Arrival at the Beach

So, it's that wonderful time of year again...time for our annual trip to the Carolina beaches with the Davis family.  We always love getting out to the beach, enjoying the sand and the surf, relaxing, and just having some fun with family.  We knew this year would be no exception.

We arrived at Litchfield beach on Saturday evening after our drive down.  Immediately after our arrival, we, of course, had to put our flip flops on and head down to the beach.  Everyone couldn't wait to get their toes in the sand.  Plus, Ben hadn't been to the beach since he was 2 months old and didn't get much out of it then, so we were excited to see what he would think. 

We strolled out onto the beach and it was beautiful.  It's always so nice to head out to the beach in the evening when the sun is going down and there's a nice breeze.  The boys immediately started checking everything out.  Evan watched the waves but didn't really have much of a desire to stick his toes in.  He preferred to play in the sand.  Ben on the other hand wanted to crawl into the ocean and roll around in the sand.  He's such a complete mess!

It was a great first trip down to the beach, and we knew it forecasted a fabulous week...more tales from our adventures coming soon...

(Gram, Gramps, Evan, and Ben investigate the water.)

(Benny walks in the surf with a little support from his parents.)

(Yummy sand!)

(The boys are ready to play at the beach.)

Now a little flashback...

(Evan checks out the beach for the first time two years ago.)

 (Ben checks out the beach for the first time...notice the same swimsuit as Evan.)

 

 (Evan plays in the sand in 2009.)

(What a difference a couple of years make!)

Jordan Lake: A Beach Preview

Last week, we were really excited about our upcoming beach trip.  So, we decided to get a little taste of the beach at home.  So, we headed about half an hour away to Jordan Lake.  It was perfect because we could experience the sand and the water without the waves.  Evan loved standing in the shallows and looking at the little fish while Ben simply wanted to crawl head first into the water with no regard for his own ability to breathe.  We all had a fabulous time, and the outing showed me that we would all have a great time at the beach.  Stay tuned to see how it goes...

 (Evan poses in the shallows.)

 (Benny gets a little dirty.)

(The boys play with their buddies-Quinn, Jonas, and Abby.)

To Walk or Not to Walk?

So, our little 13.5 month old Benny has still not decided whether he wants to walk or not.  Some of our friends had children that walked at 9 or 10 months, Evan walked at exactly one year, but Benny is in no great hurry (and that's just fine with me).  We think it is because he's such a good crawler.  You turn around, look back, and somehow he's managed to make it across the entire room and to the dog bowls, or across 20 ft. of sand and face first into the lake, or across the grass and into the street.  He can find trouble--fast!

He has the ability to walk.  Ben is completely steady on his feet.  He can walk next to you holding one little finger and be perfectly balanced.  He can cruise with a walker at top speed, and he can stand on his own when he wants to, but he hasn't quite taken off yet.

He did try to outshine his brother after his birthday party.  We were out in the front yard playing with Evan's new stomp rocket, and we decided to see if Ben would take some steps.  Sure enough, with Ian standing a few feet away from me, Ben managed to take a few hesitant steps on his own between us.  Hooray!

Ian has long been saying that Ben would really start to walk at the beach.  We are down enjoying a week of sand and surf in South Carolina this week (more on that later), so we are wondering if Ben will really take off.  The first night, we headed down to the beach, and sure enough, Ben took the most steps he's ever taken between Ian and I.  However, he still really hasn't taken off on his own.  We've also caught him standing up without any support a couple of times this week (I think he didn't realize we were looking.)

So, this big question as the second half of the week starts is: Will Benny walk this week?  We'll have to just wait and see...

E Turns 3

So, the big day finally arrived.  Evan has finally turned 3!  As a three year old, my wonderful little boy is turning in to a little man.  He's obsessed with cars and can identify any car in the parking lot, including Audi, Lincoln, and anything else you can find.  He's a little investigator.  Evan would much rather find the bugs hiding in the corner of the park than play on the slides or climb the play structure.  He will talk to anyone and is incredibly verbal.  He will walk up to anyone, whether he knows them or not and tell them what's on his mind, usually cars, trains, or subways.  Evan loves to walk up to his Mommy and blow me a kiss or tell me I'm pretty, especially when he has done something he's not supposed to.  Evan is learning new things everyday, and it's so fun to watch him grow up.

He's been looking forward to his birthday party for a long time, especially since Benny's birthday party and the birthday parties of all his friends.  So, we knew we had to make his big day great!  We invited all of his buddies over to our house, got out all of the cars and car crafts to play with, and let the kids run crazy.  We also created a hot dog bar to entertain all of the grown ups and Ian designed the most fabulous car cake that I've ever seen.  Evan loved it.  With all the activities and chaos of the party, I think Evan's favorite part was definitely when all of his friends gathered around him and sang happy birthday before he blew out the candles.  The smile on his face was awesome to see!

