2nd Birthday!!

Fun on the tractor with daddy!
Papa lets me drive!
Loves riding in the back of the truck through the field to Granny's, Sue-Sue's, or to get the tractor.
Chloe taking a turn on the hot wheel.
Tiger teeing it up.
His feet almost reach the peddles, but don't worry he gets it to go by just using one foot to peddle. he really can ride just about any toy there is out there regardless of his size!
Loves the poloaris rides.
Favorite part...icing.
A truck of course!

With all the excitement of the beach trip I almost overlooked Hunter's 2nd birthday party! He had a big afternoon with family and of course he loved his cake and ice cream. I just can't believe he is 2 years old. Like I have mentioned several times before he is just a really shy kid. He takes awhile to warm up to any situation and his birthday party was no exception. By the end of the afternoon he was running around like crazy with Chloe.

He is talking more and more everyday. We are also working on our colors and shapes. He can't really say the shape, but he can pick them all out when asked. Colors have been a little more tricky. Right now everything is orange and sometimes blue. He can correctly identify orange, but then he says everything else is orange as well. We were very happy when he actually said blue, and I think he may have said green at some time or another. He has also picked up some pretty funny and annoying phrases. For example, when Abby barks, he runs up to her pointing his finger and yells, "Hush!" (funny) Or if he doesn't want something or somebody he whines, "I don't want to," or he says, "don't." (Annoying!) I really love listening to him talk.

Trip to Wrightsville Beach

These were the tide pools that we played in most of the time. Hunter loved looking for fish, digging holes and filling them up with water.
Swimming like his daddy. He would kick his legs and bring his arms up over his head like he was doing the freestyle. Too bad he never went any where!
Yep, David went surfing. I will have to post more pics of that when I get them from April. Hunter and I were napping. He did get up a few times!
He would do this funny little thing where he would walk a little bit, bend over and stick his hair in the water and then throw his head back and laugh and lick the saltwater!
Playing in the sand. We were burying our feet.
Must have at least one tractor at all times.
Dinner at Blue Water.
Wave jumper!
Okay Hunter, mommy thinks this is far enough!

I am going to have to go back and change the caption on the picture of David and Hunter at the beach to, BOTH daddy and Hunter love the beach! I don't know if he remembered what the beach was from our last trip to Amelia or if he just decided that the beach was a lot of fun. David and I were just floored and both said out loud that no one would believe that Hunter was actually out in the ocean jumping waves, so of course we sprinted for the camera!! Hunter started off swimming in the tide pools and then decided the waves looked like fun so we just followed him out into the water. He would kick the waves back, rush after them, hold our hands and jump over them, and his favorite was to let his feet go and 'ride' the waves in to the shore. He would jump up shouting, "again, again." This was a great trip for all of us!

I especially enjoyed the trip back to my old stomping grounds. It is always bittersweet to return to one of my most favorite places, but I am so thankful for our visit. We stayed for 5 really short days at the beautiful Shell Island Resort. When I was in school this hotel was about to fall into the coastal waterway. The only thing keeping the water out of the hotel was a few thousand sand bags. It is amazing to see it now. Some how they were able to redirect the water and add beach up to the hotel. Now the water line is a good 200 yards or so away from the hotel. It is truly unbelieable to see I just wonder how long mother nature will let it last. It was a nice suite that had a separate bedroom along with a kitchen and living/dining room. I have learned that having a suite is a real advantage when you travel with kids! Hunter did so well. He loved looking over the balcony and watching the surfers and boats.

One of my dearest friends still lives in Wilmington so we were able to spend lots of time with her and her husband. I also got to see my old roommate, Amanda. Her grandparents live at Carolina Beach and their family has a week vacation with them every year. We kind of planned our trip so I could see them both. We had a nice dinner the first night at a place called Romanelli's. Hunter was perfect. I guess this is the benefit of having a really shy child, but he sat through the entire dinner and never said a peep until the last 5 minutes, and then he said "I want to go!" He was super sweet and I think he just had fun listening to us talk and watching all the people in the restaurant. The rest of the trip was spent on the beach, running the loop (which I really miss the most) long naps in the afternoon, back to the beach in the afternoon, then a fun dinner and ice cream treat. It really was a great trip and I am so thankful that we were able to go and that Hunter had such a fun time at the ocean. I really thought we would be spending lots of time by the pool.

Lastly, our final dinner destination was on the deck of the Hayes's house in Snead's Ferry. We went up to see Amy and Billy and had a really nice time. They have a beautiful home and Hunter enjoyed sitting on the dock and watching people fish. He was exhausted by the time we made it back to Abingdon. I think he has taken 2-3 hour naps every day since we have gotten back!

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.

