We had a fantastic time on this trip! We ate lots of good seafood and did lots of fun stuff!
Our Gulf view!
Daddy and Emme Claire walking to the beach.
Emme Claire was so happy to be stepping into the sandy beach! She loves it!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Orange Beach, AL May 2011
This was Emme Claire's 3rd year to go on a beach vacation. Well, technically the first year we went she was about 2 1/2 months old so we didn't actually stay on the beach because she was too young to be out in the sun and all (we did take her to the beach briefly in order to get some pics of her there). So we went to Gulf Shores and stayed at The Wharf which was a lot of fun BUT we went at the end of June and it was HOT! So last year we decided to go on our beach vacation in early June and we went to the Isle of Palms, SC thinking it would not be hot. Well, they had a heat wave the week we went and it was about 90 degrees there when usually it would have been about 75. Ugh! Our dumb luck! So this year for our beach vacation we decided to move it up to early May to be sure it would not be hot! And we went at the perfect time!!! The weather was beautiful! And since it was early May school was not out yet and therefore the beach was not crowded and our resort was not crowded, it was so nice! I hate crowds almost as much as I hate hot weather! It's going to really stink when EC starts real school and can't go on vacations whenever we want.
We had a fantastic time on this trip! We ate lots of good seafood and did lots of fun stuff!
Our Gulf view!
Daddy and Emme Claire walking to the beach.
Emme Claire was so happy to be stepping into the sandy beach! She loves it!
We had a fantastic time on this trip! We ate lots of good seafood and did lots of fun stuff!
Our Gulf view!
Daddy and Emme Claire walking to the beach.
Emme Claire was so happy to be stepping into the sandy beach! She loves it!
Turquoise Place May 2011
This year we went to Orange Beach (located next to Gulf Shores, AL) and stayed in the beautiful Turquoise Place. The resort was nearly empty. The beach was nearly empty. Everytime we went to one of the pools it was empty. I was in heaven!!! It was early May and so the summer crowds had not yet arrived. The condo was so amazing! I highly recommend staying at the Turquoise Place! It is pricey but in my opion it is worth every penny and we will stay there again when we go back to that area.
Here are some pics of the condo we stayed in for those of you looking for a nice place to stay in the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area. This will give you a good over view of the Turquoise Place.
All the condos have huge balconies over looking the Gulf and beautiful beach.
Here is the fancy hot tub on our private balcony. We turned the temperature on it down one night so that even EC could have a turn in it. :)
Every condo has an outdoor kitchen with gas grill and sink.
Large living room with tons of comfy seating!
Dining table with 10 chairs and 5 barstools at the kitchen island.
Another view of the living room.
Every condo has a wet bar with wine cooler, ice maker and sink.
The kitchen was really nice! High end appliances and it was beautiful too. There is a really nice Publix very close by where you can stock up on groceries.
Every condo has a nice big laundry room with sink in it which is great for hanging wet swimsuits above for drip drying.
One of the 3 1/2 bathrooms in our condo had a big walk in shower. This was not the master bath, it is a guest bath.
This guest bedroom (there were 3 bedrooms total) had 3 sets of bunk beds in it. All the condos have different bed set ups. Some have all king size beds and some have Queens and Twins in them. We invited my mom and my brother to come with us and he slept in this room.
This was the other guest bedroom and it had a king size bed in it. This is where my mom slept.
This bath was in my mom's room. All the bedrooms have their own bathroom and then there is one 1/2 bath in the hall.
This was our bedroom, the master bedroom. It has a king size bed. And all the TV's were flat panel and they have a great selection of tv channels. Our room had a door that led out to the huge balcony and right outside our window was the fancy hot tub.
The huge master bathroom shower with lots of different shower heads.
This huge fancy Jacuzzi tub was a big hit with Emme Claire!
Master bathroom TV and double sinks. The Master bedroom also had a huge walk in closet.
Master bedroom. The walls facing the ocean in the condo were floor to ceiling windows. That was a really nice feature. And because we went in early May the weather was beautiful and we were able to leave the doors open at times and hear the sounds of the waves. It was wonderful!
Master bedroom.
This is one of the outdoor pools.
Turquoise Place two buildings, this is one of them. Locals call them the twin towers.
The large hot tub in our building.
Huge heated pool in our building.
Another view of the hot tub in our building.
The outdoor pool at the other building.
I like this pool because it had the beach entry which is great for little ones.
Waterfall under the bridge across one of the outdoor pools.
The lazy river.
The Turquoise Place also has tennis courts, exercise rooms, sauna, children's playground and you park in parking garages that are the first few stories of the buildings. We loved this place and highly recommend it!
Here are some pics of the condo we stayed in for those of you looking for a nice place to stay in the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area. This will give you a good over view of the Turquoise Place.
All the condos have huge balconies over looking the Gulf and beautiful beach.
