La Playa!

Okay, so daddy loves the beach...Hunter not so much.
This was a beautiful storm.
Hunter took bike rides in the afternoon, unfortunately he was eaten by mosquitoes!
Popcorn!
They were pretending to be lions.
Swimming in the pool.
Sweet baby girl.
Eli's swimming outfit. I think the lens may have been foggy.
Hunter's favorite part about the beach...snacks.

Our family has just settled back into the groove of things. We have been gone on vacation to the fabulous Amelia Island for one whole week! It was a much needed vacation for us all and we were able to get in some valuable family time with the York-Simmons. Hunter and Eli are almost one year apart and it is fun to see how quickly the developmental gap is closing. Hunter doesn't say much (although he is saying so many new words everyday I have stopped counting!) and he isn't as fast as cousin Eli, but he sure does have a good time trying. But, I have to stop and think for a moment....Hunter may never talk as much as Eli or be as fast! Eli takes energy and excitement to a whole new level for a 2 year old. We had the best time playing with him. He reminds you of what it was like to play as a kid. I am so grateful for that. In the rush of our busy lives I think we as adults forget to just play. Even as parents we get caught up in teaching and discipling and forget to play. I love that little boy and will miss him terribly.
Linden, Eli's new little sister, is the spitten image of her daddy. She is a beautiful, fluffy little thing that was just a dream the entire week. Baby Linden enjoyed the entertainment provided by 2 toddler boys. By the end of the week Hunter finally decided it was OK to touch her, on purpose, and one of his peace offerings happened to be his match box cars. At one point he had them all around her on her tummy time mat. I was a very proud mommy seeing that he was willing to share his favorite toys with this little baby that he just wasn't so sure about. I look forward to having another little niece to dote on and buy cute little clothes for.
The weather was HOT and HOTTER. We may have gotten spoiled this year by the cooler temps because David and I can usually weather the heat, but it was just plain ole HOT. Thankfully, the boys' naptimes were from about 1-3 so this kept us out of the hottest part of the day. Basically everyday we had an activity in the morning until lunch which usually involved some part of the beach, pool or playground. Then we would come in and have lunch and naptime. David was so wonderful and stayed around the condo while Noelle and I enjoyed some quite time on the beach. After naptime we had some combination of the same morning activities in the pm. By the end of the day we were all exhausted! It was so much fun and I can't believe the week has already come and gone.
Hunter had the best time at the pool. He wasn't too fond of the beach, but he tolerated it if we had plenty of snacks, some shade and mommy. Okay enough rambling, enjoy the pictures.