A Summer in Review

JULY:

 Caleb turned 9 months old in July and just wants to move and go everywhere. He desperately wants to walk, says mama and now dada, likes to smack his lips to make a kiss sound, waves hello/goodbye, claps, and has 7 teeth. He is mobile with crawling, but prefers the speed of his walker. This is all happening much too quickly. 

 Summer time is meant for playing and we had tons of play time with friends and as Caleb grows the two are able to play together more and more!

 Grandma got the Summer Fun Pass again, and one Friday Daddy even got to go to the Seaquarium with us!

 We had Super Hero Sunday at church one week and Daddy and Mommy dressed up as Clark Kent and Supergirl. The kids loved it, and the people at Einsteins got a pretty big kick out of it too! We also got to spend some time at the beach with Uncle Josh and Aunt Heather and Hayden. A little bit breezy, a little bit hot, but lots of fun. Caleb also got to spend an afternoon at the park with Grandma Glenda and Connor where he got to go on his first swing ride! Big Brother got to push him too! On another exciting summer night Daddy had a wish come true with all the guys back together for a poker night!

 Another big summer happening was the launch of my Travelmation Independent Consultant page on FB. I signed my contract back before Spring Break, but finally completed all of my training and now I officially get to help plan other families' magical vacations. Couldn't be more perfect!

One fun summer day we got to spend with Sadie and Everett (and Jack) at the CBSmith Waterpark. The kids had so much fun giggling and spending time together. They are best friends and it is so wonderful that they are so close. No drama, no fighting, just lots of laughter. Connor even got to concur the big water slides. To say he was proud of himself is an understatement. You have to be able to swim to do them and he rocked it! He then cried having to say goodbye to his best friends! (So did I.)

 AUGUST:

 As teachers were starting to talk about back to school, we made the decision as a family to do something different this year. I'm kind of still pinching myself, but this year I'm staying home with my sweet boys and homeschooling Connor for Kindergarten. I get to be mom!!!

 We also got to go as a family to a Red Sox game at Marlins Park. It was Caleb's first Red Sox game and it was so much fun! Daddy also took Connor to the second game the very next night.

 In August Caleb turned 10 months old. I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have him. He is cruising everywhere, has 8 teeth, signs "more", loves table food, and likes to say "uh oh". Still hasn't slept through the night, but I think we have just surrendered to sleeping when they are teenagers. His laugh is infectious and it is very easy to spoil him, especially when he gives you kisses!!

 On August 24 Connor started his first day of Kindergarten here at home with A Beka curriculum. We have videos where we watch Ms. Reese teach the class and Connor and I follow along with the different subjects. It's been most interesting to watch him learn cursive. He concurs each new letter and even with trepidation learns them each time! He's a rock star!

 Week one of school over....where do we go while every one is back to their first week? Disney of course. Now that I have access to all of the best deals it's very hard not to take part. We got to stay at the magnificent Wilderness Lodge and I think I could live there. We even fit into our schedule to spend a morning/afternoon at the pool and splash pad where Uncle Josh, Aunt Heather, and Hayden met us to play. Too perfect!

 It has been a crazy few months. I feel like I am just trying to take one day at a time and survive. I began the summer as the Creative Specialist at church and now I'm the Elementary Ministry Coordinator. I'm juggling a lot and trying to make everything fit and work in my life. I've had some major mommy fails, and I doubt myself constantly. It's a lot to learn a new job and being home with both boys, It has been all hands on deck and I don't know what I would do without Daddy and Grandma Glenda. We've also had 2 trips to the ER, 2 bouts of croup, and a round of Norovirus for everyone. I keep saying "where's that break I keep trying to catch?" Deep breaths, lots of faith, and a mountain of prayer keeps me placing one foot in front of the other. Trying to give myself grace in this season and remember to place my family first, because that's why I took the year off! He-llo!

