Our Time While Back At Resort In Robertsdale, AL

 

                                     Saturday 12/1/2012

After Joe got back from Myrtle Beach, we moved our Nest from the resort in Gulf Shores back to Styx River Resort in Robertsdale, AL. We can stay at Styx River free for three weeks with the membership we purchased last fall.

During the week, I don't get to see the girls or the grand kids, because they are working and in daycare or school. On the weekends, we drive in to spend some time with the kids. On this Saturday, we walked Lennox to the park which is only a couple of blocks from his home.

It was a beautiful day at the park.

Lennox ran from one thing at the park to the next thing the whole time we were there.



Joe watched Mallery ( who was not allowed in the playground),

while I ran around watching Lennox.

The next weekend we brought Lennox back, because he had such a good time expending his energy. This is a fun game in the park that flashes lights, and the participates run from flashing light, hitting them and trying to get as many lights as possible, to get the highest score when the game was over. Joe was playing the game with Lennox in this picture.

Lennox tried real hard not to cry when it was time to go, but that is a pretty hard thing not to do for a four year old. Here Lennox was trying real hard to follow his mom's instructions to be good and come home when Nana and Papa say it was time to go. He starts to whine, then got it together, than got a little upset and pushes his big wheel, then got it together again. When we got home he finally gave into his sadness and lets it all out!

We stopped down to see Alisha after we dropped Lennox off at home. Robbin had climbed to almost the top of the Christmas tree. Can you see Robin ( the white spot )  near the top of the tree.

Robin was enjoying his time in the tree,

trying to bat at the ornaments balls.

" Oh I just can barely reach that ornament"!
Noah and Maddie were at their Nana Cathy's in Spanish Fort that weekend so we didn't get to see them.

One morning, while I was still in bed, Joe got out of bed and said, " I thing something is wrong with your dog"! I jumped out of bed and found Mallery laying at the end of the bed between the footstool (that she uses to get into the bed) and dresser draws. She had her eyes open, but she just laided there. I told Joe to watch her,while I got my cloths on, and then when I got dressed, I told Joe to get dressed. I knelt down and comforted her, asking her if she was OK. I was afraid to pick her up, because we didn't know what had happened to her, and we were afraid she might have hurt her spine. Joe was just finishing getting dressed, so I told him to call the resort office and to get the nearest veterinary number. As Joe called the office, Mallery started to lift her head, as if to try to get up. Her second attempt managed to get her head and shoulders off the ground. At that point I picked her up. Joe called the veterinary and they told us to bring her in. When we got outside, I asked Joe if Mallery had been outside yet that morning and he said no. I set Mallery down and she got up, and stumbled a little. After getting her balance, she went to the bathroom. Joe asked if I still wanted to take her in, and I said yes. After blood work and exam, the veterinary thought she had an seizure. Mallery's heart was fine, but she did have a high calcium count. We were instructed to take her home and watch her. If she continued to have more seizures she would be put on medicine. That was about a week ago, and everything has been fine. We do need to take her in and get another calcium check. If her calcium is still high, it could be some other problem. While I was in the Veterinary office I saw this chart. According to this chart, Mallery is only 60 years old. Because she is 11years old, I thought she was 7 times 11 or 77 years old. But because she is under 20 lbs, she ages slower than big dogs.

Here is the bottom of the chart for those who  have older dogs.

This chart is for cats. They are on the same schedule as small dogs.

Joe has been playing Texas Hold -em, every night here at the resort. He is way ahead and can play10 nights at $5 a game, before he would have to pay to play. We will be moving back to Gulf Shores on Monday for a month, which I am glad about. I don't like being so far from the girls and kids. I told Joe next year we are not staying at Styx River as long as we have this year.

 

Bays Around Gulf Shores, and Cordova Mall in Pensacola

Tuesday 11/20/2012



While Joe was still gone at Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, I had a dentist appointment in Daphne, AL. Mom went with me, and after the appointment, I took a different route back to Gulf Shores, AL. This is a picture south of the town of Fairhope, AL. on the east side of Mobile Bay.

The water in Mobile Bay is very muddy and you could not see the bottom even in a foot of water.

We stopped at the Mullet Point Park along Mobile Bay.

 

                                     Thursday 11/22/2012

For Thanksgiving Mom, Alisha, the kids and I were invited to Jamie's sister Sonya, and brother in law Trey's home in Bay Minette, AL. Jamie is still in Afghanistan, Joe was in South Carolina with his family, and Tiffany and Blake went to Atlanta,Georgia with Blake's mom's family. This is a picture of Sonya's home from the backside.

Hayleah, Noah and Mom enjoying their patio after Thanksgiving dinner.

