Corolla

Ever since Cameron was 9 months old and we went there for the first time, Corolla, North Carolina has been the favorite beach destination for our family. We fell in love with the place because it is a small town with rows of beautiful homes, none of which are more than a quick walk to the beach. In the past we have gone with friends, but this year we made our plans a bit later in the season and decided to go on our own. As fate would have it, the home we chose had four bedrooms, more than enough for our little family, so we invited my grandpa to come after hearing about his plans to drive to the beach himself. My mom also joined us for half of the week, which was so fun, and also such a huge help, not only with the kids, but my grandfather too. While we were all together we had gorgeous weather and spent every day at the beach and nap times doing a puzzle or playing cards. My mom and I share a sweet tooth which sent us to the Fudgery to buy 2 pounds of the stuff- yum! Pop took us out to eat at this amazing restaraunt that overlooks the ocean and had delicious crabakes- double yum! After my our company left us on Wednesday, cloudier weather crept in, and it rained on and off for two days. We still hit the beach daily, and especially enjoyed our walks at night. Those were my favorite part, we discovered new things each night, crabs and washed up little jellyfish looking things, and the waves made a shallow pool of water for the boys to splash in. I think that was Gavin's favorite part because he was constantly lolly-gagging behind us, singing to himself or "making friends" with strangers we passed and their dogs. We also went to the wildlife museum and headed to Kittyhawk one afternoon where the Wright brothers flew the first airplane. What a nice, relaxing time we had! Jeremy even left his watch at home so he never worried about what time it was, and we just did as we pleased. As much as we enjoyed having company while we were there, it was nice to just be us for a couple of days too, although our boys would probably disagree. And our opinion of this beautiful town has only increased by another perfect experience there. This will be the place the boys grow up remembering summer vacations and all the wonderful memories we make each time.

Lion King

For my mom's birthday, we got tickets to see the Lion King musical. It was at the Kennedy Center and just she and Cameron and I went. As Cameron's gift, he used his allowance to buy a gift card for dinner- to McDonalds. So all dolled up we went and ate our Big Mac's and then went to the show. So many people had told me how amazing the performance was, but it was truly something you have to see for yourself. It was PHENOMENAL! The costumes were complete genious and the actors all portrayed the mannerisms of each animal perfectly. In the openeing scene all of the animals come onstage and it was just one gasp after another as we saw the lions, zebras, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, and many other breathtaking creatures. Cameron loved it, but he had so many questions during the show, "What's happening?", "Who is that?" But I had to laugh when he leaned over and asked my mom if she was having a good time. I think we all agreed that it was an experience we won't soon forget and it was worth every penny. I wish we could've taken pictures to capture the magic, but we weren't allowed. You'll just have to go next time it comes to a city near you. Wow!

Fishy, Fishy...

We have been spending a ton of time at the pool this summer, which has been great. Cameron has finally conquered his fear of the water and can now swim across the width of the pool. He may not be all that graceful, but hey, he gets it done. He will also jump into the pool and try to dive for things, both of which petrified him at the beginning of the summer. I think being around friends that were more proficient at swimming has really helped push him to try harder. We are so proud of him. And he's not the only one excelling- Gavin recently started being able to float in his life jacket in the pool and kick his legs to get where he wants to go. Tonight was the first night that Jeremy and I were able to sit on the edge of the pool the whole time and just watch the two of them navigate the open water. They really are growing up! And they were playing with each other and getting along! For a mom, there's nothing better in the whole world than that.

Signal Bay Day

We are trying to pack in the activities this week as it is the last "regular" week of summer before Cameron starts school. Next week we will be at the beach so we are trying to fit in the last of our summer fun. Anyway, we went to Signal Bay today which is this little waterpark perfect for little kids. Most of the park is no more than a foot deep and the deepest it gets is in the lazy river where it is 3 feet deep. We went with my friend Angie and her kids Austin and Ashley, who are the exact same ages as Cameron and Gavin, and we also brought along Natalie, another of Cam's friends. The kids had a blast running around in the cold water which felt perfect on such a humid day. The "big" kids loved to navigate across this pool with floating logs, while the little ones did slide after slide (thanks Angie for catching Gavin for me...). I felt like I really had my hands full, literally, while I held Mason most of the time, but the kids were troopers and lasted much longer than I thought they would. I wish we had discovered this park much earlier in the summer so that we could've taken advantage of it more!

Light As Air

Today we took the boys to the Hot Air Balloon Festival and Flying Circus in Bealeton, about 30 minutes away. We only caught the tail end of the flight show, which was amazing, but we got to see the planes taking people up in them for rides, and some were doing some aerobatics. I was amazed by the logisticas of it all because there were at least 10 planes taking people up and they were constantly taking off and landing on this tiny little runway. The kids were ecstatic to see them fly right over our heads and were eager to spot the brightly colored planes in the distance. The balloons were supposed to startt aking off at 5 pm, but due to the wind we had to wait a loooong time, and they weren't sure if any would be able to fly at all. Finally at about quarter to 7, the winds died down and two balloons started inflating in the field. They were truly magestic, and once they were up, they took people on tethered rides, probably up about 200 feet and then right back down. Cameron really wanted to go up, but neither Jeremy or I are too keen on heights, so in the end we all were just content to watch. They set off some other balloons from a golf course a couple of miles away and they were supposed to land in the field by us, but none of them made it that far due to the weather. I think Jeremy's favorite part was just watching the old planes, and I could see the hunger in his eyes as he snapped picture after picture. Despite his fear of heights, he would have loved to be up in one of them, looping around the skies. They only have this festival once a year, and it was such a neat thing to watch we will be sure to mark it on our calendars for next year. Maybe, just maybe we will have worked up enough courage by then to go up in one of the balloons with the kids. Then again, maybe not...

Happy Birthday Mama Mia!

My mom turned the big 6-0 yesterday and we were so honored to be able to celebrate with her! I feel so lucky to have such a great mom and grandma for my kids. It has been such a blessing to live so close to her and to be able to see her all the time. We've been through so much together and I am proud not only to call her mom, but to call her my friend. So Happy Birthday Mom! Cameron and I can't wait until next week to see the Lion King with you!

The Whole Nine Yards!

It is truly hard to believe that Jeremy and I celebrated our ninth anniversary yesterday. Next year is the BIG one and it just doesn't feel like we've been together as long as we have. I guess that's a good thing. My mom was nice enough to come watch all three kids last night so we could go out to dinner. We went to a place called Texas de Brazil, a Brazilian steak house that we've wanted to try for some time now. They have an enormous all you can eat bar with all the sides you could ever imagine, and these "gauchos" (waiters) that constantly are bringing every type of meat imaginable around to serve you. It was so good, but by the time we called it quits, we were in a load of hurt. So much for the diet this week... It was really great to have some time alone to sit and just be husband and wife, without the kids around, and enjoy some adult conversation. As much as Jeremy and I have both changed over the years, I don't think we've been any closer than we are now and it's such a great feeling to be able to relate to someone on this level. Love you babe!