The Beach

We went to Myrtle Beach this past weekend. It was a much needed long weekend away. Tom's been a working horse lately, with a lot of stuff going on in the office. Connor and I have been itching to go to the beach for months now, especially after reading "Goodnight Beach," and "Goodnight Cape Cod" every night before bed. So off we went. 

Connor loved digging in the sand with his big green shovel, and exporting said sand in his dump truck to another space in the never ending sandbox. 

 

{Sweet Story}

We were all sitting on our beach blanket eating a snack when a mom and her three kids (ages 2, 4, and 9) came and set up shop in front of us. The 2-year-old eyed Connor's Mickey Mouse pail and grabbed it. Connor just kinda looked at us and shrugged with a "huh?" The mother told her son to put it back because it wasn't his. Connor was observing in a kind way, like he was concerned that the boy was sad, not in the way that he didn't want to share. So, I said to Connor, "Why don't you go bring your Mickey Mouse pail over to that little boy and say, 'Here you go. You can play with this. I'll share with you.'" He looked at me, back at the pail, and got up to get it. Connor then gave it to the little boy without a fuss. He also grabbed his large orange pail to share with the boy's sister. And, when she said "no thanks. I already have one, " Connor kept shoving it in her face. After I explained to him that she already has a pail to play with, he put it down and came back to finish his snack.

I know it's such a cliche, but I have to say it. Connor really does melt my heart. He is a kind soul. A kid who always greets his friends with a "Hi," and a hug. He pats you on the back when you get hurt, saying, "It's ok." Sure, there are times when staying home with a toddler can be a challenge, but more often than not, it's a luxury. What a priveledge it is to witness such kind actions from my 2-year-old. Raising kids is no easy feat, but all the stress goes away when you look in your child's eyes and see who they really are. There is no pretense with kids. They are who they are, and we love Connor for all that he is.

Mama's Boy...

Connor loves me.

And, I love him, too.

Baby, You're a Firework...

We always look forward to the 4th of July. It means a pool party, water balloon fight, cold beer, friends and family, and yummy cookout food! Jimmy, Andie, Sydney and Alex drive down from PA to come hang and celebrate with us. This year was especially fun because Connor could really interact and play with his older cousins. 

We swam...

 We drank ice cold beer...

 Of course, we made red, white, and blue cupcakes...(and maybe ate all the icing)...

 ...and had a water balloon fight...

At night, we went to the White Water Center, where the kids danced and played games. The fireworks began quickly afterwards:

 

 Connor and Alex goofing around:

 

Such fun summer memories...

Sitting in a Tree

Ok, so we hope they would have the decency to not showcase their romance in a tree at the park or common.  However, Connor and Alice are definitely a cute lil' pair. No matter where life takes us, they will always be each other's first friend. The same can be said for the twosome's awesome parents...Scott and April were our first friends down South too! 

Love you guys. We need a rematch in Jenga soon!

My favorite part of these photos is how they look so cuddly with each other...adorable!

 Uh Oh...

 Going in for the KISS!

 Alice is happy, though...

 Sharing memories of rice cereal, crawling, and first steps...

 Can they get any cuter?

{Fun in the Sun}

Connor's 2 (again)

I am finally dedicating myself to a night full of photos and blogs. I realize I haven't updated this blog in a while. I feel bad. This is supposed to be an online "baby" book for Connor's life, and I've been neglecting it. That sounds like such a mom thing to say, huh? The guilt of not doing something when you really want to just builds up and then you break and do it a thousand times over. Anyways, I can't believe I didn't post pictures from Connor's actual 2nd birthday. His party was fantastic, but his "day of" birthday, was awesome. Grannie came to visit, Mimi and Papa were here, and we all celebrated to the best of our ability (which wasn't hard to do). The presents were thoughtful and the cake, well, the cake was delicious! 

See for yourself:

Connor and Grannie

Connor, Mimi and Papa

 We love you Connor. As cliche as this sounds, it really is hard to believe 2 years has gone by already. We are so proud of you. You can count to 10. You know the colors of the rainbow (plus, brown, white, and black), and you sang the ABC's to the best of your capability the other day! 

You are always happy to give a hug, a kiss, a high five or a fist. You say "yes please," and "no thank you." We make you feel better when we kiss a boo-boo. 

You are the sunshine of our lives, and we love you to the moon and back!