Summer Fun

Yes, the dogs love the boat too. Ibis is can be a little difficult to keep IN the boat.
Hunter, Rachel and I on their new jet skies! Hunter didn't feel well this afternoon and wanted off ASAP!
Hunter could have ridden like this all afternoon. Dad used to pull us just like this when we were little.
The mermaid at the pool.
What could be better than an Oreo after lunch on the boat?
Trying to fish.
Their favorite spot. They like looking at the water and for jet skies.
Lots of places to dock, let the kids play, relax in the shade and have lunch!
We tried to tube.
Jenny and Chloe!
My captains.
Can you tell he is out growing this four wheeler. It is his favorite!
My garden. Yes, the rock wall around it is pretty, but it keeps little boys from riding their toys right through it.
After picking our first squash Hunter felt it was really important to put them in the back of his truck and ride them around a few hours before finally handing them over to me to wash for dinner.
Bedtime cartoon time.
Their favorite dinner spot. Chloe calls it her "restaurant."
Your turn in the back!
Now it is my turn!
I know this is blurry, but it was the cutest thing. They were sitting at the edge of the driveway reading the paper.
PAPA!

Well, after about 2 weeks of non stop rain around here we have been able to enjoy some outside activities. During the rainy season Hunter had his first, and probably last, session of swimming lessons. There are no pictures of this experience because it was a night mare for all involved. In Hunter's defense, the water was freezing, most of the babies were screaming and they had the big kids in the pool at the same time. So with about 50 people in this little indoor pool, it was just too much for him to handle. We made it 5 out of 10 days. We have decided to let his daddy teach him to swim. He loves the pool, just not THAT pool. He does much, much better with his daddy in the water at our local pool.
And speaking of water, we have bought a boat. It is great and I was a little hesitant at first to buy it, but boy am I glad we did. It is so much fun! The lake is beautiful and we have had a really good time as a family out on the water. Hunter enjoys the boat and can successfully find his way from the car, down the docks to our boatslip at the marina. His favorite part of the whole trip is to feed the fish down by the marina. For a quarter you can get a handful of dogfood and feed these poor begging fish that are about the size of Abby. Hunter gets the biggest kick out of them. In addition, we have had several visits from Aunt Jenny and cousin Chloe. Chloe is a little fish and loves the water. She makes me just a little nervous because she is so fearless and wants to do it all. Her favorite part of the boat ride is tubing! She is the cutest little thing out in the water. Hunter has not ventured much off the boat and actually gets quite upset if anyone leaves the boat to get into the water. He cries when David jumps in to swim and he works himself up when anyone gets in the tube. He did get in the tube once with me, but he couldn't decide if he should laugh or cry so we just came back in to the boat. I hope by the end of the summer he feels more comfortable tubing, it is just so much fun!
We had mom, dad Jenny and Chloe up for the July fourth weekend. The days were packed and we were all sad to see them go. Hunter and Chloe or "Clo, Clo" as he calls her play so well together. They have such a good time, Hunter really misses her when they leave and goes around the house for days calling her name. It is sweet and sad all at the same time. Anyway, we had a nice bike ride to Damascus so the kids could have a picnic at the playground and play in the creek, the fourth was beautiful so we spent the whole morning at the lake on the boat and the afternoon at the pool. We had a nice cookout that night and everyone was exhausted by the days end.
In other news, I am pround to say that I have picked my first squash from the garden. This has been a great experince and I have learned some things that I want to do differently for next year.....like plant less zucchini and more green beans. So far everything looks really good. We are going to be overwhelmed with squash, zucchini and cucumbers so if anyone wants some let me know. My tomato plants are growing really slowly. They are full of tomatoes, but I think they aren't getting enough sun. I think I have convinced David that we should chop the tree down that is blocking the sun from the garden! We aren't going to have any blueberries or blackberries for awhile but my raspberry bush is going great. Hunter loves to ride his truck by and pick off the ripe ones to eat. It is like his own little outdoor buffet!
David and I are doing well and having fun enjoying the summer with Hunter. Enjoy the pics!

Check it out tomorrow!

Okay, I am a little behind on posting, but well, I have been busy. For those of you who keep up with us I will be posting tomorrow. Lots to talk about, Hunter, new boat, 4th of July fun, my garden.....So hold on to your seats and I will get some stuff up here tomorrow. Hunter has had me up for 24 hours and I am about to drop. What am I doing typing on this anyway, I need to go to bed!

Day out with Thomas the Train

Getting ready to ride the 'little train' through cheese town.
Sat very still and had Thomas painted on his arm.
Chloe wanted Thomas painted on her cheek.
Riding the boats. This was great, except for the REALLY LOUD bell every kid had to ring 1000 times!
Papa and Chloe on the cars. Sorry I missed the pic of Papa having to get out and PUSH the car. Did I mention that this is a really old park?
Who do you think is enjoying this car ride more?
Riding the big horse. We do a lot better with big, fake animals!

Thomas jumpy thing! Hunter really enjoyed the slide on the other side, even if he did get tromped over by every other kid there.
THOMAS!!!
Aunt Jenny and Chloe patiently waiting for our train ride to begin!

This Wednesday Aunt Jenny, Chloe, Gaga and Papa joined the Simmons family at Tweetsie Railroad in Boone, NC. This week the railway has a special guest, Thomas the Train! The little blue engine lead the way around the park in front of the original Tweetsie engine. It was lots of fun and everyone enjoyed the train ride, the chairlift, the rides and the ice cream!