Here is the fancy hot tub on our private balcony. We turned the temperature on it down one night so that even EC could have a turn in it. :)
Every condo has an outdoor kitchen with gas grill and sink.
Large living room with tons of comfy seating!
Dining table with 10 chairs and 5 barstools at the kitchen island.
Another view of the living room.
Every condo has a wet bar with wine cooler, ice maker and sink.
The kitchen was really nice! High end appliances and it was beautiful too. There is a really nice Publix very close by where you can stock up on groceries.
Every condo has a nice big laundry room with sink in it which is great for hanging wet swimsuits above for drip drying.
One of the 3 1/2 bathrooms in our condo had a big walk in shower. This was not the master bath, it is a guest bath.
This guest bedroom (there were 3 bedrooms total) had 3 sets of bunk beds in it. All the condos have different bed set ups. Some have all king size beds and some have Queens and Twins in them. We invited my mom and my brother to come with us and he slept in this room.
This was the other guest bedroom and it had a king size bed in it. This is where my mom slept.
This bath was in my mom's room. All the bedrooms have their own bathroom and then there is one 1/2 bath in the hall.
This was our bedroom, the master bedroom. It has a king size bed. And all the TV's were flat panel and they have a great selection of tv channels. Our room had a door that led out to the huge balcony and right outside our window was the fancy hot tub.
The huge master bathroom shower with lots of different shower heads.
This huge fancy Jacuzzi tub was a big hit with Emme Claire!
Master bathroom TV and double sinks. The Master bedroom also had a huge walk in closet.
Master bedroom. The walls facing the ocean in the condo were floor to ceiling windows. That was a really nice feature. And because we went in early May the weather was beautiful and we were able to leave the doors open at times and hear the sounds of the waves. It was wonderful!
Master bedroom.
This is one of the outdoor pools.
Turquoise Place two buildings, this is one of them. Locals call them the twin towers.
The large hot tub in our building.
Huge heated pool in our building.
Another view of the hot tub in our building.
The outdoor pool at the other building.
I like this pool because it had the beach entry which is great for little ones.
Waterfall under the bridge across one of the outdoor pools.
The lazy river.
The Turquoise Place also has tennis courts, exercise rooms, sauna, children's playground and you park in parking garages that are the first few stories of the buildings. We loved this place and highly recommend it!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Easter 2011
Emme Claire's 2nd Easter!
Yes, I'm guilty of always over doing it! Those presents in the bags were just some of the gifts that we did not take to Emme Claire's birthday party that were from me and Brian. I think I had about 16 gifts for her birthday and Brian told me I was only allowed to bring 5 to the party. lol So some of them she got to open when we got home the night of her party and these she got to open with her Easter stuff.
Easter fell the day after EC's 2nd birthday this year. (the backdrop on my dining table was from her Fancy Nancy themed birthday party) Easter and a huge birthday party made for a very busy weekend! I hope her birthday never falls at Easter again! Whew!
She loved opening the eggs to see what was inside!
She got some big girl panties! :)
And she got 2 Fancy Nancy dogs "Frenchy". We didn't even use these at the party. I had so much Fancy Nancy stuff I didn't even need these.
Isn't this bunny hair bow super cute?! I got it at Canton. Two of them actually, the other is a little different shade of pink.
Loving on Frenchy!
Last year Easter was before her 1st birthday and she wasn't walking yet so she didn't hunt eggs on her 1st Easter but this year she was running around hunting eggs! She loved it! Next year will be even better!!! :)
On the hunt and on the run!!!
Yes, I'm guilty of always over doing it! Those presents in the bags were just some of the gifts that we did not take to Emme Claire's birthday party that were from me and Brian. I think I had about 16 gifts for her birthday and Brian told me I was only allowed to bring 5 to the party. lol So some of them she got to open when we got home the night of her party and these she got to open with her Easter stuff.
Easter fell the day after EC's 2nd birthday this year. (the backdrop on my dining table was from her Fancy Nancy themed birthday party) Easter and a huge birthday party made for a very busy weekend! I hope her birthday never falls at Easter again! Whew!
She loved opening the eggs to see what was inside!
She got some big girl panties! :)
And she got 2 Fancy Nancy dogs "Frenchy". We didn't even use these at the party. I had so much Fancy Nancy stuff I didn't even need these.
Isn't this bunny hair bow super cute?! I got it at Canton. Two of them actually, the other is a little different shade of pink.
Loving on Frenchy!
Last year Easter was before her 1st birthday and she wasn't walking yet so she didn't hunt eggs on her 1st Easter but this year she was running around hunting eggs! She loved it! Next year will be even better!!! :)
On the hunt and on the run!!!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Fancy Nancy Birthday Party Part 2
Sorry it has been so long since my last post. Life has been super busy lately with Easter, birthday parties, vacations, Mother's Day, my birthday and that's just part of it. This Momma is tired! I'm going to try to get the blog caught up as quickly as I can.
