Kick Off to Summer!

HOORAY!! It's summertime, and I can hardly wait! Vacations at the beach, days at the pool, sleeping in, no deadlines, family field trips, going to the movies, summer camps, Xtreme Week, crafts, playing in the sprinkler, watermelon....ooooh, these are just some of my favorite things about summer! We kicked off the break by going with Shirley and Al and Shawn and Ash and all of the kids to St. Simons for Memorial Day weekend. It was a great trip - the 7 cousins played great together and had so much fun on the beach. I am so thankful for a place we can go together like Myra's house at SSI. What a blessing!

Asa making mud pies in the sand.

Baylor and Avery playing in the waves.

The girls taking a break from the water to rest on the rocks.

Our Last Summer Hoorah!

I'm a little behind on my blogging, and I haven't gotten around to posting pictures from our last trip of the summer. We went with Granddad and Nonna to their house in Charleston and had a fantastic time with them - taking the boat to a nearby island and finding shells, surfing and boogie boarding at Folly Beach, wading in the fountains at Waterfront Park, walking on the pier, hanging around the house, eating dinner out and grilling dinner in. Fun times!!

Lunch break on the boat

Girls collecting shells; beautiful old lighthouse in the background

Morris Island, where we anchored and went shelling

Avery's first surfing lesson

Miss Brynn

A windy evening on the pier

Sitting out on the dock with Granddad

Climbing the oak tree with Daddy

Avery in the fountain

Asa playing in the fountain

Hilton Head Vacation - A Family Tradition

One of my favorite summer highlights is my family's vacation to Hilton Head. This was our 26th summer, so it's almost getting to the point where MY kids are the same age as I was when we started vacationing there. One of the reasons why it's so great is because a lot of my extended family goes as well. This year, it was my parents, us, Chrissy and her kids, Aunt Jeanie and Lee, Traci and her kids, Aunt Nettie and Uncle Rob, Tosha and her kids, Clark and Sara, Uncle Mike and Aunt Gale and Bailey. If you really want to know, in all that's 26 of us! It's so much fun because I just LOVE my family, and I love to spend time with them...it doesn't matter what we do. Highlights from this year were celebrating the 4th of July, fireworks at Shelter Cove, LOTS of time on the beach together, going on bike rides, swimming at the pool, eating low country boil, going to hear Gregg Russell at Harbour Town, eating watermelon, taking "family pictures" on the beach, going for walks in the mornings, and just hanging out at night talking and laughing. Thanks Mom and Papa for another WONDERFUL trip! I already can't wait until next year! I took about 500 pictures (deleted about 200) and still have so many that I want to post that I decided to try a slideshow. Enjoy!

Memorial Day Weekend in SSI

This was our first trip to St. Simons since last fall, and the girls were so excited! They had been asking for weeks when they were going to get to go to the beach, and to make it even better...they were going with their cousins!! It is always fun going with Shawn, Ash and their kids because they all play so well together. They don't fight or whine (well, not as MUCH), and it's just EASY! Asa really enjoyed the beach this year, now that he's 19 months old. He had fun playing in the sand or in holes and taking a nap. He and Carson played really well together. The girls played out in the ocean on the boogie boards, and Baylor and Avery climbed on the rocks a lot. We spent all day on the beach both days and cooked dinner at the house, so we all spent most of the vacation in our bathing suits and PJ's....Ashley's and my recipe for a PERFECT vacation! Shawn was our chef for the weekend, making spaghetti on Saturday night and a great chicken dish on Sunday. He even made chocolate pancakes one morning! What a guy!! I was telling Ash while we were there how this is just the beginning of MANY years of summer vacations we spend together at Myra's house. What a blessing!!!

Summer Sum Up!

Boy, summers are different than they used to be. Obviously, it's a lot HOTTER than it was when I grew up. The most marked difference, however, is that summers are so much SHORTER! I actually went back to work in July this year! The kids will start school next week. Avery and Brynn will be in 4K and 2K, and Asa will go to Mother's Morning Out on 2 mornings a week. As the vacation comes to an end, I am thankful for a fun-filled summer with family. Here are some of the highlights.

We welcomed a new cousin, Myra Jane to the family. Shawn and Ashley brought her home from China on July 2. We had a big welcome home party for them.

We spent the 4th of July in St. Simons with Grandma Shirley and PaPa.

Family vacation with Grandpapa and Grandmommy in Hilton Head is always a blast! The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins Cannon, Allie Ann, and Bailey.

We went to Charleston with Granddad and Nonna. We enjoyed a boatride in the Charleston harbor, going to the South Carolina Aquarium, and wading in the downtown fountains.

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