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Saturday with family

On Saturday, we spent the day in Hendersonville with Zach's family. Brooke and Chad and their girls came down to help us celebrate Allenna's birthday. The boys were super excited to spend the day with Grandma, Grandpa, and their cousins. Although the day started out rainy, by lunchtime the sun was shining and the kids were eager to get outside. Allenna bought a new water toy for the kids and they loved it. They soon turned it into a slip-n-slide and enjoyed taking turns running and sliding.

After some time outside, we came in for dessert. The kids loved building their own ice cream sundaes and playing inside for the rest of the afternoon. It was a great day and we really enjoyed being with our family!

All 6 grandkids.

Playing with the new water toy.

Seth getting a running start before sliding on the new toy.

Enjoying their dessert together!

Bliss!

Last week Zach and I were fortunate enough to take a vacation (without kids!) to the Dominican Republic. We left on Saturday with two of our great friends, Clay and Stephanie. We have been so excited about this trip. It has been 6 years since Zach and I took a long trip away from our kids. He has been trying to get me away for a long time, but it has taken me awhile to feel comfortable leaving my kids. I know I'm crazy but that is just the way I am. :)

We spent the entire week completely relaxing and doing NOTHING! It was great. I was completely content to sit under my thatch roof umbrella reading a book and taking an occasional nap. We did spend time in the water (which was amazing) and even ventured out on a sea kayak. We spent time in the pool, which was amazing. We paid a little extra to be in the adult only area, which was great. Being in a pool without kids splashing and jumping was super nice and definitely not what we are used to! We all four had conversations without being interrupted by our kiddos. A rare treat!

The food was just okay. The dinners were really nice, but the lunch and breakfast buffets were not so hot. I am a picky eater so maybe I was the only one that felt this way. I also really missed having cold drinks. You would get a piece or two of ice in each drink and when the air temp is about 100, that melts pretty fast! I was super excited when we arrived at the airport Wednesday afternoon and saw a Wendy's. A real coke...yum!!!

Although I was ready to come home after 4 nights away from my boys, the week was amazing. We plan to make vacations more of a priority in the future and can't wait to plan our next one. Thank you to our wonderful parents who kept our boys and took care of everything while we were away!

My view all week. :)

The water was AmAzInG! I have never seen water so blue!

Ready for dinner!

Friends!

In the lobby waiting for dinner...

Our great Hibatchi chef.

My favorite spot!

Ready to go home and see my boys!!

Hilton Head Island 2011

We left for our family vacation the Saturday after school let out for the summer. The boys had been counting down the days for two weeks or so. Especially Seth. He LOVES being with his cousins. This year we went to Hilton Head and had a great time. The house we rented was so nice and the pool was fantastic. The beach was just a short walk and the boys loved the ocean. We went to the ocean every morning after breakfast. Ethan really didn't like the sand. He would cry everyday when he first stepped on it. After a few minutes, he would adjust and enjoy playing in it. Carter spent the entire time at the beach trying to catch fish or crabs. Seth loved to stand in the water and jump over the waves. Carter and Seth were very brave this year and got in all the way up to their chest. Ethan wandered around between the sand and the water.

After lunch the kids were so excited to get in the pool. The pool at this house was SO nice and big! The babies took a nice, long nap and the big kids stayed in the water the entire time. Carter decided he was ready to swim without floaties and put his head underwater! Big steps for my boy!!! By the end of the week, he could swim the length of the pool without his floaties! Seth tried several times and did well. I think he is really close. Ethan did get in the water but didn't want to use the floaties. He really wanted to be held (or stand up in the hot tub).

We had so much fun with our family and were sad to see the week end. It is always a blessing to get away for awhile and enjoy some down time. I took so many pictures. Here are a small few...

These two boys are a mess! They love each other and are so funny together. Check out the shoes!

My oldest beach bum!

My sweet Seth!

My baby!

Seth and Ella Ann jumping over the waves.

Trying to get a good picture of the three of them.

Carter and his net.

Craig was great with the kids all week.

Checking out his loot.

Seth and Ethan checking out their collections.

My big boy swimming to Zach without floaties! So proud!

Ethan loved his afternoon popsicle!

Spencer, Craig, and the kids eating their daily popsicle.

Ethan hanging out with Papa on the side of the pool.

Playing at an awesome park in Sea Pines.

A night out for ice cream!

Ethan LOVED Pierson's bumbo seat!

Carter, Ella Ann, and Seth went to play putt-putt with Zach one night. They loved it!

