Ian's First Haircut

Big Boy in the Barber's chair

Big Brother had his long locks cut off as well

Litchfield Beach

Checking out the balcony view

Feeding the fish, turtles & crocodile after lunch

Our bike ride to the beach

Digging up treasure

John & Ian

Playing with Mimi & Bob the Builder

Story time with Mimi

John & Filson on the lazy river

One last swim Sunday morning before heading home

We travelled 2 hrs south on Thursday for a long weekend at Litchfield Beach. John had won a stay at their resort through work & we enjoyed our time there with nothing on our schedule. We rented bikes Friday & spent a lot of time cruising around. The boys loved the pool area which included a kid deck with a yellow submarine & a lazy river. Saturday Mimi drove up from Charleston to spend the day with us. We really enjoyed playing at the beach & being able to spend time with her. It was hard to head home Sunday after such a relaxing weekend!

Fun with the Leeder Family

Trying out Gavin's toy at Uncle Wayne & Aunt Sally's house

Visiting with Nikki & her adorable daughter, Shyra, at Jane's house in Frederick

The rain made us wonder if they would even play the game, but Filson was determined that he was going to the baseball game that day!

The Cousins at the ballpark

That's Filson in the blue shirt/khaki shorts cutting in line from right field, clearly not following his dad's instructions to get in line behind the other kids

Little Boo thinks he is big stuff in his shoes

Our little conehead

National Zoo

Taking a breather in the air conditioned reptile house at the zoo

Gavin & Ian

Gavin, Filson, & Ian
Introducing the boys to Thrasher's Fries
John, Sally & the boys on the boardwalk with Filson's Ferris Wheel in the background
Who's that funny-looking kid in my clothes?
Bumper cars on the first night

The boys

Bumper cars, night #2

Ian rode once & was no longer content to watch Big Brother have all the fun

He's getting braver & has upgraded to the rides that get a little air under them

Ian is relaxed

Filson passes by me & says, "I'm dizzy, mama"
That's what those tea kettles will do to you, Bud!

The 3 Stooges
John was the big winner this round, and we are now the proud owners of a stuffed blue dragon, just what every home needs

Ian getting some love from Aunt Sally
Bicycle built for 4
Why is John letting that shark eat our baby?

Cruising down the boardwalk

The gorgeous view from the balcony at Wayne & Sally's condo

Playing with Uncle Wayne & Aunt Sally at their condo's playground

Ian looks like he is up to something

Aunt Sally ordering her meal from Chef Filson

We loaded down the car & headed north last Saturday for a fun visit with Aunt Sally & Uncle Wayne. Traffic was not flowing on our drive up, so the trip took a few hours longer than expected. Luckily, the boys were great travelers & Filson kept us entertained by asking "Is that Uncle Homer's house?" about every 5 minutes.
Sunday we drove to Frederick, MD to visit family friends & take in a Frederick Keys baseball game. This trip was a highlight for Filson, as he was excited about going to a real baseball game & was thrilled when the game ended & he was able to run the bases with the other kids. Frederick is Ann's hometown, so John spent a lot of time there with his grandparents when he was younger. It was really fun to walk around the cute downtown & see the different places he remembered as a child. We also had fun with his cousin, Danny, who drove in from Baltimore to spend the afternoon with us.
Wayne & Sally's house is in Northern VA, about 20 mins outside of DC, so Monday we headed into the city for a trip to the zoo. Their zoo is part of the Smithsonian, which means it is free & makes for a nice family outing. We had a great day, although many of the big animals were smart & had found a hiding spot in the shade, so you had to search extra hard to find them on that extremely hot & sticky day. We cooked out that night & were able to visit with John's other cousins, Jason, Ryan, Lyne & Gavin. We were able to visit Ryan & Lyne's house on Tues night & the boys had fun playing with Gavin again!
On Wednesday we packed up & headed to Ocean City, MD to meet up with Sally who had been staying at their condo. We all loved sitting on their balcony & watching the boats cruise by. Filson thought it was especially cool that he could see the Ferris Wheel from her place. He talked & talked about this Ferris Wheel for 2 days until we finally got up next to it & after taking a look up he decided he would pass on a ride this year!
In our time at OC, we fit in a visit to the pool, a day on the beach, a bicycle ride up & down the boardwalk, time at their playground & 2 action-packed nights of carnival rides. And Sally treated us to some very yummy ice cream! We had a really great week & it was so nice to spend time with all of the Leeder's & with Jane & her family in Frederick. We are extremely thankful to Uncle Wayne & Aunt Sally for putting up with us for an entire week, for the excellent meals & for showing us such a good time!

Summer Fun

Ian (1), Filson (3), Vada (2), Stella (5), Porter (3)
they all made their way to the tractor....showing their Iowa roots!

Vada & Silly Stella

Stella pushing her little cousin

Swinging Stella

Vada wants to give it a shot

Swinging Ian4 Little Monkeys

Bedtime Buddies

The Kiddie Table

Filson showing off his bedhead

Happy Birthday to Anna Leigh (& Patrick!)

She got off easy, we couldn't come up with all the candles she should have had ; )

Digging in for the good stuff

Boo's mouth is watering

Jam session at the Gaddum's

Vada getting her guitar lesson

Only walking for a week & he's all ready to march in the band!

V rocking out

We miss our friends, our house is way too quiet today!! I had been anxiously waiting for the Davidson's visit all summer & it was so much fun to have them here. Mike & Kayren & their kids came down Thurs afternoon & brought along little Vada. We headed downtown for a hot, quick walk along the riverfront & a stop for ice cream. Friday morning we headed to Wrightsville Beach and had fun digging in the sand & jumping around in the waves. Anna Leigh came down from Raleigh & met us at the beach. John made it back that evening from TN & we loaded up the kids & headed out for dinner at the beach. Making plans to head out at 6pm on a Friday night with 5 kids under 5 may not have been the brightest of plans, but they surprised us & were all little angels through the entire dinner :) We lucked out again on Saturday with good boat weather. The kids had fun catching fish, jellyfish, crabs & baby sharks. The best part was having the kids so worn out by the end of the day that they all easily crashed & then the real fun could begin! Way before dawn on Sunday morning, the Davidson crew was packed & headed on the long journey back to Iowa. We really appreciate them making the drive out to NC & hope it's not long before they can do it again. Luckily, Anna Leigh & Vada were able to stay a couple more nights with us & we got in some more beach time & a couple jam sessions at the house. It has been a great week & the boys loved waking up to friends at their house every morning!