The Beach

We spent last week at the beach with Nana and Papa. Little man loved spending so much time with them, and despite the rainy, monsoon weather, we had a great time! We had two days of sun, which we enjoyed to the fullest and then we had rain, rain, rain. It rained 17 inches in 48 hours - craziness!

 

Thomas loved the beach.

 

And the ocean!

 

Splashing in the water!

 

 

We logged in lots of hours digging in the sand.

 

And our favorite backhoe and bulldozer made it to the beach.

 

And sometimes we had enough of the sand...

 

...And needed a snack.

 

One morning, we played bocce ball.

 

My Vineyard Vines' guys....Patrick and his "mini-me."

 

The view from our porch.

 

Watching the big boat with Nana.

 

Then we played a little soccer...

 

He ran and ran....

 

.....and ran some more. Little guy is actually very coordinated. Got his Daddy's skills for sports and not mine. Lucky for him!

 

Once the rain came, we spent lots of time reading books, playing with stickers and the ipad. Thomas was very good during the rain. He went to the window a few times and begged to go to the beach - "I go to beach and dig in sand, pease!!" Poor guy got the same response each time - its raining too hard. So we would break out into "Rain, Rain, Go Away." By the end of the trip, Thomas had his own version of this song - "Rain, rain go away. Come again another day. Thomas WANTS TO GO TO BEACH!" :)

 

 

Being silly in our cute 4th of July outfit!

 

Great week with family. Back home, we have been swimming and enjoying the sun for a change....we will take the hot, hot days as long as we can see the sun!

 

 

Good For the Soul...

Time with close friends is good for the soul! My friend, Laura, turned 30 two weeks ago and planned a girls' beach trip to celebrate. Laura and I are friends from college and she was in our wedding. Jen, my college roommate, was also on the trip, and it was so great to catch up with two of my favorite people....friends are good for the soul and so is the beach, the sun, extra sleep, slush, uncontrolled-wet-your-pants-laughter, more slush, good books, sunsets on the beach, yummy food and more slush.

 

 

We stayed near Alys Beach at Laura's sister-in-law, Cassie's house. It was the perfect place for a beach trip. Jen and I were the early risers, so we shared a room. We have had years of practice living together, so it was an easy fit! She would get up early to run and I would go to Pure Barre. A great way to start the day....and so was this view as we drank our coffee. Their house backed up to one of those inlets, which made for an amazing view from the back deck.

 

 

We started off our meals right with a dinner on Wednesday night at George's. This is my favorite restaurant on 30a by far!

 

 

We had perfect weather while we were there....a few hours of rain one afternoon, but it gave us a chance to laugh at YouTube videos and play silly charades after a few rounds of slush!

 

Dinner at Stinky's Fish Camp one night. I have never been there before but it was a favorite of some of the others. Glad to know it is there!

 

Friday night we ventured over to Seaside for dinner at Great Southern Cafe and then to Bud and Alley's for drinks. This mommy is not quite used to these late nights! :)

 

 

A great group of girls...both old and new friends. A week that recharged my "batteries" and gave me some good quality time with dear friends who I don't get to see often enough. Happy Birthday to Laura! Thank you for putting together such a fun trip! Welcome to the big 3-0 club!!!

Father's Day and the Lake

We spent last weekend at the lake. It was a fun getaway and we enjoyed some time in the sun and water! This is Thomas's 3rd trip to the lake but the first time that he was able to really enjoy the fun things at the lake.....minus the boat. He was terrified of the boat for some reason. He preferred some play time with Daddy instead....

 

 

Our little fish...his swimming lessons have definitely paid off. All he wanted to do was "fim." He is really good at kicking his feet and paddling his hands, and of course, we have no fear.

 

 

Mimi got Thomas a sandbox to play with at the lake. He played with his bulldozer and dump trucks for HOURS!

 

 

Popsicle time with some attitude!

 

 

"Hi-yuck" - this is what Thomas says when he tries to hit some thing. Nana taught him this new trick. He wakes up in the morning and "hi-yucks" his animals. So funny!

 

Some serious concentration....

 

His favorite part - the juice!

 

We had a fun Father's Day dinner and US Open watch party at the Bowie's. While the adults enjoyed a peaceful and yummy dinner, the kiddos watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It was crazy how long they sat there and quietly watched TV. 

 

But once the show was over....the chaos continued...

 

We celebrated Patrick's 3rd Father's Day this year....how crazy is it that he has been a Dad that long? Thomas and I are very lucky to have such a good husband and Dad. We sure do love our Daddy!!

 

We had two other men to celebrate for Father's Day too...These three men make our lives better every day. We love our Tino and Papa!

Two Years Old

Monday was Thomas's real birthday....two years old! I cannot believe that my baby is two...he is not a baby anymore. He talks in full sentences and is such a fun little boy. He is sweet and caring, smart and precocious, loves his family and friends, and loves to play.

 

The morning of his real birthday, we had candles in our donuts. Thomas LOVES it when people sing happy birthday to him. This year, he has really eaten up all of the birthday "hoopla."

 

 

Thomas is the youngest child in his class, so he has been waiting for months for it to be his birthday. He really soaked up having everyone sing to him this time!

 

We are transitioning schools this summer, so Thomas got two school birthdays.

 

Tino stopped by to enjoy cupcakes on Monday. Poor Tino should have worn a light suit. All of the kids were very interested in putting their cupcake hands on his dark suit. Ooops!

 

On Tuesday, Mommy and Daddy joined Thomas's class for birthday treats.

 

Yummy ice cream sandwiches on a hot, hot summer day.

 

The aftermath of sticky sugar....

 

 

Thomas helped Mommy clean up before he went outside to the splash park. Summer is so much fun!

 

Now that the birthday celebrations are over, Thomas is suffering from a "birthday hangover."  He asked for a candle in his donut this morning...The rest of the week we will be in "birthday boy detox." :)