an adorable shirt with a hot head band to go with and also surprised me with another gift when we got down there. It was a HOT sexy purple dress!! You saw it on my silent Sunday post a week back. I LOVE THAT DRESS. Thanks babe!!

My other sister-in-love gave me a gift certificate to my favorite spa to get a facial. LOVE their facials!! And my mom and dad… well, they haven’t given me that present yet. My mom is giving me a tattoo!!! We wanted to do it down there, but it was too crazy; so hopefully we will be getting that done at home soon. We’ll see!! :)

My amazing friend Kasey also wrote this thing on her blog for me. She is like a sister to me and I cried when I read it. She is a blessing to me and it really touched my heart! To top it off she also got engaged last Friday and I was SO excited for her. I saw her on Saturday after we got back and took pictures of the lovely ring. You can see it on my photography blog if you want! Her man did a good job!!! ;)

There is so much I could say about this week… but I think I’ll just leave you with a few pictures to round off the week. All these pictures are all on the same day, but… it sums up a lot.

Birthday dinner and the Beach!

Pool and Family Fun!

And Jayden playing with his Uncle's cigar!!
Explanation below...

Ok, so I know this looks bad. The boys were having cigars and Jayden when up and wanted to be like the big boys and put the cigar in his mouth. It was too funny not to take a picture. I mean... look at it. In his mouth the first picture and then LOOK at that face in the second?!?!? He wanted to be one of the guys!!! It was hysterical. Don't worry... this was not lit! :)

When I got home, I was surprised with a gift from a blogger friend Kayla as well. I got a gift certificate to Starbucks! So thanks dear! I really missed blogging this week, but it was some good much need time with the fam! I have been doing my best to catch up on all of you from last week. Hope you all are having a great week!!

Silent Sunday's

OBX - Pictures taken by my awesome sis-in-love

A Few Thoughts, Before I’m Off

Happy Friday everyone! Let me tell you, I have been looking forward to this day all week! Don’t you just hate when you have those weeks that feel like they are just never going to end!? That was my week!!

Starting tomorrow, my family (I mean entire family, not just the Hubby and the little man) will be heading out to the OBX for our family vacation. I’m so excited!!! We haven’t had a family Va-Ca in 2 years and at the time my brothers weren’t even married… so this is really cool! I’m planning on it being a really great week with so many surprises!! In the meantime, I have decided that I am going to take a break from blogging while on vacation. I may hop on and off, here and there; but I really just want to spend this time with my family. But… before I go I’ll leave you with a few thoughts and excitements for what’s to come!

Vacation – Oh my word… I’m so excited!! Not for the long ride down or back, but being there with my family all week, I can’t wait! And it’s Jayden’s first real vacation!!

My Birthday – Tomorrow I turn 27. Oh my word, that means I’m three years away from being 30! I’m not a girl who likes birthdays; in fact, I dread them! I’m not sure why I don’t like them, maybe its fear people won’t remember or fear that I’m going to be disappointed. (My mom says I get that from her) I’m hoping this year I can take a brighter and more positive outlook on turning 27.

By no means have I ever been forgotten. My BFF gave me my birthday present before she left for Africa; she is taking me to the “So You Think You Can Dance” tour when they come to Philly in September! What a great gift!

And my wonderful sis-in-love, Katie never ever forgets my birthday! For the past 4 years she has written me a poem to remind me how much she loves me. Greatest sis-in-law ever!!! Last year she started posting it on her blog… she did it this year too a day early since we will be traveling all day tomorrow. So beautiful, it made me cry… go check it out! Thanks love!!!

My New IPhone – Can’t a girl be excited about her phone?!? I have wanted this phone since my husband got his last year! I have 4 days until my contract is up and then I’m buying it. I have already put money aside and it’s being purchased on the day I can do it!!! For the past few weeks I have been dreaming about just holding it. Crazy… I know! ;)

A Family Surprise – My family has something up their sleeve for vacation. You are just going to have to wait to find out! Oh… and it’s good!! ;)

My BFF Coming Home From Africa – After we get back from vacation, my best friend gets back from her month long trip in Africa! I will be so excited to see her. I’m glad she didn’t end up staying there for three months this time!

Dylan Update – The amazing people who adopted my sister’s baby, have been super terrific about giving us pictures and updates! He is SO freaking cute and he looks so much like my little sister! We are so blessed to have picked a family that is willing to share this information with us. My mom, sister and I sent them flower after the 30 days were up, congratulating them on this adoption and their new baby boy. They are a blessing and we have been blessed! Total win-win (Or you can say GOD) situation!

Reading with the Hubby – My husband has asked me to start reading books with him instead of watching TV at night. (I love that he thought of this, major hubby point’s earned here) I think this is a great idea, but we have no idea what to read. He suggested Lord of the Rings, but I’m not sure I want to read that. Does anyone have any suggestions? Something that we might be able to enjoy together?!

Giveaway – I have been really disappointed in how my first giveaway went. For some reason, I took it personally. But I know I can’t and think I have finally given that to God. I really thought it would have gone better, but I know that a lot of people already gave a bunch to Angie directly from her Giveaway.

Either way, it doesn’t matter. They are almost to their goal and that is the big picture! I did my best to help a friend and all who did give to them, thank you! What a blessing!

As of now, we only have one person entered and 6 great prizes still to giveaway!! If you are still interested, go over there and donate ANYTHING – ($.50 cents for all I care) just tell me you did and what you would like to win!! Guys… $.50 cents for prizes worth over $20, what a deal?! GO OVER AND DONATE, you only have until the 23rd!

That’s a lot to look forward to, don’t you think?! I hope you all have an amazing weekend and an even better week!