While taking these pictures I was getting so frustrated that the boys would not cooperate. Now, looking at this picture, I realize that it is perfect. A perfect depiction of my boys.

Papa and Nana and all the kiddos. Can you imagine how crazy the house is all week long!?!!?!?

Our last breakfast at the house before getting in the car for the dreaded 9 hour drive.

This kid was a mess on the way home. He did not travel well at all this time. I finally gave up and handed him my almost empty McDonalds drink. It kept him occupied for quite a while!

Happy Birthday, Ethan!!

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby!!! I can't believe he is already 2 years old! I feel like it has gone by so fast, but at the same time it is hard to remember our life before this sweet boy. After his rough entry into the world, we feel SO blessed to see him healthy and thriving. We celebrated his special day today with our families and he had a great day. His absolute favorite thing to do is play outside and today he was blessed with a beautiful day! Before I go into details about his party, here are a few things about our sweet E at 2 years old:

• He runs everywhere he goes. He is constantly trying to keep up with the two older boys. After waiting a long 17 months for him to walk, I am thrilled to see him running.
• His vocabulary is still pretty limited. He will mimic what we say, but does say a few words on his own - mama, daddy, Se for Seth, Tarter for Carter, flower, ball, baseball, basketball, please, thank you, nana, papa, bye bye, shoe, ow (for a boo-boo), uh-oh. His only two word phrase is "where mama?" My older two were a little slow in vocabulary development as well, so I am not too concerned about this little munchkin. He'll get it!
• He appears to be my most strong-willed child. He is very stubborn and will throw a fit if he is not happy about something. He knows what he wants and he is willing to fight for it.
  
• He is pretty aggressive with his older brothers. I really think this is just a matter of survival. He learned to defend himself pretty early on. He can pretty much take Carter and Seth down if he wants to.
• He has also been known to bite and pinch. I think we have pretty much stopped this, but it has taken a lot of time-outs and punishment. Thankfully, he has saved this for family members only and not out and about among our friends.
  
• He is still such a snuggler. He loves to be held and rocked at night. He gives hugs and kisses constantly to anyone that will accept them. And they have to be kisses right on the mouth so beware! :)
• He LOVES to play outside. He goes and gets his shoes constantly throughout the day and says, "side." He also loves the cicadas right now. He'll pick them up off the ground (dead or alive) and bring them to me. He is ALL boy!

Here are some pictures from his special day:

First, a few family pictures before the party begins (all the boys wore Mickey Mouse shirts).

We always take a picture with Mommy and Daddy for his birthday journal.

We celebrated his birthday with a Mickey Mouse theme.

Singing Happy Birthday to Ethan. He wouldn't touch his cake. Didn't eat a single bite. :(

Opening presents.

Playing with his new pirate water table. Carter helped Zach put it together this morning. The boys are going to LOVE this.

Playing with the super cool sprinkler Grandma and Grandpa gave him.

The boys love the bubble machine that Uncle Craig and Aunt Kasey gave Ethan. It blows tons of great bubbles!

Spending some time on his big wheel (from Nana and Papa) in the house. He was driving all over the place -loves it! This boy got some awesome gifts.

After the party we went to the creek in our neighborhood. It was Ethan's first time. I thought he would be a little overwhelmed and scared. Wrong - he walked right in and started filling his bucket with rocks, dirt, and water. The boys had SO much fun. I feel like I am a good "boy mom," but I draw the line at the creek. Too many bugs for me!

My baby getting right in there!

And the last event of the day - dinner. He chowed down on his corn on the cob, hamburger, and pasta salad. I guess he had worked up an appetite!

Happy Birthday sweet Ethan!!! We love you so much!!

Discovery Center

Carter's Kindergarten class went on a field trip to the Discovery Center yesterday. Even though it is close, we have never been there. The first half of the trip, the kids were outside exploring different nature centers. Carter was excited because he got to touch a snake and a turtle. He also got to use a net to fish for minnows, tadpoles, and small fish. After a short break at the playground, the kids ate lunch before we headed inside. There were several places to explore inside. It is basically a hands-on museum for kids. Carter and his friends ran from one thing to the next for an hour before it was time to go home. It was a great trip! Carter has had such a good Kindergarten year. His teacher is amazing!!! I can't believe he is almost a 1st grader!

Carter trying to convince his friend that touching a snake is fun, not gross! :)

Carter and his good buddy. They held hands almost the entire time. At what age, is that not okay anymore? I think it is sweet. Zach really didn't. Who knows?

Carter tried really hard to catch something.

His entire class and teacher.

One quick picture before I was off to pick up the other boys.