Andrew finally made it back from JRTC!! September was the LONGEST month of my life!! I know, this is not the first time Andrew has been away or the longest, but this time was very different. (I’ll get to the reason for that in a moment.)We were so thrilled for him to be home, and we were all ready for a vacation! We went to our favorite beach spot, Dauphin Island! It’s so beautiful there. We were blessed with perfect weather all week long too! The kids loved playing on the beach and in the ocean. The water was very clear, and there were sand bars not too far from shore that you could walk out on. It was the most relaxing time, and we were happy to go together as an entire family!

We were thrilled to make our big announcement at the beach as well! I made the kids get dressed up and we went down to the beach for pictures. As usual it was like pulling teeth to get everyone to stand still and look at the camera at the same time! 😅 Believe it or not, when we told the kids that I was going to have a baby and they there were going to have another brother or sister, no one cried! 😂 When we told David that we were going to have Emma, he cried. After she was born he even told me that I had broken his heart! 😬LOL! When we told David and Emma about Samuel, they both cried!! So this time was a win!! They actually seemed excited about it, and are now fighting over whether it’s going to be a sister or a brother. I don’t think that it has quite sunk in however, that someone is going to end up sharing a bedroom! Family troubles! 😏

This bit of news was one of the main reasons why September was the toughest for me. This is my fourth so I am not new to the woes of morning sickness. I have had it with ALL of my pregnancies, however for me it starts at about 3:30 in the afternoon until I go to bed at night. I know our brains have a way of forgetting pain and sickness, especially over time, but mine seems to have gone to mush! 😉 I do remember being sick with the others, but I had obviously forgotten how awful it can be. It could also be that I am definitely getting too old for this, and so my stamina isn’t what it used to be perhaps! I feel terrible admitting that it’s probably my age, but pregnancy is not for the “old” or faint of heart! While I am thrilled to add one more beautiful baby to love, I know this baby will be our final fourth! Our family will be complete. Overall we just pray for a healthy and happy baby.

After pictures we went back to enjoying the things we love to do most at the beach; Crab hunting, sand castle building, spending time with G-pa and Grand-mama, hunting for sea life, and eating plenty of seafood!

Here is the rest of my photo dump! I love these pictures! David, Emma and Samuel are getting so big! Even since we were at the beach in March and April I can see significant changes!

Emma was proud of herself for trying a raw oyster! Andrew told her he would give her a dollar if she tried one. She really wanted that dollar! 🙂 I can’t believe she is almost five years old! 💗

Love,

PK