Vacation 2011

This July 7th Clint and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. I decided that we should take a special trip to mark the occasion. We decided that we would go to one of our favorite places, Fernandina Beach in Florida.

Clint and I found Fernandina Beach when we were first married. Since we have been married we have always had 4 legged children that have gone on vacation with us and Fernandina is a pet friendly beach. We no longer have any 4 legged children but we still love Fernandina.

We left for our trip on Thursday July 21 and returned on Sunday July 24. We were unable to get a condo on our anniversary because it always falls around July 4th weekend. I am glad we didn't get a place on our anniversary because I was really sick during that time.

We decided to invite my mom and dad to come on our trip because we always seem to have more fun when they come along with us. They decided to come on Friday and stay till Sunday. I am so glad they came because poor Madison was ready to go home after just one day alone with Clint and me. We usually vacation with other family members and this was our first trip since Madison was born that we have gone off without them, at least for a day. She said that she was glad that her E (that is what she calls my dad) was coming because then she would have someone to play with. Madison says that E is her friend and thinks he is the same age as she is. It is so funny to see those two together.

We had a great time on our trip.The first day we had a picnic at a park near a creek and then went to historic downtown Fernandina. Clint, Madison and I love books so we spent a long time enjoying a small bookstore downtown. After looking in all the shops we were so hot and tired so we stopped by a little ice cream and candy shop in downtown and went in and had an ice cream and some frozen lemonade. We also got to watch a guy make fudge. After he was done making it he let us sample some and it was soooo good!

We checked into our condo after we left downtown and went for a swim in the pool. Later that night we went to the beach and walked around looking for shells and sharks teeth. We found some shells but no shark teeth.

A really sweet lady who was flying a kite on the beach asked Madison if she would like to fly it and of course she did. She took that job of flying that kite very seriously. We also got to watch some people kite surfing. It looked like fun, but I am not sure I would want to do it. I am not that brave.

Mama and daddy got to the condo the folloing day around 2o'clock or so. While they were with us we shopped and swam and sat on the beach. It was a great trip and I am so glad that my parents could come and share our 10 year anniversary trip with us. I hope that Clint and I continue to share many more anniversaries and I hope that my parents will be able to be around for many more years also to share in more great vaction trips.

Looking back at summer 2009

While cleaning off my camera I came across some pictures of the summer of 2009. Yes, I said the summer of 2009. I never download the pictures off of my camera. I thought I would do a post and take a stroll down memory lane. The summer of 2009 some of my family rented a condo by the beach. Those on the trip were: me, my husband, my daughter, my mom and dad, my brother Brett and his wife, Christina, and their baby. Brett and Christina rode with us in our mini van. The first picture is of little Caden sleeping away on the long road trip. The second picture is of Madison. (can someone say "are we there yet") The third picture is my family on the beach not long after arriving. Next we have Brett and Nina minus Caden, in historic downtown Fernandina. Mimi and E(my mom and dad) had Caden in the ice cream shop having a snack and staying cool.  Some how I did not get a picture of my mom and dad on that trip. The next picture was taken after we ate breakfast at McDonald's and it was Madison's first time EVER climbing the play equipment on a playground. She got up there and wouldn't climb down so E-pa had to come to her rescue. Thank goodness for E! The next picture on the list is later on in the summer at a water park not far from our house. This was Madison's first trip to a water park and she loved it! The last picture shows what we spent our whole summer trying to learn to do, using the potty! Madison was not easily potty trained. I thought for sure that she would be starting to school and still wearing diapers. We finally thought we had her trained but then we took a week long trip to Disney World the end of September and that caused us have to start all over once we got home. She finally got the hang of the potty and that was a great day!  I didn't have any pictures of Disney on this camera so I will have to save those for another post another time. For now, this has been my stroll down memory lane.

Madison has a new cousin!

Meet Gabriella Sophia Dasher. She was born on July 14th and weighed 7lbs 5oz she was 20 1/2 inches. Gabriella is the daughter of my husbands brother Matt and his wife Carolina. We finally got to go see her yesterday. We waited till she got home and got settled in before we went to visit because we still remember how it is to have a new baby and being tired and tons of people dropping by. Madison and I had so much fun shopping for the perfect gift for baby Gabby. We ended up getting her a toy to hang from her carrier and a little frog teether. Madison picked out a balloon that looked like a onesie that said BABY on the front. When my husband came home from work, we loaded up and went for our first visit. Madison was really excited about meeting the new baby. When Matt opened the door he looked like he had given birth! He has good reason for looking so tired, poor Gabby has yellow Jaundice and they have had to take her back and forth to the doctor every day, which is about an hour and a half drive one way. She has to have her little heel pricked everyday and is having to sleep on a light when she is not eating or being changed. Carolina is also not feeling well  and had taken something for pain and was laying down while we were there.Gabby was asleep on the light when we got there so Madison and I sat beside her and rubbed her little head the whole time we were there. She is so tiny and it is hard for me to believe that Madison was ever that little. Madison wanted to hold her so bad and so did I. Maybe next time we visit we will be able to hold her. Madison in the mean time is already planning future play dates for her and Gabby.

Learning to swim

This summer I decided that Madison should take swimming lessons. I can swim but I will not put my head under the water because, well it just plain scares me! My mother also has this fear. Madison loves water and has no fear of it. I wanted her to take swimming lessons while she is still unafraid of it. She took lessons for a week and loved it! I got to go watch her on the last day of her lessons and I was so excited! I got to watch her swim under water and above the water. I also got to watch her jump from the side of the pool into the water. She then decided that she was ready to jump off of the diving board and  she asked the teacher if she could try it. I am of course freaking out by the side of the pool. For one, this was her first time jumping off the diving board and two, I can just see her jumping off and not coming to the top. Luckily, she did her jump off of the diving board with no drama. I think I may have a few more gray hairs after that though! I am so glad that I decided to let her take swimming lessons and I think it has been good for her. Unfortunately she got swimmers ear the Sunday after her swimming lessons but we took her to the doctor and got her some drops and now she is as good as new. My husbands aunt has a pool and we have been taking Madison there to swim this summer. She stays in the water for hours and cries when she has to get out. I think we are going to be in trouble when the weather gets to cool for swimming!

A little about our little family

Hello my name is Brandy. I have been married to my husband Clint for 10 years. My husband and I tried for a year to have a baby and after 3 months of fertility drugs and 9 months of bed rest, we finally welcomed Madison Elizabeth into our lives. Madison is now 4 1/2 years old and going to begin K-4 this fall. I am a stay at home mom and love every minute of it! I have found that life is never dull when you have children in the house and Madison always keeps us on our toes. I decided to start this blog as a way of keeping a record of all of the events that take place in the Dasher household, so that when we are old and gray we can look back and laugh at all the moments that make us happy, sad and sometimes mad. I hope you enjoy!