Well, we are back from a wonderful week at the beach for my sister’s wedding. It was PERFECT. I’ll share some of the professional photos when we get them back, but here are a few from my phone etc.:
Bridesmaids with my cute dad. I LOVED getting to know and spend time with some of the girls that have been important in my sister’s life. (P.S. My dress zipped!)
Walking down the aisle. Isn’t she stunning?
The new Mr. & Mrs. being introduced at the reception.
My parents – the happy hosts. It was also their 33rd wedding anniversary!
My handsome boys. (Nora slept through the entire event.)
Party Time!
Truly, it was one of the best days ever. SO fun to see my sister so happy and in love, to officially welcome a new brother to the family, and to spend time with so many people we love! I was honestly pretty out of most of the wedding planning, but my mom and sister worked SO hard and it absolutely showed. Every little detail was perfect! I want to do it all over again every weekend! 😉
In addition to the wedding itself, we had a great vacation. My parents rented a beautiful house right on the beach and my in-laws came along too to see Kathryn wed and help with the kids. I really feel so fortunate that our families are so close – we have so much fun together – and I could not have survived without so much wonderful help!! We ate great food, got too much sun, built lots of sand castles, played in the ocean, shopped a little, and just enjoyed a break from reality.
Another great part of the week was getting to spend time with lifelong friends and see our kids (the 3rd generation) become friends. I’m not sure I’ve ever written about it here, but my mom and five of her college sorority sisters vowed to stay in touch after graduation and nick-named themselves “The Big Chill.” Each of the girls married and had two kids (12 total – I’m the oldest), and for about ten years when I was growing up we all vacationed in a big house in the Outer Banks together. It was so special to be on those same beaches this summer all together but now with our husbands/wives and our own kids – we are quite a crew. These people played such a special part in my childhood, so it was fun to see Sam fitting right in.
A totally accidental twin (triplets) night called for a photo-shoot. Obviously.
We’ve been home for a couple of days now, and I’m slowly getting back into a groove. (Not that I ever really was in one.) I’m only about 50% unpacked; but, already, I’m thankful for the chance to take things slow this summer and be able to say “yes” to things like spur of the moment bowling with my boy and his bud or an afternoon nap with my girl.
Speaking of my girl, Nora was three months old yesterday. I know it is cliche, but time really is FLYING by. She continues to be so smiley and sweet. Jeff and I probably say “she’s the best” 100 times a day!
We took advantage of the fact that she was already used to sleeping in the pack and play from our trip and switched her to her crib in her own room on Sunday night. The first two nights were a little difficult, but she slept from 9PM – 7AM last night. Hooray!! I’m trying to get her on a little more of a schedule now that summer is officially started for us, but we’ll see how it goes. For now, she loves watching her brother, laying on her play mat, being carried in the Baby Bjorn or Solly Baby Wrap, riding in the car (both kids did AWESOME on our trip), and kicking her little legs in the bath. She does not love tummy time or breastfeeding (but we’re working on both of those).
Other than all that, we are busy here planning Sam’s 4th birthday party (pirate-themed and 100% store-bought) and a few quick trips to visit friends etc. for next month. Jeff and I have our 8th anniversary next week and are going away for a night to a nice hotel downtown (he won the stay in a golf tournament back in May), so I’m looking forward to that. Tonight, we’re having two families over that both have had babies in the last couple of months for pizza and chocolate eclair cake. Life is good.
Now, about those suitcases…
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P.S. In an attempt to catch up even further here, I’m planning a couple more of these “What I’m…” posts for the rest of the week. Tomorrow I’m sharing “What I’m Wearing Lately,” and I’ll post “What I’m Reading Lately” on Friday. Lots of good stuff planned to get us back on track. See you then!
P.S.S. This week also marks SIX years of blogging for me. Ridiculous. In honor of that milestone, I’m working on a post to answer some of your frequently asked questions about starting a blog, making money from blogging, etc. If you have a question you’d like answered, please email me (samandscoutblog@gmail.com) or leave it in the comments here. I’d love to share what little bit I know!