title & welcome

The Freeman Family
Welcome to our family scrapbook - pictures and stories from our day to day lives... all the fun & laughter, trials & triumphs... ENJOY!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

BEACH VACATION - Traveling home

Phew... After a long, fun week at the beach, we are finally headed home. We had a wonderful time, and made lifelong memories together!
It was a long ride home. Both boys were exhausted from all the beach fun they had that week. They were both asleep within the first 2 hours on the road, and slept again the last 120 miles of the trip! We spent a few hours with my family when we got back for July 4th. Then the next day, Cade took a 6 hour nap! Whoa!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

BEACH VACATION - Day 6

This was our last day at the beach. Lots of great pictures from today!










On our last evening, we went on a dolphin tour boat with the Thomason family. We saw a few dolphins, but they were difficult for the boys to spot. They loved being on the boat, though!


Monday, July 20, 2009

BEACH VACATION - Day 5

On the fifth day of our beach getaway, some of the fellas went deep sea fishing. What a catch!


I think the boys thought the boats were cooler than the fish!


The fishermen - Jim, Howie, G-Daddy

to be continued...

BEACH VACATION - Day 4

We took a break from the beach/pool this morning to visit a nearby animal park. The kids had a great time! They got to see turtles, sting rays, sharks, sea lions, reptiles, and all kinds of birds.

Cade was very excited when he spotted the pink flamingos.


The park even had a high divers show. They were mesmerized!


The dolphins were a big hit! Everyone loved them!


That afternoon, Howie had something special in mind for Hudson - parasailing! Yes! Hudson & Howie went parasailing together! WOW!


Afterwards, he came running back to tell Mommy & Cade all about it! (This is his "baywatch" moment! ha!)


He was so excited about the adventure. His favorite parts were riding the banana floats out there (being pulled by a waverunner) and seeing the tops of buildings (they were 1200 ft. up!). Way to go, Hudson!

to be continued...

Friday, July 17, 2009

BEACH VACATION - Day 3 (again)

One more great pic from Day 3 at Panama City Beach!

"Best Buddies"

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

BEACH VACATION - Day 3

Another super-fun day at the beach! Lots of pictures to remember today...




Hudson loved playing at the water's edge. One of his favorite things to do during the week was to find sea shells, and boy did he find a lot... some really pretty ones, too.


Maddox & Hudson got more & more confident in the ocean as the week went on. Here they are (with Aunt Lu-Lu) very excited about how far out they are. They kept saying, "Look how deep we are!" Way to go, boys!


Again, Cade loved to play in the sand. He wasn't quite strong enough to withstand the ocean waves. We all tried to get him to build sandcastles, but he really just wanted us to build them so he could rake them down!


Here is sweet Wesley with his mommy. He enjoyed sleeping on vacation! This is one of his few visits down to the beach. :)

Sunset at the beach... isn't it beautiful! This picture is taken from our balcony... on the 17th floor! Yikes! That height made me a little nervous, but there was a great view.

All the boys planned a crab hunting trip that night. Cade made it down to the beach, but bedtime called before the crab hunting actually began. Hudson & Maddox had a great time, though! They didn't see any crab that night, but I think Madddox discovered one before the week was done.

to be continued...

Sunday, July 12, 2009

BEACH VACATION - Day 2

On Day 2 of our beach vacation we decided to check out the pool. The water was very refreshing, and all the boys had a BIG time at the pool!

Hudson surprised us by getting right in without his swimmies. He'd taken a week of swim lessons a few weeks before we left, but he was still somewhat hesitant to get in the water with us without his swimmies. Not today! He swam very well in the shallow end all by himself! Hooray for Hudson! We were very proud, but he was proud of himself, too. Way to go, buddy!


Maddox loved the pool! He's making a lot of improvements swimming, too! They all seem to grow more confident every time they swim.


Here are Hudson, Maddox, and Cade trying to jump in the water at the same time. They were a hoot to watch! They did this over & over. And check out Cade's stance... ha! He squats down like this every time he gets ready to jump... and will hold it for a minute until he's ready! You go, little man!


June 29 was also Aunt Lu-Lu's birthday, so everyone went out for a special dinner to celebrate with her. We even had birthday cake!


to be continued...

Friday, July 10, 2009

BEACH VACATION - Day 1

On June 27, we headed out for a vacation at the beach! HOORAY! We were all excited about going. The boys were looking forward to swimming & playing in the sand. Howie & I were excited about just relaxing & spending time with the boys.

During the ride south, Hudson just kept wanting to know if we were getting closer, and Cade consistently repeated, "Are we goin to de beach?!" They traveled really well, and we had a super nice condo to stay in for the week. Of course, the boys decided to share a room with twin beds while we were there (which worked out better than expected). It was especially nice on the first night when Cade announced that we had to go back home to his bed to go night-night. ha!

DAY ONE on the beach was awesome! Just what a beach vacation should be - sun, sand, waves, snacks & picnics, complete with anticipation & relaxation!

The boys first venture into the ocean...


Hudson loved running in the water along the beach (and was soon comfortable without the swimmies there)...

Cade wasn't quite as fond of the ocean water or waves...

He much preferred the sand (although he doesn't look too excited about anything in this picture - ha!)...

Family & friends around to "hang out" with made the trip even more special. Hudson, Cade, and Maddox "buried" Daddy, but I don't think they thought it was as much fun as Howie did!

to be continued...

Happy Father's Day!

Late in coming, I know, but I'm working on getting caught up!

Each June, Father's Day is always a special occasion to celebrate. The boys enjoyed making cards during the week for PawPaw, G, Daddy, and Papa Ross. Even more fun was delivering the cards personally! On Saturday, we visited with PawPaw & G for Father's Day, and on Sunday we went to Papa's house. In between visits, we celebrated with Daddy at home. The boys are blessed with a very special Daddy - giving, loving, active with them - and Mommy is blessed, too! It's amazing to me to see their eyes light up every day when it's time for Daddy to come home, and activities are at least 10x more exciting if Daddy is involved!

Thanks for all you do for us, and everything you mean to us, Howie!
We love you!!!