Summer Time Fun!!

We have had an amazing summer so far! And by the way, please excuse this post ~ Blogger is being more than just a little bit tempermental!!!
The summer began with trips to Dothan, then the Beach, and then a Fourth of July Party with friends. When Aunt Neen and Uncle Ross came for a visit, Alli and I drove to Lake Oconee for the night to see them and Nana and Papa. What fun!! Above is a picture of Alli and Nana taking a break to read a book together.

Alli has also taken an interest in performing for us. She loves to sing and stands on her "stage" (our entryway) and sings with her "microphone" (a mini-flashlight). She has several favorites, including "Our Blessings" ~ which she calls the "God Our Father Song" and sings as the blessing at dinnertime ~ "Jesus Loves Me," and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

We also have had fun doing arts and crafts together. After visiting Brad at the hospital one night when he was on call, she decided she wanted to make something for his office ~ of course, she made her princess crown, too:

One of our most favorite summer time treats has been going to the pool at the Y with our friends. We go 2-3 times a week! It is super easy to manage Alli there; there are 5 pools, 2 of which are baby pools (and 1 of them has water fountains and other fun stuff), and a water park area. I basically follow her around from one thing to the next. It's a great way to wear her out and guarantee a good nap in the afternoon! :) Here we are taking a lunch break with friends, clockwise beginning on the left around the table: Maddox Greer, April Porterfield with Baby Caden and Canon, Ashley Lewis with Peyton, and Alli.

Here are Alli and Peyton playing at the water park. These girls have a lot in common! Their birthdays are only 2 days apart, and they both have baby sisters due only 3 weeks apart from each other!

This is Alli in the ring of water ~ it is one of the few times she didn't want me to join her in being completely soaked!

This summer has been a very special, very fun one for all of us. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends with whom to spend it! Next week, Brad will be going to New Orleans for his Pediatric Board Review, and I plan to join him for a few days and visit with friends. Alli will be in Atlanta, seeing Dede, Gigi, PapaDoc, and other family. What a summer.....!!!

Elizabeth's 18 Week Ultrasound

I had my 18 week ultrasound today ~ which is always so much fun!! Especially now with 4D ultrasound imaging. The top 2 pictures are profiles, and you can see her little hands, as well; the third is a face shot, and what looks like a claw is actually the umbilical cord; the last picture is of her legs, which were very close together ~ she had her ankles crossed (what a little lady!) until right before the sonographer took the picture. Everything looks great right now! She weighs about 10 ounces, which is right on target, and is extremely active! After Mommy had an ultrasound, the sonographer was nice enough to let Alli have a turn "looking into her tummy," as well!

The Circus Comes To Town!

Upon hearing that The Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus was in Aiken (just a half hour from Augusta), we decided that since Alli loved it so much last year, we had to go! This past Sunday, we took Alli to the circus with our friends the Greers: Emily, Stephen, and Maddox, who is essentially the closest thing Alli has to a brother. He is exactly 1month and 1 day from being 1 year younger than Alli. We had a blast! Granted, there were not many animals to see ~ just horses and dogs, because the elephant would not fit into the building ~ but the kids didn't care. They loved the clowns, lights, and acts going on in the ring. Alli even had cotton candy for the first time. She liked it at first, then after about a second, she said "Mommy, where did it go?" Of course, it had dissolved in her mouth. :) Needless to say, we had some sleepy toddlers by the time we left!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

Ultrasound at 16 1/2 weeks

We found out this past Tuesday 7/10 that we are definitely having a baby girl!! We are so excited, and we feel so blessed to have another little princess on the way! We have told Alli, who loves to tell others that her baby sister, Elizabeth ("Lil-Bet", as she says), is coming and that her nickname is "Bootsie Buckler" (yeah, we may have to work on that one!). Everything looks good right now ~ mom and baby are healthy so far, and we counted 10 fingers and 10 toes. We just wanted to share our happy news with all of you! Please continue praying that all goes well with this pregnancy ~ so far, so good!

Happy 4th of July!!!

It wouldn't be July 4th without yummy watermelon!

Having fun in the pool with Daddy!
(Alli certainly wasn't sinking ~ with swimmies, a vest, and an innertube!)

Lunchtime

Floating with Madison

We had a wonderful day yesterday! The Bells had several friends over for a cookout and fun in the pool. Lots of little girls, all 3 and under, were there to join in the fun: Alli, Madison, Megan, Peyton, MacKenzie, and Eva. We missed you, Maddox! You would've enjoyed playing with your "harem" of little ladies!! We hope you all had a safe and happy Fourth of July, as well!

Our Augusta Friends

Dinner with the Greers and the Bells

Jumpin' Party Zone!

Going to Steeplechase with the Hursts and the Sams

Supper Club ~ The Guys ~ Lindsay, Erik, Brad, Stephen, and Jason
(We missed you, Tal and Travis!)

Supper Club ~ The Girls ~ Emily, Britt, Tami, Candi, and Sue Anne
(We missed you, Leah and Stephanie!)

These are just a few pictures of our wonderful friends with whom we have been blessed in Augusta. Life would not be the same here without any of them ~ and for those of you who are leaving us this year to begin "real life" outside of residency, you have no idea how very much you will be missed!!! We love y'all!

Summer Beach Vacation

Ready to go!

The Family

Annual Beach Photo

We had such an amazing time down at the beach, and as always, we were so sad to have to leave. We had perfect weather, and Alli had a blast! We went to Boondocks and visited with Hilary (of course); we went to Seaside, Sandestin, and had yummy donuts at Thomas' Donuts ~ a beach tradition. We especially enjoyed spending time with my cousin, Paige, who is living and working in Baytown this summer, and the outdoor jazz concert on the green at Carillon was such a treat. The three of us enjoyed spending time together and loved our long, lazy days on the beach ~ from breakfast until sunset! Thanks, Mom, for such an awesome vacation at "Got It Good"!!