                 

Sonya taking a picture of  TJ (Sonya's son) and Maddie in her pick tutu. Sonya's two daughters Ali and Alex were also there but I didn't get any pictures of them. Jamie's mother Cathy was also there. Jamie's dad is in Afghanistan at the same base as Jamie. We would have had a very small Thanksgiving on our own, so it was really nice to be invited to Jamie's family. The Hilemen clan, always have a ton of food, so we were well feed and feeling like stuffed turkeys ourselves, as we left for the evening. 

                                    Saturday 11/24/2012

On Saturday, I had to drive my mother June to Pensacola, FL. so she could fly back to Iowa. Her flight was early so we had to get up and leave Gulf Shores at 6:30. After I saw her off, I drove to the Cordova Mall in Pensacola. Joe was to fly in later that day around 2:30, leaving me around a 5 1/2 hour wait. As I pulled into the parking lot of the mall, Alisha called and said she and her kids would drive to the mall and spend the day with me.

After going to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch the kids enjoyed driving the ice cream truck in the mall.

Noah drove the truck and Maddie enjoyed the ride.

The kids had to ride in the space ship also before we continued our walk around the mall.

At Cordova Mall there was a vendor that has a trampoline with a harness that allows high jumps and swings. Noah would not have anything to do with it, but little Maddie wanted to do it. The sign said anyone of any age and weight could do it. They got Maddie harnessed up, and told us that if she backed out I would get my my money ($6) back. Surprisingly she loved it, and only cried when she was taken out of the harness and couldn't do it anymore. Alisha said she knew Maddie is going to be her dare devil and one that was going to cause her worry. Even though Maddie is 2 years old she looks much younger because she is still wearing 12 month old clothing. She is in the 5% for her weight for her age and 4% for her height for her age. Madalena might be our itty- bitty half pint, but she has a huge personality!
 Joe called me around 1PM and told me his flight was canceled for a few hours, because of computer problems in the plane cockpit.. They were going to try to get the flight off the ground later that day. Two hours later, he called me back and said the flight was canceled for the day. Delta was putting Joe up for the night in a hotel and I was going to have to drive back to Pensacola the next day. Below is a video of Maddie enjoying her jump and swing to the ceiling of the mall.
 

The next day we went to Alisha's church, Christian Life Church. We were getting the little ones tagged with a number to put them in the nursery.

We picked up the kids after church. Noah has had "B" his bear since he was a baby. He still carries "B" everywhere he goes. We wonder when "B" will become a home bear for good.

 After church I drove back to Pensacola to pick up Joe. The drive to the airport in Pensacola, FL is a hour drive.

On  the way home I wanted to do some exploring, so I took a road going south from Hwy. 98. We ended up at Amica Bay.

Across from Amica Bay, we could see Orange Beach, which is the next town east from Gulf Shores, AL, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.



 

We were in the community of Josephine. The water is much clearer in this bay.

 

 

Annual Thanksgiving Program

Wednesday 11/21/12



I always enjoying going to the Annual Thanksgiving Program at the kids day care. ( But also don't enjoy it, as I will tell you why later)! Here is Maddie's very small class.  (Maddie is the little blonde on the left). Her class was not in the program. They just sat in the front row and watch the older children.

This is Noah's class.

Noah is the last little boy on the right. He had been worrying 2 weeks prior the preformance. The first few minutes, when he came out on the stage, he was doing well.

He tried so hard to be brave, but his anxiety overwhelmed him

and he just could not hold back the tears. Tears fild my eyes as I thought of all the years he was going to have to endure this torture of shyness and stage fright in school programs and speeches. My grandchildren have been passed down the family gene curse of stage fright and anxiety. His mom Alisha, would start to worry weeks before her dance rehersal's and alway would cry before the preformance, not wanting to go on the stage. After the preformance she would say she wanted to take dance class the next year. She did this for many years of dance class. Her daughter Hayleah, was in dance class one year, but never made it to the stage for her preformance. My grandmother had anxiety, which was passed down to my mother and many, many, many members of my family. I don.t think kids should be made to be put through this fear for all their lives. Not all of us are meant to be on the stage or even in front of a small groups of people. All I can say, is I am glad those years are over for me, but I feel for my grandchilren who have this gene passed on to them. I never out grew this fear and still to deal with anxiety in certain situations.

After the preformance, we got to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner provided by the day care and the parents of the children.

Noah was much happier when it was all over. This is a picture of my daughter Alisha's three children, Hayleah, Noah and Maddie. My other grandchild, Lennox use to go to this day care, but now attends a different day care. Lucky for him, he doesn't have to be put through this misery. The year he attended this day care he had a melt down too during the program.