wind blowin',sun shinin',Soarin'on a magical celebration!April/10: Final thoughts!

[jenseib]

Happy Birthday Ashton!!

 

[leamom2princesses]

Happy Birthday sweet Ashton!!

Glad you had fun at the beach Connie! Can't wait to read all about it!

 

[KatMark]

Ashton!!!!

 

[laashley]

Hope Ashton had a happy birthday!

Would love to see beach pics.

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Thank you everyone!
we had a great week celebrating lots of new four year olds...Ashton had two days of celebrating for his alone
I will be back by Monday to work on the TR, bday pics, and beach pics...
my upcoming week should be quiet, Chloe's mom got married tonight and is taking a week vacation. Ashton does go for his first annual cardio visit on Wednesday and his four year old visit. But, thanks for the bday wishes for Ashton and I promise to be back soon, so thanks for hangning in there with me...and I have lots of catching up to do on your PTR/TR's.
Connie

 

[Glite]

Great pictures.
I see you are up to. Yeah, I'm up late also on Disboards dreamin of being at Disney.
So, I read in your post that you all might go in December. That would be great. I'll be on I-12 waiting for you all to pick me up on the way.

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Hello to all! Sorry I have been MIA for a bit...let's see if I can get back into the rhythm of dissing again. We have been busy lately to say the least with birthday parties and summer fun. I hope everyone is having a fun summer, also. Danny and Dayne had to go in to work today so I am trying to upload pics to photobucket and see if I can get some reports up to share with you guys. I also plan to try and start catching up on all your threads that I have fallen way behind on, too.
So, as you know Danny, Ashton and I took an impromtu beach trip when the waters off FL's coast were having so luck with the steering currents. We had a wonderful time. Just way too short...we were going to stay another two nights but I remembered Danny and I had a dentist appt to come back to on the Tuesday. Well, we did not need to rush I had written the date on the calendar wrong and our appt.s were on Thursday. Boy, did I feel like an idiot and was Danny mad ...

so, on July 8 Danny called and told me to book a room on the Ft Walton Beach coast...we thought Dayne and a friend would join us so I booked a two bedroom condo at our favorite location the Seacrest Condos. It is a simple set of condos on the beach clean, small and very family oriented. We have been going there and their sister condo's, the Venus, for a number of years now. If you are looking for fancy this is not your place, if you are looking for quiet, clean, family, and on the beach this is your ideal spot. Not to mention you cannot beat their rates.

The water was beautiful and Danny's psoriasis was history! and we knew Ashton liked the beach but I was to learn that he is beach bum just like his dad.

So, let's start with a small quick tour of our relaxing fun weekend in the sun...
the slanted building on the left is the Seacrest as you look at from the beach.
(The bldg. on the right is called the Bella Riva--I understand each unit has four bedrooms and it is gorgeous, and each looks out at the gulf -- but, it is priced out of our pocket book at the time and much more room than we need. This is one of the newest locations on the FWB).

next, a quick tour of our weekend digs...
the bedroom was the 2nd bedroom that we did not use over the weekend...
I did not take a shot of the master bedroom, sorry.

a few shots of Ashton and Danny having some beach fun...

condt next post...

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Saturday afternoon we decided to take a walk on the public fishing pier; we were suppose to be going get a bite to eat and head over to Destin Commons but we ended up just riding around the resorts of Destin and San Destin to see how things had changed in the 24 yrs since our honeymoon...

Ashton had a great time playing in the gulf and in the resort pool. So, much so that he learned to swim without his swim vest, he is so funny looking he is almost in a vertical position but he is getting the hang of it...

and a few shots of our last walk in the gulf on Sunday evening

and one of my favorite shots of the weekend!

and now Ashton's sad face because we had to go home...Monday morning

we had a wonderful weekend! and Danny was so happy he was finally able to return to the beach...
so, did I get a return trip out of it...
well, believe it or not I have not brought it up again. I came home and started working on Ashton's birthday and the his friends. We are probably not returning to WDW until Dec of 2011 or Dec 2012 but our next trip will be in the first week of Dec so we can see the magic of Disney at Christmas.

My next planned trip will be to celebrate our 25th anniversary and I have been thinking of the U.S. Virgin Islands and doing Hawaii for our 30th (I think I would feel better about leaving Ashton for a week than...or, he will be old enough to go on the excursions we are interested in at that time; alot of the things we are interested in doing in HI Ashton will not be old enough for next year). Maybe, a Disney cruise...I have come across some great rates for Dec 2010 so maybe if I do enough research I can find a great deal around the end of March beginning of April; and Ashton can hang out in the clubhouse while we have some adult time. Thinking aloud, again...

up next a few of the parties and Ashton cake that I tried to create...

 

[longing2Batdisney]

thought I would share a video of Ashton in the pool learning to swim;
you may want to turn your volume down or you'll hear me constantly and loudly telling him to "paddle, kick" over and over...
just click on the picture below

 

[mickeystoontown]

It's good to see you back on the Disboards again Connie. From the looks of your pictures, it looks like you guys have been having a great time this Summer. The beach pictures are great!

Yea Ashton for learning to swim without his life vest!

