Sewing. Stringed Instruments. School. Spring Break

We have been working in overdrive trying to get the restaurant ready for all of the Spring Breakers who will arrive in a week or two. Jason painted the inside of PBTS last week with the help of some staff, I worked on the new menu, some new ads, and the new tshirt design! Whew. But we are getting there and are excited for the town to be hustling and bustling again.

the kids happenings: Caroline started sewing classes last week at my friend Nicole's design studio. Oh my word... she loves it. She was all business on that machine. Here she is making a cute cuff bracelet. This week she made a cute organizer to hold pencils, or a book.



Friday, I got to tag along on Alex's field trip to Rosemary Beach to see the Parker Quartet perform. Talk about amazing. They won a Grammy for best chamber music (2 violins, a viola, and a bass). The kids really enjoyed listening and getting to ask them questions. Here is Alex and his buddy Trip showing me how they were extra double secure in the bus seat. Did you know that some buses have seat belts now?



Jason had to fly up to Indiana for some business, so it was just me and the kids all weekend. Saturday it rained all day, but Sunday and Monday were nice. Enjoyed some time on their scooters and just hanging out around the house.



Monday we had off for President's day, so we ran a few errands in the morning (why I ever take them to Target with me shopping, I'm not sure.... ) but we met some friends at the park in the afternoon. Fun times... kids played, moms talked and occasionally broke up a dispute amongst the boys.


Thursday and Friday we have no after school activities-- but we are having a customer appreciation party tonight at the restaurant, so pictures will come soon!

Excuses....

Well, my excuse for having very few pictures to put up on the blog this week is pretty lame. I have not been pleased with the function of my camera or my phone, so I am hoping to get a new camera soon! Like a real camera! Woo Hoo! But it may be a few more months of bad quality pics until then. I tried to take pictures at the basketball games on Saturday-- horrible. Pictures at Valentine's parties? no way! dark and red eyes galore. So I decided to do a little flashback to Februarys past....

Back in Indiana, February meant a lot of times spent inside building block forts! (and the kids just built a huge fort under my coffee table with couch cushions.--they haven't outgrown it yet!)



And skiing.... I know Alex misses being able to snow ski. But instead he gets to do a lot more things outside year round, like ride bikes and go for hikes!


This was taken last February.... wowza! It is hard to imagine that much snow now.


Sis in her Valentine's necklace with Papa....



Here are the two pictures I did get at Caroline's Valentine exchange. I brought in cupcakes for the kids to decorate. That's her buddy Aiden behind her. She sits next to him at school and he was one of her very first Florida friends!


And the hershey kiss rings I found on pinterest were a hit!


My little Valentine above had 3 of her baby teeth pulled today, so I have to go tend to a crabby little girl. She was so brave! She didn't bat an eye about hopping up into that dentist's chair, unlike her mother... ACK! Pray that this helps make room for her adult teeth to come in straight!

February is Flyin' By!

I got this nice little surprise when I went wandering outside though our landscaping. It is always fun after you move into a new house to see what things are blooming in each season. Who knew I would cut fresh flowers in the beginning of February?



Caroline and her friend LG during a play date.


Alex showing off his giant pine cone discovery on a recent bike ride. If any of you like to decorate with these, let me know! I can send you some enormous ones!


On Sunday, Sis and I went to the beach for some girl time while the boys power washed the front walk. The temperature was in the low 70's and the sun came in and out of the clouds. We brought our books: Ramona for Caroline and Gods and Kings for me. I highly recommend both of them! :)


Nothing like chasing seagulls all decked out with bling discovered in your bag.


How is your February going so far?

January in the South

I have to say that this is the first time in my life I have said to myself, "I love January...what a great month!" Usually by the end of January, I am sick of the snow and cold and ready for a tropical vacation. This year, I am 1000 miles south and experiencing a very mild winter in the panhandle. I can count on one had the number of times I have had to wear a coat this month. It has been sunny in the 60's and 70's almost every day. Ahhhhhhh...... ok.-- sorry to make those of you up north jealous:) Anyway, I know it's crazy, but living in this weather makes me a happier person.

A few random pics from this week:

1. I am really trying to get into a better walking routine. I try to walk 4-5 mornings a week for 30 minutes. Pepper is always looking at me with her sad eyes to take me with her, but most of the time I don't take her on my power walks because she likes to stop and sniff every 50 feet. But I had pity on her one morning and took her down to the beach. Here she is scoping out the seagulls and sandpipers...





2. Soccer: After playing recreational soccer last fall, Alex has shown an interest in playing more competitively. A new league has formed in this area called the Gulf South Dynamo, and it is affiliated with the Houston Dynamo ( a professional league). He is attending a skills training camp once a week to brush up on his skills before try outs. This is him before his practice Wednesday. I had to tear him away from his tablet.






