Summer at the Beach

The kids and I spent a lot of time at the beach this summer! It didn't start off as the plan but after a little taste of the beach in early June, I knew I needed more. With lots of beach time came lots of windshield time. From June 1 - August 14, we were in PA for only 2 1/2 weeks. We drove back twice to see Aaron, repack, and load up again. The kids did pretty good with the travel although at the end Grayson ran a fever for over a week, which caused him to be fussy and not sleep well. He was told by the doctor that he had vacationitis! I could have stayed forever but being at the beach kept us away from Aaron and by mid August, we were all craving some family time!

Beach bummz!

Over the 4th of July week the Sims and de Windt kids were in Myrtle Beach. We met up at the de Windt vacation villa for swimming and beach action.Looks like they are trying to hold hands!Cousins on mommy's sideHappy 15th Birthday to Katybug!The kids and I spent a week in Ridgeland with the grandparents. Carrington was out at the pool, in the river, or at the beach everyday. Grayson worked on his love of swimming with his Granny. Kelly joined us a for another week of vacation (in total she was with us for over a month this summer!!).Cousins on daddy's sideCan you find Carrington? She got to take a tube ride with the big kids!And they are off...(the little head popping up is Carrington)Spending time with my little girl. Grayson stayed home with the grandparents so it was a nice relaxing boat trip for mommy and good one-on-one time with Miss Carrington.The Captain and his first mate!Lovin on her uncle PaulPlenty of time was spent swinging to keep Grayson from fussingThe last leg of our summer beach fun was spent back in Myrtle Beach. We rented a beach house for the week. My parents and grandparents were there too. It was great to be in walking distance of the beach and spend one last week so close to our favorite place!

Taking a late afternoon nap on the couch. Kelly on one end and Carrington on the other end. Carrington loves her Kelly and stayed attached to her all summer!Peep and Granddaddy enjoying the good life!I dream often about the day we are living back at the beach permanently. Until then, I have lots of good memories from the Summer of 2011!

Crayola Factory and Hershey Park

Back in July, Kelly came to spend time with us in PA during one of the rare weeks we were here. She visited during the hottest week of the summer when the temperature was at the 100 mark for several days. The house has no central air so we went in search of activities that could provide fun and relief. One of those spots was the Crayola Factory! The girls made many different arts and crafts, played in the museum and enjoyed ice cream to finish off the trip.

Writing on the wall!

Having fun at the ice cream store!The Land of Chocolate - Hershey Park! We took off on a Saturday for some sweet treats and amusement park rides. It was a scorcher of a day, we melted and so did the chocolate but plenty of fun was still had. Grayson rode his first ride, the carousel! There were plenty of kiddie rides for Carrington, and Aaron and Kelly had fun riding the big kid rides. Of course, chocolate was on the menu. After a tour of the chocolate factory we had a cookies and cream milkshake. One was not enough to go around so a second shake had to be ordered. It was Grayson's first taste of a yummy treat, he approved! Having sweet dreams after a long day....

5 months old

Grayson is away on vacation right now. He turned five months old on July 13, 2011. He has had a lot of fun on the road during the last month. Not a lot of changes in his world from month four to five. He continues to be a good baby, grow, and sleep well. He really loves on the family time with his grandparents, aunts/uncles, and cousins. Look for his six month update to be full of information!

Strawberry Picking and Waterfall Hiking

It's strawberry season in PA so we hit the farm to pick a bucket of the sweet, summer berries. The weather was chilly and wet, felt more like pumpkin picking season, but we were able to enjoy a morning on the farm. A tractor ride took us out to the field and where we were given a row to pick as many strawberries as we could. Carrington didn't have much to do with picking them off the bush because the ground was wet and dirty and she's not much for getting her hands messy. I had Grayson in the carrier so Aaron did most of the work. When we (or Aaron) finished picking we headed back to the farm house for a homemade slushy treat and some berry eating. So, what did we make with our strawberries....Strawberry Milkshakes!!

Carrington's favorite part!!

There are several state parks around us that offer a wide variety of outdoor activity. One in particular, Ricketts Glen, has many, many miles of hiking to waterfalls. We started with a picnic lunch by the lake with a "beach". Once again, the weather was chilly so we ate quickly while watching some crazy northerners swim in the lake (air temperature was in the 60's). This family doesn't like getting in the water unless it's bath water temperature so there was no way we were getting close. After lunch we set off on a 3 mile hike through the woods to take a look at four of the waterfalls. It was nap time so the kids feel asleep while Aaron and I enjoyed hiking and looking at God's beautiful creation. I love being outside and getting exercise in at the same time so this little adventure was a great one!