Ayla's 3rd Birthday

Last week we celebrated my niece's 3rd birthday! Can't believe she is 3! She had a great birthday and got lots of things for her "babies" and some snazzy new clothes for her. Even a smiley face cake! We had a great time celebrating with her and some of the fam. Here's to a great 3rd year, Baby A!

Getting ready to huff and puff

Seems pleased with the Disney Memory Game we got her.

Such a cutie!

Steed Family Beach Vacation 2009

Last week was our 5th annual Steed beach vacation. Actually, more than 5 beach vacations have been taken by the Steed family, but I have only been apart of 5 thus far:) This year, sadly, Ben and his family were unable to make it, due to a wedding in Illinois. You all were greatly missed! It was just not the same without you.



Janel, the boys and I left on Sunday afternoon as did Tom and Linda, for Blue Mountain Beach. We were blessed to vacation at the same beach house the past 3 years, due to the generosity of a family in Auburn, who will remain nameless. We love this place! Zach and Josh came in late Tuesday night and we all enjoyed a great week at the beach. The weather was perfect, sunny and breezy every single day, barely a cloud in the sky.

We Steeds follow a certain pattern in beach vacations and this year was no different. A typical vacation day:

7-9 am: Wake up (earlier if you are Papa Tom or a little one), eat breakfast on the porch, laze around the house

9-10 am: Lotion up to go to the beach

10-1: Beach time! Lots of reading under the tents, playing in the ocean and sand, baseball, frisbee, sunbathing, walks, biking etc

1-3 pm: Rest time, naps, break from the sun

3-5 pm: Pool time! Diving for toys, swim lessons, floating, more sunbathing, lots of fun and cannonballs

5-6 pm: Showers/dinner preparation (a yummy homemade dinner almost every night)

The rest of the evening is usually filled with walks, Internet time, movies, chatting, eating gobs of ice cream.

Relaxing in the shade

Easton enjoying the ocean

Tucker was a great digger!

Not sure if he is enjoying or not!

Look at the concentration!


Daily baseball game


Josh and Tucker in the deep end


Family Jump (Janel don't kill me, it was such a good picture I couldn't leave it out!)


Easton belly-flopping and lovin' it


What Easton liked to do with the water gun


The Enforcer

A perfect vacation to me! Wednesday night we did eat out at Old Florida Fish House to celebrate the anniversary of Tom and Linda's engagement. It was delicious! Thursday night we ventured out as well for putt-putt golfing and shopping. Josh came home the big winner of the night, beating us all at golf (barely) and now toting a new big screen TV (Thanks to a call from Tom!). We also got to visit with some dear friends, Kristy and Will, which was a lot of fun. It really was a wonderful relaxing week! Look forward to it again next year!

Enjoying putt-putt

Tired golfers!

Me, Kristy and Will

Our daily attire

**NERD ALERT - Feel free to stop reading here if you like!

This next little bit is for my family, specifically my brother and sister. It is a well known fact in our family circle, that I am not a strong swimmer, nor do I love getting my hair wet/face in the water, etc. Another interesting fact is that I have never "jumped" or "dived" into a pool. Had a pool growing up, yes, but could never quite get my feet off of the deck. Yes, this is very dorky I know, but it is true, and has been a family joke for YEARS. So much so, that my sister got me goggles for my birthday last year and I have yet to use them (even though we have a pool).
So this is for you all.........enjoy and be amazed!

Goggles on! I actually have a progression of pictures that include some underwater shots but I won't subject you or I to that (they resemble the Bitter Beer Face man more than myself)

Cannonball!! It is amazing what you will do when a 4 year old and 6 year old chant for you to jump, after "showing you how" several times. Had to be brave Aunt Rachel!


"Thrill of Victory" face

To my credit (and I have witnesses) I did do several more cannonballs after this one, with prompting, and they turned out a little better:) Ok, enough embarrassment for today! Have a good one!

June Birthdays and Visitors

June has been a busy and fun month so far. In our family, one thing June is chalked full of, is birthdays. Grandpa and Grandma came to visit on a leg of their June journey, which happened to be on my birthday eve and birthday day. Couldn't have asked for a better birthday present! We had a lot of fun. We had a delicious dinner and experience at Texas Longhorn, learned how to play the dice game "10,000" (in which the birthday girl got lucky and went undefeated:), and just enjoyed spending time together talking. Thank you Grandpa and Grandma for your visit! We had a great time!


Josh made me a yummy strawberry cake with strawberry icing, complete with 2 layers and presented in our cake stand (which I forgot we even had!) We had a fun time eating it with some close friends.



A few days later was my nephew Tucker's birthday party, a Wii party, which was a big hit with the kiddos!

Janel's Creation, a Wii controller

The birthday boy, turning 6

Excited for the party to begin!

Weekend in Virginia - Kim and Jacob's Wedding

This past weekend we had the honor of attending my college suitemate, Kim's wedding. It was a destination wedding at a gorgeous lodge in Virginia on 5,000 acres of land. Beautiful! We drove part way to Knoxville, spent the night at Comfort Suites (favorite hotel) and drove the rest of the way on Friday. I met the other bridemaids and friends for a luncheon and Josh and the other hubbies went Mexican. It was so good to meet all of the wedding party that I have heard so much about.

Friday night was the rehearsal dinner, country theme. It was the perfect night for a rehearsal outside in the fields, and we had a lot of fun taking lots of pictures. The rest of the evening was spent eating delicious food (homemade by the owner of the lodge, very tasty), telling funny Kim and Jacob stories/memories, listening to music and enjoying a late night of fun with the girls.

Wedding Location

Yee-haw!

Saturday was another beautiful day among the mountains of Virginia. A true blessing after a week of rain. Saturday morning we had a bridal breakfast, which was really neat, and then it was off to get beautified for pictures the rest of the day. The afternoon brought lots of pictures and visiting. The wedding itself was really special and perfect for Jacob and Kim. The reception meal was delicious, the music and conversation great and lots of laughs on the dance floor (complete with an "air band" performance by Josh and 3 other friends). The rest of the night was spent visiting after we bid bon voyage to the new Mr and Mrs.

Beautiful bridesmaids


Some of my favorite girls

"Silo" part of the housing

Best college buddies

Reception

Sunday morning we had a worship/praise service outdoors follows by another delicious meal. We began our long trip back home, with a brief stop in Tennessee to visit with Uncle Kyle, Aunt Mary and all the kids (Maggie graduated high school on Friday).

We were tired but had a fantastic trip and loved visiting with all our dear friends!

The Beginning

Yes, we now have a blog. And you might be wondering why as we don't have children, pets or exciting jobs to write about. My decision to do a blog is based on the fact that we NEVER take pictures and I really want to do a better job about documenting events and taking pictures. So this blog is my/our attempt to take more pictures, catalog memories/events, etc. And what better time to start than at the beginning of a very busy summer!

So I hope you enjoy following us and catching glimpses into our daily lives.