3. Miss Caroline: She is loving basketball and has decided to try her hand at art classes. She is going to take a little break from piano to do the art. We are a one sport, one artistic class family.
I don't like to get overscheduled with stuff. This is sis after her bath tonight. I love this picture because it has been so humid down here-- her hair is so frizzy! (kind of like her mother's.....)
She's gonna just love that I posted this picture of her:)

Other news: We are loving our new church! I attend a community ladies Bible study there once a week, the kids enjoy children's church and JOY club (afterschool program). What a blessing to have found a place to worship. I am so thankful each day for God's love and grace to me and my family. It has been a long road to get here and we still have obstacles (a house to sell in Indiana, for one!) but we feel the Spirit's presence and guidance as we build a life here in Florida. Thank you for all of your prayers and support!

Random Pictures

Hello there! Sorry for the long absence from the blog. We have just been doing life... school, work, homework, piano, basketball, church..... getting back into the routine! I have not been good about taking pictures... but here are a few random ones!

We have been so blessed to have my parents in town for three weeks! They are staying at their house about 20 minutes away and my grandmother is with them, as well. It is always so nice for us and the kids to spend time with them. Here, Alex is working with my mom to create his pizza pan for the wall of our restaurant. I have had the pans since June, but since I have about zero creative talent in the art department, I let Grandma do this project with them. I will post pictures of them soon!

A pretty sunset from my parents' porch overlooking Topsail State Park.

My cleaning sidekick.... my mom helped me clean all of the windows and screens in our house the other day, and this nosy neighbor followed us around the entire time.

And when you don't have any other pictures to post, you pull out some cute ones from the archives......

Miss Caroline Sizzle Stick in Florida 2005. Those chunky little squeezable cheeks!

And talk about cheeks and dimples... Mr. Imp Face. On.the. Go. at age 1. 2002
He still gets this same look when he is about to do something naughty:)

Happy New Year!

Well, it was our first New Years down here at the beach, and the weather couldn't have been better. So, we took advantage and spent as much time as possible at the beach!


We were so happy to see our friends from Atlanta! They own a house in our neighborhood and come down frequently to get away from the big city. Their two boys are around the same ages as Alex and Caroline, so they really enjoy hanging out together. What a blessing!

New Year's Eve we went to our first beach bonfire. Lots of food, fireworks and fun.. here's a picture of all of the kids there. They had a blast!


And New Year's Day we got to spend with some new friends at their beach in Dune Allen (about 15 minutes down the way.) They had a cool "river" running from a coastal dune lake into the ocean at their beach.



And we ended the day having pizza with my parents, my aunt and uncle and my grandmother!
So nice to have family here.

And finally, we started the new year with Upward Basketball! We found a league about 45 minutes from our house, which is quite a haul, but so worth it. A and C had their first game on Saturday. Go Warriors and Mustangs! After being involved in the Upward ministry for many years, it was weird to just be a parent spectator. This church in Destin did a fantastic job.


After a very exciting 2011 full of changes, the Beer family is excited to see where God leads us in 2012! Happy New Year, everyone!

Christmas Rewind Part 2

The second part of our trip we spent at Jason's parents. Not only was I looking forward to seeing our human family and friends, but also this guy who I rescued few years ago....

Ted and Nancy adopted him as our old kitty would not tolerate another kitty friend in the house. Mr. Gracie is the funniest cat. I found him curled up between the coffee makers one morning. He is the only cat that I know who will play catch.


We had a get together with Jason's extended family at the assisted living where Granny (Jason's 94 year old grandmother) lives.

Granny loved the pink sequin beret she received..:) We had fun hanging out and catching up.


Christmas Eve we spent with Jason's parents... we opened presents in the morning.. the kids just couldn't wait!







We took a refreshing stroll around the neighborhood in the afternoon. The weather was quite nice... sunny and in the 40's.

Caroline brought her American Girl doll along for the walk....



Sammy (the dog) enjoyed racing the kids!

Christmas morning!

Ema makes delicious hot chocolate with a candy cane!

Our final stop is my grandmother's house on Christmas Day. She is an amazing cook and still hosts my mother's entire family at her house. I think there were over 40 people there!

Caroline and her cousin Taylor (Alex and Jackson with some shenanigans in the back...)

My dad with the kids.....
Caroline with my grandmother.....


Alex and Jackson with his puppet buddy....

We are so blessed to have wonderful families who all enjoy getting together to celebrate Christmas. We miss them lots and can't wait to see them when they come down to Florida to visit us at the beach!