Celebrating 40 Years

We had another big weekend. Seems we have been on the go pretty much all summer, but it's been fun. 

Fulton and I went on up to the lake with mom and dad Thursday night. We spent Friday playing with Mema and getting ready for their party on Saturday. 

This little guy was a good helper and it was a good thing because we had a lot of people coming the next day and plenty to do. 

Daddy came up after work Friday and we were excited when he got there. 

Saturday we had a 40th wedding anniversary party for mom and dad at the lake. We set up a little table of past year's pictures and their wedding album. 

We woke up to a little rainy weather, but the Lord was gracious and the sun came 

out and we had a beautiful day. 

Happy 40th Anniversary to these two!! We were excited to celebrate with them and 

thankful for their example. 

Our family before the guests arrived. All Fulton could talk about was the cake that he 

had seen in the fridge. 

The girls. 

Ready for a big day of fun. 

His sweet buddy Elsie arrived and he was happy as could be. They had a blast together. We had  a delicious lunch and a table full of desserts and then headed down to play in the water. 

The day wasn't getting away before this little guy took a ride on the waverunner. He is hooked. 

We didn't get pictures of everyone, but a few of the guests who came to spend the day celebrating with us. Grateful for sweet family and friends who came. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing on the water and wearing out a certain little guy. He was out before we turned out of the driveway heading home. Happy 40th Anniversary Mom and Dad. We love you!

The Bahamas

Matt and I just returned from an amazing trip to the Memories Resort on the Grand Bahama island in the Bahamas. It was our anniversary trip and we have been looking forward to this for some time. 

We dropped our little Fulton off with KK and Pop last Tuesday night and bright and early Wednesday morning (4:00 am to be exact) we were heading to the airport. 

Here we are after we arrived in the Bahamas. 

We quickly settled into our room and this was our view for the week. 

When we arrived it was raining, but thankfully the rain passed and we were able to 

take a little dip that afternoon. 

We were anxious to get our toes in the sand too. 

We cleaned up and headed for our first night's dinner. 

Our first night there we ate at the open air Italian restaurant. Probably my least favorite of the 

week, but the view was beautiful. The great thing about all inclusive... if you didn't like it, you can just walk over to the next restaurant and eat again. 

The next morning we were up and read after nearly 10 hours of sleep (we were a little worn out from the long day before). This was the breakfast buffet. They had anything and everything you can imagine. 

The sun was out in full force and we were ready for day of relaxation. We spent the rest of the day watching the waves and swimming it the clear ocean. We did do a little kayaking and thankfully didn't even fall out of the boat. 

Today was our anniversary! 10 years we were celebrating and this was the purpose of our wonderful trip. We decided to go to the Japanese restaurant for our anniversary dinner. They had some suishi appetizers. No thanks for me, but Matt did try it. 

Happy 10th Anniversary! This man is amazing. The past 10 years have been fun, eventful, and lots of laughs. I am so blessed to have my best friend by my side each and every day. We are thankful the Lord allowed us this opportunity to have this time together, uninterrupted. I love this man with all I have and can't wait to spend a lifetime of many more anniversaries. 

After dinner we walked around the resort and enjoyed the scenery. This one of the three pools. 

Later that night we walked across the street to the Lucayan Village where they were celebrating their Bahamian Independence Day. Never knew we shared our anniversary with the Bahama Independence Day. They had a big celebration with singing, bands, and ended the night with fireworks. 

I spent most mornings on this couch waiting for Matt to get his coffee. I usually came back to this spot later in the afternoon for my daily ice cream cone. I am going to miss those this week. 

Friday was another beautiful day on the beach and it doesn't get much better than this. We sure missed our little Fulton, but we were able to face time him each night. He was having a blast with KK and Pop and could really have cared less if we called. Sniff sniff. 

Matt did try out one of the kiddie slides where he may have gotten a small injury on his foot. We really should have obeyed the rules and stayed in the adult area. 

Friday night we had dinner at the steakhouse. We had a long wait, but it was worth it. Delicious!

Saturday was our last day on the beach and we were soaking it in. The water was crystal clear and we spent a lot of time between the ocean and the pool. It was really hot. 

We enjoyed the steakhouse so much we decided to go back again for our last night here. This was the chocolate dessert that I wish I could have taken home like 6 of them. It was like the best ooey gooey brownie, but way better. 

We walked over to the Lucayan Marina and enjoyed the sunset over the water. 

Sunday morning we were up super early again and ready for the first flight out. We had such a great time and were thankful to spend these days with just each other. Thankful to  my sweet fam for taking such great care of Fulton while we were gone. He was on his own "holiday" as he calls it and made some good memories himself. Now. back to the real world. 

The 4th

We had a great Fourth of July!! I feel like we have been on this extended vacation since we left for the beach two weeks ago. It will be back to reality before long. 

We headed up to the lake Thursday morning and after a good nap, we went to Mema's to help pick some blueberries. This guy wasn't too much into the picking. 

We picked so many blueberries, but we will freeze a lot of them and be able to use them later. Somebody enjoyed eating them right out of the bowl. 

Friday morning we woke up all patriotic and ready to celebrate America's birthday!

Would you believe we woke up to about 60 degree weather?! How crazy. 

I never remember being cold in July. 

Some friends bought a waverunner and we got to enjoy it too. This little guy was thrilled. He has been asking all summer to ride one. His heart is happy now. 

Sister made this amazingly festive cake. Look how fun the inside is. Not only was it cute,

 but it was delicious too. 

Pete drove us for a long boat ride after the day had calmed down. 

The chilly weather started coming back and we had to wrap up a little. 

Happy Fourth of July from the Howards!!

Look at the beautiful sunset as we cruised back to our house. 

The guys put on a good fireworks show for us, but Fulton had to wear some ear plugs. 

They were pretty loud. 

Saturday was another gorgeous day on the lake. 

It was much warmer than the day before so we spent a lot of time in the water too. Thankful for a wonderful 4th with family and friends. We are so blessed to live in this country!

Fun Times

We have had a full week. It's already July and we are enjoying every minute of it. 

We took Fulton to a new place last week called Airwalk. A few friends had mentioned it to us and they have a time slot in the mornings where the little ones can jump by themselves. 

It is full of tramolines and I think Matt and I had the most fun. It's a good workout too. 

There are a couple of trampolines that you can bounce and land into the foam pit. Fulton panicked a little the first time, but then he got the hang of it. 

The three of us were a sweaty mess when we left. But the fun wasn't over. 

Fulton decided he wanted to go bowling again. We have a little summer pass and 

he can bowl for free so why not. 

He remembered all the techniques from last time. 

He wore down pretty quick since we had already had a full morning, but Matt and 

I finished out his game. 

Wednesday we decided to go to the zoo. Fulton was fascinated watching this monkey stare back at us. 

                                                    

We may have picked the hottest day of the year so far. This guy spent most of 

the rest of our time there in the splash pad. 

                  

Speaking of Splash Pads.. on the way to the lake Thursday we stopped at this really fun splash pad in Gardendale. He wasn't much up for it because it was pretty windy and the water was cold. We will go back again though.