 

[KatMark]

We've missed you Connie. The beach photos are great -- it looks so nice and clean. I love the p;hotos of Ashton...he looks like he is having a great time.

 

[jenseib]

LOVE the beach photos!!!

 

[Believeinfairytales]

Glad you had fun at the beach! How wonderful that Ashton learned how to swim while there.

 

[longing2Batdisney]

It's good to see you back on the Disboards again Connie. From the looks of your pictures, it looks like you guys have been having a great time this Summer. The beach pictures are great!

Yea Ashton for learning to swim without his life vest!

Thanks! Lisa I still need to sit down and catch up with all you guys. Ashton and I have been spending some quality time together since we don't have any extra kids around this week. But, I will catch up!

We've missed you Connie. The beach photos are great -- it looks so nice and clean. I love the p;hotos of Ashton...he looks like he is having a great time.

Thanks! Kathy hope all is going well with Mark and your family...I keep up with you on FB but I need to catch up with you here!

LOVE the beach photos!!!

Thanks! Jen

Glad you had fun at the beach! How wonderful that Ashton learned how to swim while there.

He is so proud of him self...he is swimming around our pool and getting better every day.

 

[aprilisis]

I love the beach photos! It looks like you had a great time!!!

 

[KatMark]

Thanks! Kathy hope all is going well with Mark and your family...I keep up with you on FB but I need to catch up with you here!

Thanks; Mark is doing really good and I think my cough is soon to be gone (we can only hope). And we found a great price for a rental car last night which I posted on my PTR so I'm happy about that.

 

[Cory's Gal]

Your beach trip looked like so much fun Connie!! You got so many great pics of Ashton! I hope to get a beach trip in the next year or so! Nothing like playing in the sand and swimming the day away!!! Your condo looked great and I am so glad to hear that the oil didn't get to that beach so you could take a nice and relaxing trip!!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Hey! everyone...I know I was suppose to be catching up with everyone; it has been wild around here. I DO HAVE my photo pass CD I still need to upload it to photobucket hoping to do that this weekend. We have been dealing now with four year old check ups and a wonderful virus that seems to be going around. But, I wanted to pop in and answer and share a little of Ashton's bday celebration. From there I will get started on wrapping up our WDW/US/IOA visit...

I love the beach photos! It looks like you had a great time!!!

Thanks! April we had a wonderful time

Thanks; Mark is doing really good and I think my cough is soon to be gone (we can only hope). And we found a great price for a rental car last night which I posted on my PTR so I'm happy about that.

That is great news; sorry I have not made it over yet I promise to get caught up soon!

Your beach trip looked like so much fun Connie!! You got so many great pics of Ashton! I hope to get a beach trip in the next year or so! Nothing like playing in the sand and swimming the day away!!! Your condo looked great and I am so glad to hear that the oil didn't get to that beach so you could take a nice and relaxing trip!!

Thanks! Beth, Danny and all my children would move to the beach in a heart beat if we could afford it Ashton has been asking to go back, so now he asks reguarly for the beach and Disney. Danny thinks it's cute...hope you guys get to take a beach trip soon, the kids would love it!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Ashton's birthday was on July 21, 2010 he turned a big bad FOUR! I had decided to celebrate by going with a Toy Story theme and I also decided to give it a try baking my own theme decorated cake.

It was funny everyone knew what it was suppose to represent and my mom says why is Ashton's cake a bed? Dayne looks at her matter of factly and says because it is Andy's room and the toys are playing! My kids are into Disney weather they want to admit it or not!

We started our day with a trip to the New Orleans Aquarium (we broke down and bought a family membership which includes the zoo, and discount to the Imax and Insectuiarm), lunch at the Riverwalk, and gumbo (mom said it was Ashton's favorite--I was doing pizza) cake, and ice cream...OH! and can't forget the gifts...
our birthday celebrations had started the Thurs before with parties for Ashton's three friends; Piper (a pizza party), Chloe O ( a water slide party), and Chloe M ( a jump party/princess party)...so, I will start with a few shots of the girls and wrap up with Ashton's celebration.
I, also, finally bought him the Leapster2 and so far it is a hit!

Chloe O

Chloe M --I gave her her gift before her party...

Ashton's fun...
it started with Chloe's gift

Lunch anyone?

two great shots on the walk to the aquarium

it was interesting they had quite a few turtles they were rehabbing from the spill

the peguins were so funny...

too cute!

white gators!

cont next post

 

[longing2Batdisney]

miss curious...

We had a wonderful time at the aquarium and I am so happy to have bought the membership. Ashton and I have already gone to the zoo while we were waiting between doctor appointments Wed.
for those that followed along last year...
Ashton's cardiologist said everything on his end looks great and we don't return for a cardio check up for two years. We will however have to continue with the pulminolgist every six months to once a year his stridor is still very much there and has not improved since the surger.

on to Ashton's evening...
Toy Story undies...

his gift from his Nana and Pops he needs Jessie he said, Rex, Slinky, and Hamm guess he made his Christmas list...

Thank you! for sharing in our celebration and I will upload our photopass photos this weekend and return to the TR in progress...

Have a great weekend! everyone!!!