So, back to my sweet little Emme Claire's 2nd birthday soiree. The theme was Fancy Nancy and was it fancy? Oh yes indeed! I tried to make it as fancy as Nancy herself would have liked it. :)
This post will be about the food and drink tables. (see the cake and cookie table in the previous post)
This table held things like tiara and flower shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and ham and cheese sandwiches, the chocolate fountain, fresh fruits and dip, marshmallows, pretzels and rice krispy treats for dipping in the chocolate, kiddie party mix and pink candy coated marshmallow pops.
This food table held the warm ham and cheese sandwiches, fresh veggies and dip, Nuts & Bolts party mix, Ranch cheese ball and crackers, corn dip and chips.
On the drink table I had a pitcher of strawberry lemon infused water, a pitcher of sweet tea and a large dispenser of watermelon lemonade. You can see the printed cups I ordered that read Emme's 2nd Birthday and had purple polka dots on them. Also on the right are the pink and white striped paper straws and the little name tag flags that go on the straws. On each of the food and drink tables you can see a Fancy Nancy puzzle that I put a feather boa around the edges of and displayed them on small easels. On this drink table pic you can see one of the hard back books I also used for decoration. The little sign sitting behind the straws says Drinks and below the picture of Nancy it says Remember, Pinky's Up!
Here is a closer shot of some of the food. You can see the food label tents used to let everyone know what they were eating. :) Also I found those super cute little paper cups on Etsy and thought they would be perfect for people to put the party mix in. Across the back of the table you can see some small bags of party mix. I made those up for guests to take home if they wanted.
Here you can see the marshmallow lollipops I made that I dipped in pink candy melts and then dipped in different sprinkles. Also the kiddie party mix is fun for little ones. It includes things like Cheerios, Goldfish, Skittles, M&M's, Life Saver Gummies, mini marshmallows and Teddy Grahams.
Mmmm, chocolate fountain and all the fixings. :)
I had lots of purple and pink plates, bowls, napkins, forks and spoons. I also had some of the theme printed Fancy Nancy plates and napkins.
Melanie Fuglaar designed the food label tents for me as well as the signs I used to decorate with around the party. One of those signs is on the Drinks table. She does a fantastic job and you can contact her via Facebook or Etsy, look up Innovative Invitations. She is in West Monroe, LA. She is also the person who designed the party invitations which you can see in the previous post.
I ordered the personalized cups from Nanette's Notes of Monroe, LA.
So, back to my sweet little Emme Claire's 2nd birthday soiree. The theme was Fancy Nancy and was it fancy? Oh yes indeed! I tried to make it as fancy as Nancy herself would have liked it. :)
This post will be about the food and drink tables. (see the cake and cookie table in the previous post)
This table held things like tiara and flower shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and ham and cheese sandwiches, the chocolate fountain, fresh fruits and dip, marshmallows, pretzels and rice krispy treats for dipping in the chocolate, kiddie party mix and pink candy coated marshmallow pops.
This food table held the warm ham and cheese sandwiches, fresh veggies and dip, Nuts & Bolts party mix, Ranch cheese ball and crackers, corn dip and chips.
On the drink table I had a pitcher of strawberry lemon infused water, a pitcher of sweet tea and a large dispenser of watermelon lemonade. You can see the printed cups I ordered that read Emme's 2nd Birthday and had purple polka dots on them. Also on the right are the pink and white striped paper straws and the little name tag flags that go on the straws. On each of the food and drink tables you can see a Fancy Nancy puzzle that I put a feather boa around the edges of and displayed them on small easels. On this drink table pic you can see one of the hard back books I also used for decoration. The little sign sitting behind the straws says Drinks and below the picture of Nancy it says Remember, Pinky's Up!
Here is a closer shot of some of the food. You can see the food label tents used to let everyone know what they were eating. :) Also I found those super cute little paper cups on Etsy and thought they would be perfect for people to put the party mix in. Across the back of the table you can see some small bags of party mix. I made those up for guests to take home if they wanted.
Here you can see the marshmallow lollipops I made that I dipped in pink candy melts and then dipped in different sprinkles. Also the kiddie party mix is fun for little ones. It includes things like Cheerios, Goldfish, Skittles, M&M's, Life Saver Gummies, mini marshmallows and Teddy Grahams.
Mmmm, chocolate fountain and all the fixings. :)
I had lots of purple and pink plates, bowls, napkins, forks and spoons. I also had some of the theme printed Fancy Nancy plates and napkins.
Melanie Fuglaar designed the food label tents for me as well as the signs I used to decorate with around the party. One of those signs is on the Drinks table. She does a fantastic job and you can contact her via Facebook or Etsy, look up Innovative Invitations. She is in West Monroe, LA. She is also the person who designed the party invitations which you can see in the previous post.
I ordered the personalized cups from Nanette's Notes of Monroe, LA.
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