WE LOVE THE BEACH!!

We'd been planning for some time to go to the beach.  September seemed the best time.  Houses are cheaper to rent, the beaches are much less crowded, but the weather and water are still warm and very comfortable.

We rented a house in Duck, NC, just north of Kitty Hawk, with a private pool, a hot tub, and only a few hundred yards from the water.  It was fantastic!

We took the kids to the Wright Brothers National Memorial where they got to learn about Orville and Wilbur. It was very interesting to hear about their lives and all that they went through. Everyone enjoyed it. 

This (above and below) are pictures at the actual site of the first flights.  They took off from this rock and the longest flight went some 852 feet in 59 seconds.  The kids raced down the path to see if they could have run faster than Wilbur flew that day almost 110 years ago.

Is that the mythic white whale, Moby Dick?!

Oh, whoops. Nope, just Dad.  Seriously needs to hit the tanning booth.  And the gym.  No one likes a chubby pale guy.

While she wasn't too sure about the surf, she loved the water.  And we even managed to keep her covered in sun block enough that she didn't get a sunburn.  Parenting WIN!

We were also close enough to drive north to visit Corolla and the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. It's old, but they let people climb up the 200+ stairs to the top and even give you a sticker when you finish.  Kind of like a "participant ribbon" for those of you who are so fond of that sort of thing (nudge, nudge, Brooks). 

The view was beautiful! 

It was hot and sticky inside, but we were glad to stop at the open windows every couple flights of stairs.

Obviously, this one was SUPER excited to get back out in the breeze to cool off.  Not much cuter than that little face!!

She did take some good naps in the beach tent, though.  We just had to keep the kids and the baby crabs from disturbing her.

And no trip to the beach is complete without some kite flying.  Papa has them hooked!

More pictures to come soon!

Jimmy-Rigged

When Addellyn was 6 months old, we were surprised to find out that we were pregnant with Coleson.  With only 15 months separating these two, and the fact that Coleson pretty much weighs the same as Addellyn and has for pretty much the last 3+ years, these two have quite the sibling rivalry.  So when we went out the front door and found Ally-oop towing the Buddy around in the wagon, we thought it was pretty nice.

It didn't take us long to realize how they got this figured out, but we're still impressed that they worked together long enough to come up with and then accomplish the task. Who knew that they could fashion a tow rope from a jump rope?  Kids do amazing things in order to have a good time. 

While Dad's jump rope got a little stretched out (but let's face it, at least the lonely thing was getting put to use!), it was fun to see just what these two may be capable of when they work together and help each other. The mystery that remains is how Coleson convinced Addellyn that she should be the one struggling on the bike while he sat back and enjoyed the ride.  With a towel seat cushion no less!

Evaleigh at 3 months

Our little baby has already been with us for 3 whole months!  Oh how the time flies!

ABOVE:  what she usually looks like while anyone is close by interacting with her.

BELOW:  what she looks like anytime anything that has picture-taking capacity is presented.  She could be turning cartwheels and laughing hysterically (as most 3 month old infants do), but as soon as the camera comes out, she clams up like, well, a clam.  All that emotion gets sucked back in faster than a frog's tongue.  Frustrates her poor mother to no end.

Even if she's not the most photogenic around, we still think she's about as cute as a kid can get.

Though the photo shoot can sometimes go too long and she demonstrates her

 "all done" attitude by grunting and slumping.

Good thing we've got a Bumbo to hold her upright!

She really is a cutie!  We love our little Evaleigh!

Siblings

Everyone at our house was pretty anxious about having a new baby at home.  Our emotions and nerves continued to build as Mommy's belly continued to grow.  We as parents knew our experience with Beckett would be very unlikely to repeat itself, but even the most remote possibility scared us all beyond description. But, about as soon as this little one came around, much of that angst was swallowed up in the joy and beautiful spirit that came with sweet Evaleigh's arrival.

We've always known Kinzie was quite a special little lady, but she has stepped up big time and done a fantastic job as the biggest sister.  She is always willing to help out.  It makes it much easier when the little stinker is super smily and cuddly!

Addellyn had a special relationship with Mr. B and has been the hardest to help cope with her grief.  But she has absolutely adored Evaleigh. Most of the time, we can't get her little motor to idle for more than a few moments at a time, she slows way down when it comes to time with her baby sister.  She loves holding and cuddling, rubbing that fuzzy head, and showing off her reading abilities.  Such a cute pair!

