Labor Day Recap

***Warning***

Tons of Skyler Shots....lol...

Bright blue skies and burgers on the grill are reasons enough to celebrate Labor Day outdoors, but for the relatives and friends of the Shorts', it's an annual weekend event at Lake Roy in Winter Haven, Florida. This tradition was started way before I joined the family. It's a weekend filled with water sports, tons of eating, much laughter, shared stories, gobs of love and just plain relaxation in the sun! (Cousin Nikki was greatly missed)

Little Miss Skyler experienced her first taste of this four day, family gathering and I can honestly attest, she was not only spoiled, but she was the center of attention and seemed to crave every ounce of it! Tom and I had at least 12 babysitters at any part of the day, who were all ready to jump in and smother her with affection.

Skyler started each morning enjoying breakfast with her cousin Jodi. (see above) Shortly after eating, Jordan, (cousin Jared's girlfriend) would change her and usually get her dressed for the day. Before venturing outside, Auntie Kevie would put Skyler on her knees and sing her songs. The two pictures (below) show how much she loved Auntie Kevie's singing......thumbs up, all smiles!

Then came the pool......As many of you know, Skyler loves water and she quickly wasted no time finding fun in the pool with her Auntie Kevie, cousin Jodi, Jordan, and long time family friend, Jamie. (Tom and I were blessed to have Jamie sing at our wedding. Her beautiful voice brought tears to everyone in the church.) Here are a few pool pictures taken that Saturday. The very last photo is Auntie Kevie's dear friend, Debi VanderBaan, who is also Jamie's mother. I told you I wasn't kidding about Skyler discovering all the attention..........

After playing in the pool, Tom and I took Skyler to the shore of Lake Roy. She got to feel soft, wet sand between her toes for the very first time. She made fun, silly sounds as we shared family time in the fresh water. These pictures below capture those fond memories.

Now, what's a lake without a little boat action?? Another first happened that weekend. Skyler went on a boat ride with her Auntie Kevie, Uncle Larry and, of course, us! She loved the wind in her face as her Auntie Kevie held her. I have so many great pictures of that morning. Below are a few:

After each fun filled day, we would all gather under the Pavilion to feast on delicious food. Each person would bring a dish, creating a large variety for our anxious taste buds to enjoy! It was just like being at a grand buffet, but even better. We even got food hot of the grill. On Sunday afternoon, Skyler had a very special surprise by getting a visit from her Glammey and Papa! Yeap, my parents drove over and spent the day with us....too awesome! Here's Skyler soaking up more lovin'.....this time from her grandparents.

In between eating, boating, games & pool time, there was also nap time. I'd like to call this Skyler crash time and boy-oh-boy could she sleep! Skyler stayed so busy during the day she would often pass out for a few hours, only to join us later that day. After all, being loved on takes out a lot of energy! Check out her zzzzzz's, both outside and inside. Once she awoke, she was back cuddling in her cousin Jodi's arms and her Auntie Kevie's and Uncle Larry's!

It was definitely a fabulous weekend filled with much sunshine. I'm blessed to be apart of a wonderful family and it's such a sweet feeling knowing Skyler is loved by so many! I hope you enjoyed our Labor Day festivities. Check back with us to catch Skyler watching her very first Steeler game tomorrow night. She'll be dressed in her black & gold, toting her terrible "toddler" towel!