Andrea's Florida Wedding

Andrea and Ensley were married on the beach in Naples, Florida, on Thursday, August 21st.

Naples is beautiful! There are palm trees everywhere and the buildings have a Spanish flare.

We really were not sure what would happen with Tropical Storm Fay right on top of Florida. But all we saw was some rain and no major wind or anything like that. I flew down Wednesday and flew home Friday with no problems or delays.

My parents picked me up from the airport. We went straight to the beach and picked up shells and enjoyed the wind. It was windy! That evening we went to eat at Cheeburger Cheeburger. (www.naplesnews.com/places/cheeburger_cheeburger_north_naples) They have the BEST milkshakes! They also have a 20 oz hamburger and if you can eat it you get your picture on the Hall of Fame wall. My brother is always up for a good challange and he mastered the 20 oz with no problems, also finishing off a load of onion rings and a strawberry milkshake. What a champ! ;)

The day of the wedding we did some shopping at Tin City, a historic part of Old Naples. (www.tin-city.com) Very cool place. And we picked up Andrea's flowers and took her to the salon to get her hair and makeup done.

It did rain that day and practically up until the time we walked out on the beach for the wedding. But as soon as it stopped, the sky cleared and it was beautiful. The ceremony lasted 5 minutes. Short and sweet. They were married beside the pier and everyone on the pier stopped to watch. As soon as "man and wife" was said, all the bystanders clapped and cheered. It was cute!

Andrea looked beautiful. It couldn't have been a more relaxed and beautiful wedding!

The bad thing is my battery ran out the day of the wedding and I didn't have a back up. So I didn't get pictures of the ceremony or the reception afterwards. I am relying on Ensley's step-dad to give me the pictures he took. *hint hint* :)

Me and Mom

I love getting shots like this of feet in the surf but unfortunately my big belly is in the way!

The beach of Naples.

It was a little too windy for my taste but these guys LOVED it. Not sure what this is called (wind surfing?) but there were tons of guys doing this on the waves.

Me, Andrea and Kurt on the pier. The wedding was to my left on the beach.

Andrea and Ensley at Cheeburger Cheeburger.

A 20 oz-er can't keep a good man down!

Cheeburger Cheebuger - where legends are born!

**More pictures to come soon...

Jayson and Scout

My parents brought my sister's dog over to our house on Saturday. They are watching the dog while Andrea and Ensley are on their honeymoon. The boys love Scout! She is a very active dog, which means she fits right in with my boys. Bryson is very sweet with her and very gentle. Jayson is a little leary of getting near her because she tends to jump on him and lick him but he loves to see her.

Big Man on Campus

Bryson survived his first full day of school yesterday. Last night I told him he got to go back again today and he looked at me in disbelief. I think he was expecting going 2 days a week like he did in preschool.

No problems though. He got up this morning and went to school with bells on. He doesn't mind me walking him to his classroom, which is good for me. :)

This was him when I picked him up after his first half day of school last week.

The Beetle

The boys found a Stag Beetle in the back yard one morning before church.

FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN!

Well, this day has finally come. My baby has gone off to kindergarten!

We had a great morning, getting up extra early so we wouldn't be rushed. I fixed Bryson whatever he wanted for breakfast - scrambled eggs, toast, and pancakes on a stick (looks like a corndog). He wanted his hair spiked. He also wanted me to fix his lunch today, but said he will want to eat at school the next time he goes. (They are serving pizza then.) Jay went to work late so he could go. So it was a family affair!

Bryson walked right in, proceeded to point out a spider to his teacher (Mrs. Calahan), found his locker and put away his things, and found his seat where he began making a fruit loop necklace. He did run over at one point to give me a hug but when we left he could have cared less. I think he is really going to like it!

When we left Jayson kept saying he wanted Bryson. I think it may be harder on him than me. But we'll all adjust! I wasn't as sad as I thought I would be. It was actually pretty exciting. I dreaded it all summer but now that it is finally here I am excited. This will be a fun new chapter in Bryson's life!

Busy working!

Found his cubby!

Jayson got comfortable and made himself right at home.

Found his seat at the table.

Claiming his cubby.

Big Man on Campus!

Strike a pose!

Dad and the boys.

Me and Bryson.

Riding the Incline Railway

Here is a peek of what you would see going up the side of Lookout Mountain.

Rock City and Lookout Mountain

We wanted to take Bryson on one last trip before he begins kindergarten so we took the boys to Rock City yesterday. They loved it! They were both perfect and Jayson actually walked the entire time, which is rare for him, so that means he really like it. Bryson's favorite part was called the Fat Man's Squeeze. He was very concerned that I might not make it through. No worries, I did. :) I was a nervous wreck when we were at Lover's Leap, which is a huge cliff on the top of Signal Mountain where you can see 7 states. I am scared of heights anyway but I was a wreck with the boys up there. I was constantly yelling at them to "stop running" and "quick looking over the edge." I was very glad to get past that part.

We also took the boys on the Incline Railway which was amazing. I can't believe a "train" could possibly go up Lookout Mountain. It is the steepest incline railway in the world. Pretty cool!

On the way up Lookout Mountain.

Jayson and Jay.

Me and Bryson.

At the Mother Goose Village which was inside a huge rock cavern.

At the 1,000 Ton Balanced Rock.

You better believe I did NOT get out on that thing...

This is a little fuzzy, but it clearly shows I made it through Fat Man's Squeeze. hehe

The boys at the entrance of Fat Man's Squeeze.

The boys loved this. Anything with water...
What's funny is we didn't actually buy anything, they just wanted to play in the water.

What more can I say here?

The falls at Lover's Leap. It's a LONG way down...

The Swing-Along Bridge.

Yes, I actually went on this. But boy was my grip tight!

On the Sky Bridge.

Lover's Leap, where you can see 7 seven states.

Jayson at Tortoise Shell Rock.

The entrance to the Goblin's Underpass.

Jay going through Needle's Eye, which I thought was an even tighter fit than Fat Man's Squeeze.
Jay actually had a hard time getting through with his backpack on.

At the entrance of Needle's Eye.

At the Grand Corridor, the entrance to Rock City.