Ben's brother (Dan) lives in Charlottesville, VA with his wife (April) and three kids (Jacob, Addie and Teagan). We went berry picking, hiking, swimming and had an overall fantastic time catching up. Jeremiah enjoyed being a "big boy" sleeping in his older cousin's room and trying new food at the encouragement of his cousins.
We left VA and headed down to the outer banks of NC to enjoy a few days at the beach with some old college friends, Fernando and Maggie. They have a little boy (Gabriel) a year younger than Davis. The boys had a blast using their swimming lesson skills in the ocean and it was the first time we were really able to enjoy going to the water with the boys. We had some great catching up time and are beginning to think we should make it an annual trip.
In July we took a weekend road trip to St. Louis, MO to visit Ben's Grandmother and Sister. It was a very quick and full trip. On Sunday we left the kids with Aunt CooCoo for an afternoon at the City Museum while Ben and I joined a friend at the Busch Stadium for a Cardinals game (the cardinals won). That evening we went to The Muny for a touring show of The Little Mermaid. It was exhausting and hot but a great time.
A couple weeks later my dearest childhood friend, Trina, came out to visit with her two kids (Teagan and Maddox) for a few days before moving to London. Unfortunately it was the hottest, most humid week in the summer but we made the best out of it. We went to Navy Pier where we spent the morning at the Children's Museum, with lunch at Bubba Gumps and play time in the Splash Pad. It was short and sweet and I fully appreciated and enjoyed the visit.
The following weekend we went to the Lake House In MI with the Murphy's (Chris, Lauren, Vivian and Desi). This is becoming an annual trip and something we all look forward to. We spent the days with the kids in the lake, on the water trampoline, jet ski, and boat. But the evenings were full of yummy food, wine and hot tubs (followed by over 50 bug bites all over my body).
At the end of July Ben's parents and sister came for a weekend visit. We didn't do any big city adventures, just a trip to the farmers market and some quality time BBQing and hanging out. A nice mellow weekend giving the kids good quality time with the grandparents.
Finally, the past weekend my college roommate, Christy, came to visit her sister-in-law who just moved here. We spent the afternoon catching up, shopping, eating and dodging the rain. She accused me of being a "bad blogger" so I'm catching up.
Overall the summer has been full of adventure. When we weren't traveling or having company we were having play dates with some dear friends we have made over the year. Play dates at the lake, water park, zoo, or just at home the kids had a blast. Summer break is coming to an end with Jeremiah starting Kindergarten in a week. I can't believe how quickly time goes by. Thanks to all for the memories.
(Pictures aren't working right now...I'll update later)
