4th of July

We spent the morning of the 4th playing mini-golf. It was hot, but Miles and Noah enjoyed getting tips from Mike. Noah scored 2 holes in one! If you congratulate him, be sure that Miles isn't in earshot. Competitiveness starts at birth, folks.





Griff was a wild man. He shot the ball around for about 10 holes, after which he was whipped. We spent the rest of the time waiting for the big kids in the air conditioned car.



That night we cooked out (thanks, Scott!) and feasted at the pool. We had the entire place to ourselves and the kids loved running from the "hot pool" to the big pool to the baby pool. Pure delight!





Mike and Scott jumped into the hot tub with all the kids. They were all very silly together.






(not even sure how Austin can breath, at this point)


When it got dark, Mike set off some little fireworks for the kids. Then everyone (except me & Griff) ventured to the beach to watch the display. All-in-all, a perfect 4th!

Maddox Fam Fun

As an extra treat, we got to spend some time with Cara (dinner club) and her family (Mitch, Conner, Grace). They also planned a last minute get-away to Windy Hill. Cara is due with her 3rd child in a couple of weeks and it was fun to hang out with them during such an exciting time! Mitch is also doing the triathlon in August (Cara did it last year), so Mike and Mitch got to talk-shop about training, the race, etc..

The Rides!

We spent one afternoon at Broadway at the Beach, where a bunch of the old pavilion rides now reside. The kids - and adults - had so much fun.

These crazy mirrors crack me up. I'm guessing that this is an accurate depiction of the Scott's massive brain cells?


Noah had Austin are total buddies. If we were next door neighbors, they'd quickly appear to be Siamese twins. They had so much on this beach trip and road every ride together.




Kathryn and Miles had a great time, too. Looking at this picture of them makes my brain flash through all of the pictures I've taken of the two of them over the years. Miles' 1st little friend....and six years later, still one of his favorites.



Kathryn (& Scott) invited Miles (& Mike) to ride the pirate ship with her. Miles LOVED it, until the point when it feels like the boat is going to completely flip over and the toothpick-sized bar will definitely not protect you from a fall. (And, notice where they are sitting....the scariest seat possible). I could hear his screams from where I was standing. I felt so sad for him....and could understand exactly how he was feeling. As soon as the ride was over, he bounced back....but did mention later that it was scary (in a confused way....like, why would anyone want to be on a ride that's scary?).



We all did one final spin in the teacups before we left. The first time I rode with Griffin. We had a nice, breezy ride. The second time I road with Mile and Noah. I was teasing with my "throw up face", but they were seriously spinning us so fast that I was dizzy for the next hour. I wanted to lay on the floor at our dinner spot. Just looking at these pictures a few days ago made me feel dizzy again. Age 37 is officially too old for the teacups. Next time, its all dad.

The Beach House Patio

The beach house had a cute little fenced-in patio on the side. It was the perfect spot for Bodie to sniff around. Lindsey and I played games out there one night, too.

During the day, it was the perfect spot to blow bubbles.


It was also perfect for splashing around in the baby pool and having water fights.



Looks rough, being the littlest, huh? I assure you, he didn't cry. And, unbeknownst to them, Miles and Noah are molding Griffin into a force to be reckoned with.



At first I thought Noah was thirsty.


But then I saw this.

Gross? Yes. Did I say, "No, sir"? Yes. Will their hard-wired DNA make them think this is funny and fun for years to come? I'm sure. They're boys, afterall.

The Call

On Tuesday, Lindsey and I got the call from Dana. An engagement! We got so excited up and Miles kept saying, "what's going on? why are you yelling?" We LOVE Brad and can't wait to have another brother in the family. The boys are stoked about it & have already transitioned to calling him Uncle Brad. He rocks. Dana, too. She's a total rockstar.



When we got home from getting ice cream the boys were not ready for bed. Lindsey suggested that we make cards for Aunt Dana and Uncle Brad. We all got to work. Here's what Miles came up with:




Now that Dana and Brad are getting married, Miles is sure that they are also having a baby (probably because he's asked me why Dana doesn't have kids in the past, I've answered by saying, "well she's not married yet.") Seriously, these last 2 cards crack me up. The first one for Brad is just so darn sweet.

****
Not related to the engagement, but this one's for you, Dana.

Beach Trip (Part 1 with Lindsey)

On Friday my friend Beth called and mentioned that her family was heading to the beach the next day. She'd invited us to join them weeks before, but I incorrectly thought we had a camp conflict. When I realized we were free, I jumped online, found a house in their neighborhood, called the owner, negotiated a discount, and booked it. Nothing like spontaneity! My sister Lindsey drove in from VA for the first part of the week (while Mike was in Boston) -- a huge treat.


The Pool
The boys and I hit the pool as soon as we arrived. This little neighborhood in Windy Hill, SC has a great pool, just steps from all of the houses. It has a baby pool, a "hot pool" as the kids call it, and a big regular pool. Except for the baby pool, it is all shaded with these humongous beautiful trees.



(Miles....forever sorting things)



Lindsey joined us there several times over here visit.


*****
The Beach

Lindsey had the distinct pleasure of being with us as the boys warmed up to the beach. :) The boys all have fun playing in the sand & ocean, but they they each have their own warm-up period. Packing rain boots just-in-case made the week possible....Miles and Noah wore them to the beach everyday. It let them get sandy on their terms, when they were ready. They could also clean off their feet and slip back into their boots as soon as they decided sand-time was over (usually around the 2-hour mark). Hallelujah for the boots!




On our first beach day, the boys decided they were ready to go about an hour into it. Aunt Lindsey showed them how you can draw in the sand and they were hooked. Brilliant! She bought us another hour.



After they were done drawing, she roared like a monster and chased them all. She won the "beach fun was made possible by....." award for the day.



The next day she built a huge hole in the sand.


Griffin and I supplied the water for the hole.


When the boys got antsy on the 2nd day, Lindsey started telling them elaborate stories. She'd say, "give me a character"....."where's he going?".....and she worked it all into the big hole and she used shells for their characters.


Having Lindsey with us made me SUPER happy. :)


We borrowed the Haenni's golf cart and took the boys out for ice cream one night. Yum. We zipped right back to the same spot when Mike arrived a few days later.