the best of the beach

{for every 1 picture that you see, there are 40 more}

so, yes, i have spared you a mere 4gagill pictures.

the story of this beach trip goes something like this.

cue music.

our immediate fam usually takes a beach trip in August.

well, this year my parents are building a new house.

so, my dad said they weren't doing a beach trip since they would be in the final days of construction and most likely would be moving in. too much!

well, my brosif's fam and my little fam said, "whaaaat????" 

we must go to the beach!

so we found a little house in Fort Morgan with a private pool for the babes and booked it! 

independent grown-up stuff right there.

when we told my mom that we were still going to the beach (without them!) she said, "oh no way!"

"you are not taking my grand-babies to the beach with out me!"

or something like that. 

long story long.

we had a lovely week in Fort Morgan in the Hak Shack (hey oh!) and i LOVED having the private pool! it was a gem for when Judson Ray wanted to crawl through the sand.

baby+sunscreen+sand+mouth+bright sunshine= zero fun, sir. 

(first world problems, i'm aware)

it was just me,GT, JRay, Jake, Jamie, Beau, Luke, Mom and Josh

dad didn't make it and he was definitely missed!

here's a very brief photographic re-cap

we swam

built sand castles

ate

played Legos

read books

GT and I went fishing

played Trivial Pursuit

didn't relax on the beach

relaxed by the pool during naps

walked the beach

chased crawling babies

watched movies

cooked some delish grub

went for run(s?)

sang devo songs by the pool under the stars

and let Honey keep the babes so we could go out

and loved being together

the best part about vacation is having GT with me all day, every day for a set amount of days

i like those days

Judson did, too

i have made the vacation transition

no longer am i the kid

i have a kid

he will start his little vacation memory bank

i know this particular vacation won't make the bank, since he's still wee, but soon enough they'll start piling up.

my idea of vacation has changed

they're a lot more work than they use to be

my main goals now for vacation are

1. some relaxation

2. being with family and letting our "togetherness" be the primary focus

3. creating an atmosphere for wonderful memories for my kids

this first beach vacation with kid did not disappoint.

let's start adding to the bank!

10 months

little Judson Ray!

you are a fireball and just so much fun

you still aren't much for cuddling, but you are starting to give us some more hugs...love 'em!

you never slow down 

you are very observant of everything around you

you want to go, go, go!

but those moments when you just sit in my lap are so, so precious

you are very involved in the world around you

you make eye contact and seem to understand what we're telling you

you are becoming a little person, not just a baby

Your hair is hilarious.

You're sporting a mohawk/combover/mullet/rattail that I can not get control of.

you cut your first tooth!!!! you have been drooling and gnawing on everything for months, it seems.

you say dadada alot, for everything. 

you make sounds with d and b mostly

you LOVE to "drive" anything with a steering wheel.

you started Mothers Day Out this week and i think i'm excited about it

it's only 2 days a week for 5 hours...no bigs

you really never cry, but get frustrated...i guess that's what it is

you grunt, make an awful face and tense up your whole body

you love to read books

you will sit in still to read books-most of the time

you have started "talking" back to the books and trying to flip the pages

you like to pat the books, too

i think that you have a great sense of humor already

you are constantly making us laugh with different faces or sounds

(p.s. look at the size of your hands!!!)

you are starting to show favoritism with different toys and cling to them throughout the day

lately, it's been a hammer. 

go figure.

you aren't walking, although i believe you are coordinated and strong enough to 

you just crawl soooo fast, there is no need to walk at this point
you crawl on your left knee and push with your right foot and it is proving a very effecient way to get around for you

you sit in this little squat and it reminds me of my Pa, Dewie Ray...your middle-name sake. 

he sat like that alot. 

Judson Ray, you fill our home and our lives with so much joy.

your dad and I sometimes fight over who goes to get you from the nursery or up from a nap. we just love being with you. you give us so many rewards and light up a room.

we are blessed because God gave us you

Reunioning

  Judson made his maiden voyage to Quanah in July. 

We accompanied him on his longest road-trip to date.

We attended the annual Monroe Family Reunion and as always, it was great to catch up with GT's fam.

recaps from previous years here: 2010 & 2012

I am fully aware that I take a tremendous amount of photos.

you should be, too at this point.

this weekend was no different. it was thoroughly documented.

the crew

Grandma (Mona) and her brother (Tommy) are the remaining Monroe siblings.

They were born and raised in Quanah out on "the farm" where their parents, Mawmaw and Pawpaw, lived for many years.

we met at the local elementary school to eat, visit, play games

women-folk working away at the large feast (i spy an Uncle Doug trying to sneak a taste)

Bingo!

super cute Chels and Ty

lots of sweet kiddos

and those (bottom left) that had to be corralled

after spending Saturday at the school, we headed out to the Red River for fireworks and shenanigans

"trouble" is fitting for the FIL

The water is almost non-existent on this portion of the River creating a beach-like river bottom

ok, not really, but it is beautiful

West Texas does not host many trees, which is quite different than my usual surroundings

but, boy-oh-boy, those sunsets are stunning!

Garrett and Mason enlisted the younger cousins or "replaceable" cousins to light the fireworks

(sweet, right?)

keepin' it classy

just hanging out under a bridge

Taylor kiddos and sibs minus Kim and Matt

it is tradition for the cousins to bury their legs in the clay

if you stand in one place for long enough and move your feet up and down, you will gradually sink

no, thank you.

Sunday morning, we had a family devotional time in the park by the hotel

some good singin', i tell ya

surrounded by family and many generations is good

surrounded by family and many generations that love the Lord is an incredible blessing

Judson Ray was not short on love

JR and I sat with Grandma and uncle Tommy for breakfast Sunday morning

they talked about their mom and their sister, Dee, who died many years ago

Tommy said, "her heart was as big as horizon to horizon", then continued to speak of her personality "she was not always right, but she was never wrong".

i really loved listening to them reminisce and bring up memories of their loved ones who I didn't get the chance to meet.
They laughed at stories from their youth and basically told on themselves and on eachother.

Tommy said in reference to these stories, "i just dig 'em up, they are buried and need to live!"

I agree.

thats the reason for reunioning

to remember and to keep memories and stories alive

Wordless Wednesday: deep roots

GT received this CD from my parents for Christmas, if i remember correctly.

I stole it promptly.

It's my go-to in the car and it seems to calm Judson if he's antsy in his carseat.

Along with some wonderful old hymns on the album, this song is just beautiful.

Hiding Place

All ate up

I credit my absence from the blog-o-sphere to a few things 

1. The computer situation. Still without a reliable one. This should be remedied this week. Ha-le-lure-jah

2. My son never stops moving. Never. Except when sleeping. And that's when I tend to other things like bathing, cleaning the house, hanging with my boyfriend and not guarding the outlets, cords, dog food, lamp, dogs and anything not a toy.

3. Instagram

Instagram ate my blog

It's easier and notably quicker to document life in a photo or two a day with brief a synopsis, comment or sarcastic description.

You can follow the goodtimes grams here over at gramville

Ill rejoin the blogging world soon and hold on to your horses gals, the post are likely to pile up. Lots of life to document