Dog Days of Summer 2018

We started our summer adventure off in Ocracoke, NC with our friends Matt, Molly & family. Pirates and beaches and bikes oh my - what a wonderful start to summer!

We did see a few jellyfish, and caught some too. Eek.

Then home for a minute and back to NC for my college friend Rae's fun wedding!!

College buddies Cathy, Kemp, and Rae.

Then it was 4th of July with our annual neighborhood kids' "parade" and block party.

Followed by another trip to NC, to Topsail Beach where we met up with Lisa, Alice and Will who drove all the way from Iowa for our summer adventure together.

Alice managed to take some great pics!

I am so happy to have this tradition with Lisa and her kids. Our kids see each other just once a year, but seem to understand and value that we have a special bond. I just so wish that we lived closer to one another!

In July, Mike was finally able to join us for one of our trips - this time to  Massanutten in the mountains of Virginia with our friends Stacey and Kristin and families. First, it rained A LOT. BUT the trip will also be remembered by the fun we had with our friends worrying about bears, hiking, going to a water park, visiting Harrisonburg and going to a great children's museum and pizza/arcade across the street (Ruby's - the best place ever), going through the Grand Caverns (a first for me), visiting a lavender farm, discovering that Amelia is pretty good at mini-golf, and...that it rained...a lot. 

 Millie and Matilda - buds.

 Here we are after a strenuous hike.

The Shermans and the Schwartzes, the next generation.

After a few weeks of camp for the boys, Nancy and I (and all the kids) picked up Memaw and drove to NC - AGAIN - to drop her off for a fun couple of days with Great Aunt Nancy (and somehow didn't manage to get even ONE picture?!?!?!?). Nancy and I continued on to a lake near where my friend Jean lives and got to spend a few days doing water sports and hanging out with her.

 Holiday Road to NC...again.

Anderson (14), Sam (17), Jacob (9), Owen (8) & Amelia (3) - Lake Norman, early August 2018.


On the way back home we got to visit with Charlotte, Bill and baby Graham! Look how happy he is, so so cute.

At this point there was only one week of summer left - BEACH WEEK with the Sherman family!! A week of fun times ahead...in my next post.

Owen: 8 is Great

Owen turned 8 in June and we had a few of his friends over to celebrate. He and Jacob put together  obstacle courses and a list of activities to keep everyone entertained, but once they arrived it just turned into two hours of sweating and chaos from my point of view but according to Owen it was a lot of fun.

This was the end of the party when I decided that next year I'll just have the party somewhere where they do everything for you (like I do every year).

Owen likes school, math, Calvin and Hobbes (and reading in general), the comics, he loves competition, but not so much when he loses (mostly if it's to Jacob), he's helpful and capable and likes to solve problems and think about how things work and build things and antagonize his sister and also play with her now and then, he is shy but not shy, and he's a good friend and he's just... himself. That's Owen at 8. 

How We Survived Winter

Now let's pretend it's the first half of 2018.

Jacob got us off to an interesting start when he split open his knee in a fall during basketball practice. I'll spare you the details but it was NOT pretty and it left quite the scar, but he was very brave and even watched some while they stitched it up which is...gross. If it weren't for the pictures I have as reminders, I'd tell you the rest of winter we just sat around inside waiting for spring and planning for summer. Ha! Actually...

we went skiing with Molly and Laura and families (Jacob was such a good sport considering we went the weekend after he hurt his knee, so sadly he did a lot of watching)

 Me skiing for the first time since, maybe high school?

Owen, Hannah, Finn and Ava

Millie at her first dentist appointment. She did great, this picture just makes me laugh.

Jacob made it back from his injury in time to play in the last two basketball games.

 Owen staring down the opposing basketball team.

Memaw, Mary, Nancy and I hosted a baby shower in Richmond for Charlotte and Bill! So happy for them and they welcomed their baby boy, Graham, in April. 

 The soon-to-be parents!

 Re-enacting a photo we took maybe 10 years ago?

One last snow and we rolled up almost ALL of the snow from the yard to make this lucky guy.

We spent spring break in Columbus, OH visiting our friend Jen and her kids, Drew, Abby, Katie and Emily, who moved their last summer. While this photo might not convey it, they were very happy to see each other. We got to go the world famous Columbus Zoo (where we lost Owen for about 15 minutes, another interesting moment from 2018).

 Jen's kids plus my kids equals a pile of kids.

 Hiking with George.

 Passover at Jaime's in NY.

 These two!!

Millie and I got to see Great Aunt Nancy and her kids (Dot and Mike above) when they visited Richmond.

Millie looked at this picture (of Nancy around the same age) and thought it was her. Too funny!

Playdate with Rachel and Noah.

We went to a big train baseball game and Owen got to race the mascot and run the bases. He won.

AND THEN IT WAS THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL ALREADY!!

 Finn, George, Olivia, Millie, Jacob and Noah.

  Me, Laura, and Molly... don't we look ready to take on summer?!