We Are Family,

I got all my brothers with me.

My entire family has never had an entire week together for as long as I can remember. Well, all that changed this summer. My biggest brother, Terry and his family came to NC and it was SO much fun...and pure chaos! Our kiddos are 12, 5, 4, 3 and 2!

It was great to have everyone in our home for the first of hopefully many family gatherings to come. The Idaho Klings announced during this trip that they plan to move our direction in March, so these little gatherings should be less few and far between! Yay!

Grandaddy is typically the man of the hour when it comes to the grandkids. He's getting pretty great at multitasking.

Fueling up.

One of Isaiah's big belly flops, caught mid-air. We are counting our blessings that Granny survived being the only adult in the pool that night.

Sutton, trying on Uncle Terry's cowboy boots.

Natalie showing her great, great Aunt Sallie around the house. She was happy to see the beautiful mirror she gave us up on the wall in the bathroom. Having her in our home was quite a blessing.

Playing dress-up.

Granny and Sutton lovin on each other. No surprises here.

Not your everyday, beach day

Our dear friends, the Conyers, were visiting Myrtle Beach all the way from their home in Vermont. So, we made the short trip down to see them for the day. It was a blast spending time with their family. Being with them is always a great time of fellowship and sweet reunion. (Allison was on our team in Africa when Nate and I first met! Those types of friends don't just grow on trees)

The picture below is fuzzy and not the most skilled shot I've ever taken, but it still makes me smile. I love those friends where you just pick right up where you left off two years prior. When, even though this is the first time they've met half your children, they already adore them like they're their own, and we adore their's too. The body of Christ is a beautiful thing.

Katie and Sutton, just the right size.

Plum Tuckered

This summer, like most, has been go, go, go for us. We skip naps, stay out in the sun and eat late. It usually takes a couple of days for all this going to catch up to Natalie, but when it does, it stops her in her tracks. This was the first time in her short life that I've ever seen her fall asleep on the couch. I love how, when I look close, she still looks exactly like the baby I knew a few years ago.

Chasing bubbles in our neighborhood park.

Vineyard View

On a recent anniversary trip, Nate and I stopped off at a winery in Virginia. It was gorgeous and so peaceful. Oh how I love a grown up trip with just me and my hubs.

Smiling at the Garage

I am a sentimental fool. Anyone reading this for any amount of time knows this about me. Well, moving back home hasn't changed this at all. If anything, it's added more fuel to the fire. So, to hear that my garage makes me smile shouldn't surprise you. Of course, it makes Nate smile because there's plenty of room for all his tools and gadgets. But for me, it's less about the space and more about the things we "need" in the garage, now that we live near the ocean. For instance, I finally got to put to use the retractable clothesline I got at Home Depot years ago for next to nothing. See girls, I told you I'd have a great use for it one day! It holds our sandy towels and swim gear.

And the need for sunscreen and boogie boards at-the-ready has caused me to grin more times than I can count. I step out into the garage, I load up the back of the car, and on my way to the driver's seat I take a deep breath of that sweet, salty air! Silly, I know, but I just can't help myself.

Then, there's the practical Me. I feel like I haven't done a very good job of posting pictures of our new house, so I'm gonna try and do that little by little. So, I'll start with a pic of the garage. One of the things I really wanted in my dream house was a mud room the size of Texas. I don't know if you've noticed, but toddlers are messy. Well, while I did get my dream house, there's no mud room. But there is this really neat little cubby spot right as you enter the house through the garage. So, again, I can't complain. Not that I would even dare!

I continue to feel blessed beyond my imagination. There are so many things I just love about our new home. It's gonna be hard to blog them all. So for now, the clothesline and the cubby will have to be a good start. To get all the details, you'll just have to come check it out for yourself. And if you're reading this blog, then consider this your personal invitation. We'd love to hug your neck and show you around!

Pinch Me

We've technically lived her for over 4 months now, but it still doesn't seem real. Even though I grew up in this beautiful part of the country, I know for a fact that I took it for granted. I'm pretty sure I'll never get sick of seeing the ocean and being surrounded by so many rivers, inlets and waterways at every turn. I'd love to tell you this is the view from our very own backyard, but it's not. I still feel blessed that I am able to visit some sweet friends of ours anytime we please and in 10 minutes or less, this is our view. They even have a dock you can jump off of and swim till your hearts content. Doesn't take long for your heart to become content out here though. :)

Evening Escape

The beach is never more beautiful than when the sun is either rising or setting. And the cooler weather and lack of need for sunscreen is great too. Not to mention there are significantly less beachgoers, so the beach is even bigger.

I love how this photo shows just how huge the beach is. So much to explore.

Of course, on the way back up to the car, Sutton, who had already plopped down in the water fully clothed, decided to add sand to his ensemble. And the only way he would join us was if we carried him. Looks cute in the picture, but that is one stubborn, sandy boy!

Sand Starfish

Happy Houseguest

Kylee Dale was our houseguest for a few days while her parents were out to sea on a cruise. Started day one out with chocolate popsicles.

It was play till you drop. Luckily, they were so exhausted by bedtime, they forfeited giggles and chatter for sleep. I have a feeling the older the get, the less sleep we will all get.

Table Tennis

Big Boy Bed

This was the most seamless transition ever. Now to try and break him of the paci and get him potty trained! Maybe in a few months... For now, I am just enjoying an entire family that sleeps through the night in their new home.

Spoiling Sutton

Our kiddos are growing quite accustomed to being routinely spoiled by the grandparents, now that we live so close. However, having Mimi and Pops in town for 2 weeks, definitely made them a little more rotten. Wherever there is Pops, there are Cheetos.

And wherever there is Mimi, there is not need to use your own two legs for walking.

And it wasn't just Sutton. We were all spoiled! It was a great visit, but went too fast, as usual.

Just Nat

Lazy in Love

Sutton's favorite place on vacation was in the lazy river, on Mom. It was usually right before nap time when we'd take our daily float, so Sutton was cozy and cuddly. Needless to say, this quickly became Mommy's favorite place on vacation also.

Summer Family Photo 2011