A day on the bay

We rented a pontoon boat for the morning and motored out around on a bay off of the Gulf of Mexico. I'm too tired to look up the name, so for now it will just be called "the bay".

We stopped at a sand bar, but the water was moving so fast that it was kind of scary to be in the water. I swear if Corey had lost his grip on Charlie Jo she would have ended up in Alabama.



Peter had a good time wiggling (and napping) in the travel crib. He really needs his wiggle time (unlike his sister -- as a baby she would have preferred to have been held 24 hours a day).



Charlotte the Explorer scaled a small sand dune. On the way up, she kept saying "this sand is HEAVY!"



Our pontoon boat looked pitiful next to all of the huge yachts in the channel.



It's always a good time to sing and dance if you're Charlie Jo. She kept singing the theme song to "The Wonder Pets" every time she saw a sailboat (because the Wonder Pets fly around in a sailboat-looking thing).



Granddad and Charlie Jo chased schools of teeny tiny fish. I held my foot out to them, hoping they were the ones who eat dead skin off your feet like at the fancy nail salons. Nope.



Charlie Jo (clad in the Spider-Man life preserver the boat rental place lent us) helped her daddy drive the boat. We were able to dock the boat right behind Barb & Larry's condo, which made loading and unloading ridiculously easy.



We all had such a good time that Corey and Larry are talking about renting another boat on Thursday. When you're at the mercy of Florida weather and toddler whims, you can't get your heart set on too many things though...

Peter and Mommy

I can't believe Corey didn't post this photo. I know it's not entirely in focus, but Peter looks like such a sweetie sitting on my lap...

Destin Day II

Charlie went swimming today - with water wings - and on a turtle. At the same time.

Where's NanaB?

There she is!

Charlie is unhappy because even with her trusty water wings and intrepid turtle, her father still managed to get her face in the water.

Peter, asleep on NanaB.

GrandDad bought Charlie a hat like his to wear to the beach. So, naturally, Charlie wanted to swap hats. GrandDad happily obliged.

Niki shows off the latest in Florida Panhandle hat styles.


Gorgeous water on the Gulf today.

GrandDad and NanaB bought Peter some sunglasses. He would make a dashing figure, if he weren't sucking on his stroller seatbelt.

Charlie and GrandDad march up the dock at Baytowne Wharf.

Niki and Peter at Hammerhead's for dinner.

Hammerhead's had a band, and after dinner, Charlie got up and danced. She loves live music, and she should - she's a Nashville girl, after all!

1st Day in Destin - the Pictures Niki Didn't (or Won't) Post

Caption this picture.

Back at the Sailfish (NanaB and GrandDad's condo), Niki, Peter, and NanaB hung out on the dock.

The sky at sunset was beautiful.

Charlie and GrandDad watched the sunset from the Sailfish dock.

What did Charlie see?

No, Destin is not on fire.

When Charlie says "jump," Niki jumps!

Again, caption this picture!

Peter's first road trip

We're in Destin, Florida with Corey's parents this week. Here are some shots from our first full day here. I swear that Barb and I are there too, but thus far there have been no post-worthy photos taken of either of us. Luckily, there were more than enough taken of Corey, Larry, Charlotte, and Peter!

We survived at the beach for just about half an hour before rain chased us away.



Peter looks so handsome in his swim ensemble (a gift from his Great Great Aunt Kay).



Corey said the water was much warmer than the lakes in Michigan, but he was the only one of us to brave the waves.



After lunch, we toured the area and then took naps. For dinner, we hit Dewey Destin (a recommendation from the Malands) and had some excellent seafood. Well, Charlotte had a hot dog bun and some french fries, but the rest of the Stringers (at least those with teeth) ate from the sea.



Corey had an electric lemonade (with vodka).



After dinner, we walked on the docks before having drinks back at Barb & Larry's condo.



Peter tried squash for the very first time and ate it just as eagerly as the cereal. He's such a good little eater! Of course, so was his sister before she figured out how much fun it was to torture your parents by refusing to eat virtually anything other than Ramen noodles, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, ridiculous amounts of fruit, celery (because the Wonder Pets do too), and American cheese.

Tennis hooligan

We went to watch our neighbor, David, play in a tennis tournament yesterday afternoon. Charlotte said things like "good job David!" and "awesome!", though not necessarily at the right times. She had a good time watching though.

UNNECESSARY ZOOM!!!

Tummy time is no longer the enemy

Boy, once Peter figured out how to roll from back to front, he started really liking tummy time. Here are some glamor shots of tummy time. CJ likes to do tummy time with him, but she gets bored pretty quickly.

Floodapalooza

Our beloved Franklin and Nashville are under water, but thankfully, waters are receding. Also thankfully, our house is fine. Our rocky patch of Tennessee land is nicely sloped; so, aside from small ponds that drained quickly, we had no collected water.

We have never seen rain like this. Sure, we have seen heavy, short bursts before, but never like this. We sustained heavy downpours, interrupted periodically by steady rain. The rain came for two straight days, and came from four different directions, including sustained blows from the east. The storm included tornado warnings on and off all day on Saturday. At one point, South Carothers (the main road leading into our neighborhood) flooded both north and south of Cannonwood (our neighborhood), blocking us in.

By Monday morning, the sun came out, but the flood waters on the major rivers continued to rise. The Cumberland River did not crest until Monday night. Luckily, the Baker Donelson Center (where I work) did not flood, but it has lost power. However, a lot of Nashville and Franklin remains underwater, even tonight. Both the Harpeth River (in Franklin) and Cumberland overflowed and have wreaked havoc.

Check the pictures below. This is unreal.


Downtown Nashville.


The Grand Ole Opry is flooded.


LP Field (where the Tennessee Titans play) is under water.


The water made it to the steps of the Country Music Hall of Fame.


All of the magnificent lobbies of the Opryland Hotel are under about 8 feet of water.


The Cumberland River is still above flood stage.


Yikes.

Caught on film -- the playroom gremlin!

A special hidden camera was used to identify the culprit responsible for dumping out every container in the play room at least three times a day. Here it is -- the playroom gremlin!



Now we need to design a trap to capture it. Is there a reeducation camp for playroom gremlins?