Summer Catch Up

Well... here it is October 6th.  My little Ben is four months old today!  I haven't had much time for blogging, but I am trying to at least record a little of our summer days.  The boys are growing and changing so quickly and I think that I am going to remember them just as they are in each stage, but in reality I don't.  Already I look back at pictures and videos of Ethan and James a year ago and I can hardly believe what they used to look like or what they sounded like and it makes me a little teary.  Motherhood is so bittersweet.

Our summer was eventful and quiet, busy and slow, overwhelming at times and exciting, loud and silly and peaceful too.  It was a newborn baby, a broken arm, a trip to the lake and surprisingly no trips to the farm (at least for me).  It was full of birthday celebrations and lazy afternoons on the deck, silly boys laughing while they ran through the sprinkler and a day spent at Idewild.  It was a week spent on our lovely little island of Seabrook.  It was adjusting to life as a family of six!  It was good.

But as I look back on it now, I realize of course that it went way too fast.

Fall has arrived.  The days are shorter.  They are cool and crisp and a little more gloomy.  There are many fun things happening now and more to look forward to, but first here is our ode to the summer of 2014...

Our babe arrives home from the hospital on June 7th and is instantly adored.

A first bath

A truck wash

Combining two of their favorite past times... water and trucks

Double the love.  Two Nana's who love to hold our precious boy.

Cousin sleepovers are the best!  We didn't get to have many this summer, but we sure loved the ones we had!

Trips to Seorgel's are always a hit.  We managed one or two with baby Ben in tow.

This is how Ben spent most of the summer.  I can hardly stand how sweet he is!

We headed to New York for a weekend of celebrating all the July birthdays.  My sister had this awesome cake made!

What's a birthday celebration without party hats?

This poor kid had to get two shots at his four year check up.  He was such a trooper!

A cast free arm and a very happy boy... and mama!

Lots of car playing and block building

Making lines... one of James' favorite things to do

Pretty flowers.  I will miss these colors so much this winter!

Squirters from the dollar bin at Walmart are hours of fun on a hot day!

Tractor rides with daddy are the best.

There is always work to be done.  James takes his role of grass cutting very seriously.

A day spent at Idewild was a blast!

We talked about these motorcycles for at least a week before we went.  They were so excited to ride on them!

We rode everything in kiddie land and they loved them all! 

It was the end of the day and everyone was tired, but no trip to Idewild is complete without visiting storybook forest.

Humpty Dumpty (or dumpy dumpy as Ethan calls him) was a big hit!

The summer wound down with our annual trip to Seabrook in South Carolina.

Ben saw the beach for the first time.  All three boys have worn this outfit on their first visit to Seabrook.

We spent hot, sun soaked days at the beach and in the pool.

We took windy walks on the beach.

We love it here!

All that beach time is exhausting.

Us girls (and Ben) got to sneak away for breakfast at this well known eatery in downtown Charleston.

It was delish!

Ethan was all about Chloe on this trip.  She was the first person he asked for each morning when he woke up.  One of the best things about the beach is all of the kids waking up and spending time in their jammies together.

After a long drive home everyone was exhausted.

At times I felt like we didn't do much, but looking back it was quite an eventful summer.  And truly my fondest memories are of just being home, enjoying time with my sweet boys.  I am so thankful to be their mama.