I love my little boy!  He's growing in to such a wonderful, caring, curious, little man, and I love that we could create a great day for him!

(My little goofball on his birthday)

 (Our little family)

(Singing "happy birthday", look at the happy expression on his face!)

 (The crew enjoys some car crafts)

 (Evan enjoys some delicious birthday cake!)

 (The boys make a little mess outside.)

(My little boy plays with one of his new toys!)

A Birthday Worth Celebrating

While Evan and I were having our wedding date, Ian and Ben were on an adventure of their own.  They had headed down to Charlotte for the birthday party of the century...Papa's 90th birthday.  I really wish that the whole family could have headed down, but I'm glad that Ian and Ben got to be there for the big day.  The party was on Saturday afternoon and about 50 of Papa's closest friends and family stopped by.  Jennifer and John had done a wonderful just getting their house ready for the big day including making their beautiful new patio look even more inviting.  The rest of the family brought lovely cakes, favors, and more and created a wonderful celebration for Papa.

Evan and I were lucky enough to join in on the festivities Sunday and Monday.  It was wonderful to see Papa and Marianne and lots of other family members that stopped by on Sunday morning for one more family gathering.   We were all so lucky to have the opportunity to celebrate Papa's 90 years and we're looking forward to many more!

 (Benny checks out the party preparations.)

 (The beautiful new porch)

 (Yay...birthday cakes)

 (Ben checks out personalized buttons of Papa created by Aunt Spring.)

(The birthday boy holds court.)

Down the Aisle

Last weekend we were lucky enough to head to the wedding of Margarette Works and Scott Yeager.  When you go to a wedding it just makes you happy to see people you love find each other.  That feeling was especially evident at Margarette and Scott's wedding.  It was clear that they were very much in love and that sense of love and happiness filled the day.

We weren't just there to have fun, however.  We had a job to do.  Evan and I had to come solo because Ian and Ben went to Charlotte for other festivities (but more on that later).  It was really Evan who had the big job, he was the ring bearer, and I was a bit nervous.  I just didn't now how he would react with all of the people that he didn't know.  The rehearsal didn't ease my nerves either.  He was distracted and had trouble listening to directions when he was supposed to do something.  So, when we got home that night we did a little extra practice.  Before bed, we pulled together everything that was on the floor and created our own wedding.  The race car was Evan, a shoebox played the roll of the flower girls, the bridesmaids were shoes, the minister was played by a tiger, the groom was a stuffed glitter bear and the beautiful bride was Evan's favorite stuffed dog.  We practiced and practiced-Evan didn't want to go to sleep because we were having so much fun "playing Margarette's wedding".  So I thought he might finally be prepared.

The next day we showed up at The Matthews House where the wedding was located about an hour before the ceremony.  We then got Evan dressed in his fancy clothes.  He had a full tuxedo including a Carolina blue bow tied and matching converse sneakers just like the groomsmen.  He loved looking so handsome and couldn't stop looking in the mirror. 

(Striking a pose and checking out his car in the mirror)

(What a charmer!)

We got some pictures with the gorgeous bride and the flower girls.  Then, Evan proceeded to talk to almost every guest at the wedding.  He definitely didn't meet any strangers.  All of the guests, of course, said he was adorable and very, very talkative.  He loved hamming it up in his fancy duds.  Then, the moment of the wedding was at hand.  I knew I had to go sit down in the ceremony room in my seat so that Evan could sit with me after he had walked down the aisle.  However, I was nervous about leaving him with people he didn't know very well. 

(sharing a moment with the beautiful bride)

(hamming it up)

(Posing with the flower girls)

The music started to play, and I was so nervous.  I didn't know what would happen.  The groom and his groomsmen came in, the family of Scott and Margarette, and then the bridesmaids.  Finally, it was Evan's turn to walk up following the flower girls.  I looked back and there were the flower girls throwing their flower petals.  Behind them was a little man with the biggest pout you've ever seen.  You could tell he was about to break down and didn't know what to do when he saw all of those people.  However, once he saw me he was a little better.  He walked up, stood with the minister for a few minutes, and then came back to sit with me.  Then, we could sit back and enjoy the wonderful wedding. 

(As the big moment approached, he started to get a little nervous.)

(The one picture I have of him walking up the aisle--not a happy camper)

(Watching the bride)

(Mr. and Mrs. Yeager)

 Margarette was beautiful, Scott was handsome, and it was great to watch them get married.  Then, we had a lovely time at the reception.  We sat with our friends Brooke and Dan.  I ate a lovely meal.  Evan ate a roll and some cake, and danced his heart out on the dance floor. 

 (Our friends Brooke and Dan)

(My squirmy little boy and I)

He was about to crash when we finally took our leave.  We changed him straight into his PJ's, stuck him in the car, and started our drive to Charlotte.  He was passed out within 10 minutes.  Tales from our adventure in Charlotte will come next!

Just a Tip...

...don't give a baby a bath before dinner!

It's pointless.