I write this on the anniversary of Grandpa Gary's passing and it's been a day of reflection. Oh what a great Grandpa he was only able to be for such a short time.I wrote this in his memory:

I think of the should haves,
I think of the could haves,
I think of the memories that would have been.
We miss our dad,
We miss our grandpa,
We miss our dear friend.

Your corny jokes,
Your joyous laughter,
Your unsolicited tidbits of advice.
A day of sorrow,
A day to remember,
A day to celebrate eternal life.
John 17:3

Our 2 Week Summer Road Trip: Part 3 Va

 After leaving beautiful Gettysburg we woke up on Daddy's birthday and drove to our home away from home, Lynchburg, Virginia. The drive wasn't too bad because we were so excited to meet the newest member of the Guise family, Harper. Everyone decided to spend some time running around outside (read Connor and Harper), and then we broke out my metal detector and dug up Uncle Casey's backyard. Everyone had fun.

 For dinner Daddy decided to celebrate at Waterstone Pizza, which is becoming a trend, and aside from multiple spilled Sprites, everything was yummy. Connor is just so thrilled whenever he's around Uncle Casey. It's like being around a celebrity for him, and then top it with a birthday celebration...he was a little stoked.

We ate cake and opened presents back at Uncle Casey's house, and I think Daddy was thrilled with his new Fitbit. He got such good use out of his old one, it was time for an upgrade! 

 We woke up the next morning and had lunch at my favorite place, aside from Osaka, Market at Main. Honestly, there isn't a sandwich on the menu I wouldn't devour, and we always always always order an extra Grilled PB&J because it's amazing. And can you say house chips? Aunt Hilary met us there and it was nice to be able to spend a little time together when she's such a busy little entrepreneur.

 We then met one of our best buds Rhett to explore Percival's Island, and  I think Flynn had fun too! All of the boys are getting so big, and now little Ivy is here and I just can't with it all. Erica and I became friends and roommates Freshmen year at Liberty and it has been so fun staying close all these years. The memories of dorm life are priceless!!!! I think it would be so cool for Rhett and Connor to be dorm mates too....but no pressure....

 To round out our day we headed up to the Snowflex with a short detour on the football field where Daddy and Connor actually ran around the perimeter of the field multiple times. It looked like "fun". No trip is complete without Connor getting to zip down the sled tracks, so of course we did that too. Caleb can't wait to join in on all the fun. Crawling is one thing, but sledding will be a whole new ball game.

 The next morning we said goodbye to Uncle Casey and started our trek back south. We had to stop in Cherokee for our annual Bear Picture, and this was Caleb's first bear photo op. It was fast, it was painless, it was heartbreaking, but we did it and Grandpa Gary would be pleased.

 Our next stop was Franklin for some Gem mining, because Connor is obsessed with treasure (see metal detector) and because it's fun! The Windles, minus the boys, met us for some muddy rock hounding and then we got to go back to their beautiful home for some yummy food. Let me say, it is always so nice to have some girl time with someone you don't have to explain yourself to. It's always hard to say goodbye, but we left to make it to our hotel further south. Gosh do I miss my girls!

That night was a nightmare with Connor screaming from some sort of ear ache. We were up for a good portion of the night with him in extreme pain, so at 5:00am we called an audible and just got on the road so we could get to our own pediatrician that afternoon. 

 We drove through some extreme weather, and even more extreme health. Connor was so uncomfortable and aside from his ear started to say his head hurt. Poor buddy threw up shortly after that (see his picture of the event above) and then slept for a good portion of the trip home. We made it to the doctor and they gave him some great medicine. What a way to end such an epic trip.

Of course we still had to celebrate Daddy's birthday with our family down here, and it's always fun to have multiple parties. I can't believe it has taken 2 months to get this entire trip written down, but man life is happening quickly. Caleb is growing like a weed, and Connor has started Kindergarten, but more on that in the next post. I've got to try and keep things organized! Try is the main word there.