Beachin' It!

A couple weekends ago we loaded up the camper and hit the Delaware shore for a few days. We had (mostly) good weather with a few rain drops that simply encouraged indoor activities, like teaching Adam how to play Go Fish! 

Adam, of course, loved being back at the beach. We spent most of our days building sand castles, digging holes, walking up and down the beach and putting our toes in the icy water (brrrr, when will it warm up?)

We cooked up fresh seafood while Adam continued to play in the sand/dirt outside the camper. All that dirt and sand and freedom to make a mess sure does make Adam a happy camper! :)

There's really nothing like spending a weekend with sandy toes, sticky sunscreened skin, salty air, and family! 

Learning to swim...

Adam has been taking swim lessons this summer and seems to be enjoying them! We drop him off and then sneak peaks through the windows so he doesn't see us. Just another sign of how grown up he is getting that he's ok with dear old mom and dad vacating the premises! (*sniff*)

He's still a few lessons away from really nailing it but we're happy with his progress and he certainly loves the  praise and lollipops he gets after a good lesson!

Like Dory says in Finding Nemo..."just keep swimming, just keep swimming.." 

Mom's Day...

We returned from Florida on Mother's Day and I couldn't have been happier to see Adam's smiley face. We had a great lunch out where he caught me up on everything that happened while I was gone and sang some new songs he had learned. I barely got a word in edgewise when I tried to tell him about my week away, but frankly building car carrier trucks out of legos and learning a song about giving a turtle a bath trump any sunset I could have tried to describe. :)

After lunch we spent the day napping and watching The Player's Championship and hosted Erica & Blake for a little Mother's Day spaghetti and meatballs dinner. It was a perfect day topped off with an adorable handmade card to go with my beautiful flowers (courtesy of Erica, Blake & Adam). 

I love being Adam's mom and from what I can tell he's pretty happy about that too! 

Sunny Clearwater Beach, FL!

Just one week after moving in I had to pack my bags (again) and head to beautiful Clearwater Beach, FL for my annual conference. Not a bag gig but I'll admit I was definitely feeling homesick. Fortunately the conference went really well with lots of happy customers and great bonding time with my fellow staff members. Nothing beats those sunsets over the Gulf!

The best part though was having Andy join me again at the end of the week and tacking on a few extra days of sunshine, sand, beach drinks, fresh seafood, fireworks and sunsets. 

Though I'll admit, getting back home to Adam, Liddy and our new house after being gone for a week proved there really is no place like home! 

Backyard Fun...

We are LOVING having a backyard! After years of just having a little strip of grass in the front of our house, it's so great to have a yard that we can all run around in!  Adam finds it to be the perfect spot for practicing his golf game and has been working on his soccer skills as well. Liddy just loves the extra room to roam around and the endless supply of sticks to chew on is icing on the cake! 

We are finding ourselves spending lots of time outdoors and Adam and Liddy have both enjoyed having friends over to play! 

Wheel Barrel Fun...

Having a yard means having to do yard work. For now, we are taking great joy in having to spend time on the weekends working in the yard. Mulching and mowing the lawn have been enjoyable but we'll see how long the "joy" lasts!  Adam has also enjoyed working in the yard, he has helped with weeding and collecting sticks and branches, but of course his favorite thing has been "using" the wheel barrel! :) I can't blame him, I too remember some fun afternoons growing up riding around in a wheel barrel...

Cheers!

Love that Andy's family is so good about "toasting" special occasions.  Champagne toasts have accompanied all birthday, anniversary, graduation, engagement, new job, and just about any other "new" or "first" that was worth celebrating since I've known them, and I suppose long before that.

So it was only fitting that they'd bring us a bottle of champagne to toast our new home. Nothing like popping the cork into our new backyard and enjoying some bubbly on our new deck!

Looking forward to lots of champagne worthy moments in this new home! 

Exploring...

A new house also means new walking routes, new parks to explore, and new scenery to take in.  We've been able to do a lot of that since we moved in (moving in the spring is a great idea!) 

Liddy and I enjoy our morning walks, or as I like to call them, my "morning commute."  We are finding new paths to explore and *trying* to avoid Starbucks. (Homemade coffee tastes better. Homemade coffee tastes better. Homemade coffee tastes better...ok really it doesn't, it's just cheaper) :) 

As if having a back yard wasn't enough, we have a path right near our house that takes you through the woods. Everything a little boy needs. Rocks to climb, tree stumps to jump on, a bridge and a stream to throw sticks in and as if that weren't enough the path leads right to a park! 

Adventures await and this little Adventurer is ready!