Of all the kids, Coleson has been the most worried about Evaleigh and making sure she "doesn't have to go back to heaven like Beckett."  Since he's home alone with Mom and Evaleigh most days, he and his baby sister have developed quite the little bond.  He can make her giggle like no one else.  He's always the first to go talk to her when she wakes up from naps.  Every morning he knocks on our door at 6:15 sharp asking if Evaleigh can come in his room to play.  He sure is an AWESOME big brother!

Needless to say, we love our kids all love their new sister.  She's definitely getting spoiled!  

And really, who can blame them?

Back to School!

The summer seemed to fly by.  Before we knew it, the girls were headed back to school.  We thought we'd try to get Coleson into kindergarten early, but the school district wasn't helping out with that task.  Coleson wasn't too keen on the idea either.  So, on the first day, the girls got ready and Andrea took their pictures as they headed out to the bus.  They we VERY excited.

They looked so beautiful going to school on their first day.  We also thought it was funny to see the very distinct way each chose to dress.  They are quite alike in some things, but so very different in others.  They each add so much to our family.  We're grateful for you, Kinzie-doodle and Ally-ooper!

Park

We LOVE going to the park.  There are several close by, and we can always convince the kids that going to the park would be WAY better than trashing the house.

Evaleigh loves being outside. The sunshine, the breeze, the birds, everything.  Always happy when she's outdoors.

Had to post these two pictures of the kids all lined up on the slide.  We have Kinzie and Addellyn with happy "I'm at the park" faces.  Then there's Coleson with his Pirate/Popeye face.  What a goofball!

The kids love playing on the playground.  And they always seem to get along better playing on the playground. 

A gust of wind caught the poor girl by surprise.  Not a fan.

While she doesn't get out and run (yet!), Evaleigh absolutely loves watching and hearing her siblings run around squealing and laughing.  We're so glad to have so much fun so close. 

Science

When it's super hot and humid outside, there are only a few things to keep us busy but not having heat stroke.  One of the kids' favorite is going to SciWorks.

This time, we got to experience Keva planks and will never be the same.  Seriously. These things are sooo much better than Lincoln logs.

Evaleigh, however, didn't let herself get overwhelmed with excitement.

Somehow, we still ended up outside.  But at least we could call it educational!

Balloons

The girls were invited to attend a two-week camp at the local hospice center over the summer for school-age kids who had lost a family member in the recent past.  They talked about losing Beckett and worked on coping strategies for when they were feeling extra down.  At the conclusion of the camp, all the families got together at the park for a balloon releasing ceremony.

We all wrote a message to Beckett on our ballons, had some snacks, and met some of the counselors with whom the girls had worked.



It was pretty emotional talking about it and sending our messages up into the sky, but we were glad that the girls were able to attend the camp.  We will always remember our little man, and will ever look forward to seeing him again.

Charleston

For our belated 10th anniversary, we dropped the kids off in Greenville, SC with the Smiths while we went down to Charleston.  We'd heard so many great things about the city (especially the food!) and were very excited to go.

Evaleigh wasn't so sure she liked the heat and humidity of coastal South Carolina in July.  She turned into a limp noodle anytime we were out for more than about an hour...

But was SUPER happy when we finally got back into the air conditioning of our (super nice) hotel room!

We took the ferry out around the harbor to see Fort Sumter and the other Civil War forts.  It was a lot of fun and good to learn/remember that history.  Again, Evaleigh was asleep pretty quick, even with the sea breeze.

The only thing Evaleigh loved more than the air conditioned room was the salt water pool they had on roof of the hotel.  Seriously, if you've never experienced a salt water pool, you're missing out.  Sooo much better than chlorine.

This is the view off the balcony of our room.  Looking down at the corner of historic Meeting St and historic Market St.  We walked pretty much everywhere, except when we took the carriage tour.  It seemed a little pricey until we were done.  Definitely worth the investment, especially since the horse got a little spooked and took off for a bit.

Seriously, who wouldn't want to live where your kid can take sailing lessons?!

We had a great time in Charleston.  More importantly, we've so thoroughly enjoyed our 10 short years together and are very much looking forward to many, many more.  No offense to the rest of you, but we're pretty much the perfect couple!  I love my beautiful wife and will forever be grateful that she settled for me!