Beach Pics 2010

Since we now have a nice camera, I didn't hire anyone to take pictures of Addie Kate on the beach this year. Two problems with that - 1 - professionals or even semi-professionals use photoshop and I don't, and 2 - we couldn't get a family picture. That's ok though, I wasn't looking for a portrait, just some pretty pics of my girl. And, I believe we got some. We took 500 pictures in a matter of 10 or so minutes! Below are my favorites! I've got to update my picasa account, so that it can hold more pictures!

We took these on our last day, at the sound. The dunes were gorgeous, which is why we have more of those than water pictures.

Edisto 2010

At the end of July, we went to Edisto with my family for a week. Edisto is, by far, my favorite SC beach. I love the houses - not big, tacky, high rise condos, and I love the "old" feel of it. I love the very little commercialization. Most of all, I love a beach that ISN'T crowded! We had a great week that flew by. I'm working on doing Thanksgiving there not this year but next. I think Edisto is good enough to do twice a year (for those of us who don't own houses there!).



Tommy and I took a few pictures, but mostly my dad was the photographer of the week. I'm paranoid about taking our camera out on the beach. Plus, it has to adjust to changes in temperature, which takes so long, that it's just easier to use a little point and shoot.



Paul and Sue came down for the first few days. I think it's safe to say that Addie loves them to death! They let her listen to Lady GaGa on their ipod while they were packing the car. Happy girl!

Addie shared a little of that good music with Mimi!

Addie loves to make silly faces now!

Aunt Ellen, Andrea, and David were also there for the same week. We enjoyed having more than just our family to hang out with. We shared dinners and beach equipment, which helped all of us out! Andrea, Aunt Ellen, and David went over the top making sure the week was fun and special for Addie. They had a present for her every day, and some days, two presents! No, she isn't the least bit rotten! At the end of the week Addie had learned the deal and even knew where Aunt Ellen's stash was - now that's awful. David always packed her a Capri Sun, or two, each day in the cooler. Addie never gets drinks like this, so she loved it. She called it her special juice and about halfway through the week, out on the beach one day, she looked at David and said, "I'm ready for my special juice now." A mess, this girl!

Addie played with the strap to my swimsuit ALL WEEK. I have not seen it since. I have no idea what she enjoyed so much about it!

We went to Beaufort one day. The boys wanted somewhere else to play golf, and the girls wanted good food and shopping. I hadn't been to Beaufort in a while, so I enjoyed it. It was just ridiculously hot. We ate shrimp burgers and ice cream, shopped, and walked along the waterfront. I tried to get some good pictures of Addie along the beautiful waterfront, but she did not want to cooperate. She really was hot, tired, and about 2 hours past naptime.

And here are some pictures of what we did every other day - us beachin' it. The beach has never been mine and Tommy's idea of a vacation; however, taking a vacation with our child is very important to us, and that's definitely the easiest, and most cost-efficient. This year though, the beach proved to be a ton of fun for us. Addie absolutely loved bobbing around in her Puddle Jumper in the middle of the ocean. It was a nice break for Tommy and me too, not to have to hold her the entire time. It was also nice for her to not be afraid of the ocean, something we go back and forth with. (Which I understand, Tommy does not! It does look more intimidating than the pool, which she begs to go to!)

She loved "swimming" back and forth between her daddy and me. We can't wait until next summer for when she can actual swim! Although in the ocean, she'll probably be in her Puddle Jumper until she's a teenager!

(I'm sorry - I swear I rotated this picture before posting it.) By the end of the week we got smart and fixed our lunches to enjoy on the beach. Duh. I told you Tommy and I weren't beach people!

When not in the water, she was as content as could be to play in the sand, and for the most part, entertain herself. We just had to constantly bring her buckets of water. She liked to clean the shells and "cook" for us. We had lots of spaghetti and lasagna on the beach!

My sweet happy girl!

But yes, we had a few meltdowns too. I mean, she is 2! They could almost always be remedied with a "golf ride," food, or a special juice! (Or a spanking. I mean, just because it's vacation doesn't mean you don't have rules to follow!)

Checking out the dolphins! Another love of Edisto (Not that you can't also find them at non-crowded beaches in Charleston.)

These are her baby sunglasses. She found them in the bottom of the beach bag (that apparently never gets cleaned out, only added to - ha!) and had to wear them, because they "looked like David's!" In other words, she thought she had a croakie! She wears sunglasses all the time, and these things stunk! Much better for a baby! But you couldn't tell her that!

Oh Edisto, how I love you! I can't wait to see you again soon!

Painting Pottery

I'd been wanting to take Addie pottery painting for a while. But, we do NOT have a girl that does well doing things we want her to do, and when she was teeny tiny and we needed to get her handprint for a keepsake, it was a NIGHTMARE. Then, when she was one, I wanted her to paint some pictures for the new playroom. Torture. You would have thought I had removed her fingeres to paint with them. I think, I'm not sure, that I'm finally past those two incidents, and was brave enough to take her pottery painting.

However, she was Grumpy McGrumpy-pants that day. She wasn't a ton of fun, but we did at least leave with two precious keepsakes.

I just got Addie a plain, cheap plate, and she picked the colors. Pink, purple, and green, naturally. I think she did a great job of covering the plate and not making it a grayish-brown mess from mixing the paints!

See, not my typical sweet, happy girl.

And her final project - the gray along the outside looks more pink now that it's been fired and glazed (Now that I finally picked it up 2 months later. I'm glad they didn't throw it out!)

And my final product! I was quite pleased! Laurie had done this with Aiden and I'd always loved it - I'm happy to have my own now!