Smarty Pants

Harrison was off to Christ The King for his 1st day of school...in the 3 year old room. I mean, he's been going to school all summer but this is the "official" fall start for school. He has become a natural in the classroom with the exception of nap time and a few other areas so I am interested to see what his new teacher, Mrs. Wendy, has to say. I know he is excited to meet a new group of kids his age and, as an added bonus, he has his best bud, Noah in the class with him. This looks to be a great year!

Dog Days of Summer

It was a quick trip to the beach today because 1. we didn't bring anything for shade and 2. Jojo can only go so long until he will exhaust himself with all his running. We have been bringing Jojo to the beach ever since we got him as a puppy and it has been his all time favorite spot to go. He will chase birds up and down the beach for hours if he can. Which is why, now that he is much older, we have to make short trips to the beach because Jojo will NOT stop running! But we can not resist taking him just to see the simple delight that it gives him. Plus, with our other 2 animals (Harrison & Brooks), the beach is a much sweeter trip when it's short...at least for now!

Just Dive Into It

We don't like to waste time around here. It's sink or swim and Harrison has taken it to the next Plateau...diving. Although he hasn't mastered the correct form entirely, it is still very impressive to see him try. And Brooks, not to be outdone, is basically walking. She is 10 months old and has been taking a few steps at a time for the last 2 weeks. This past week I watched her take 10 steps in a row so I have a feeling it is now time for me to step up my game just to keep up with these two!

Today we had an exciting time at home swimming, diving, spotting huge spiders, catching a tree frog, and also catching a family nap. Awesome.

Beating the Heat

In order to keep cool around here, we're either in the pool or inside with minimal clothing. And yes, that is why most pictures of my children do not include shirts. Unless, of course, there is a costume involved. In these cases , Harrison usually goes without pants.

Franklin, NC

Harrison, Brooks and I took a mini vacation up to Franklin, NC this past week to visit Brooks, Anne, Virginia Anne, and Wade. I don't think the kids could have had more fun if they tried. There was something fun to do everyday and most importantly, they all had fun just being with each other. We went to a splash park, played in the creeks, went to Cashiers for a day of shopping and going down Sliding Rock, went gem mining, and went out to a farm and picked our own vegetables. In the evenings, the kids played, danced, and ran around while Anne, Brooks and I got to enjoy each other's company. There wasn't a whole lot of "adult conversation time" because the kids (at least mine) still don't require an early bedtime - even with all the activities throughout the day. This is an enigma to me that I will never figure out. But we still had a great time playing cards, laughing, and eating some really amazing meals...thanks to Anne! And on a sidenote, Brooks managed to fall down the same flight of stairs that Harrison did the last time we were there. Trouble.

Even the rides to and from Franklin were not nearly as chaotic as I had suspected. There was one stint on the way home that I considered installing a window in between the driver seats and the passenger seats, kind of like a limo driver uses, but I'm not quite sure where to find one these. Nevertheless, I am so glad that we took the trip because we all had a great time and loved being in the mountains! To top it all off, we got to have breakfast with Mama and Da on our way home through Elberton. It was a short visit but a special one because we missed them on our last trip to Athens. And I know the kids loved seeing their Great Grandparents!

A big thank you to Brooks and John Rob for having us at their beautiful mountain house and for their wonderful hospitality!