Charlotte

I recently went to Charlotte with the boys. We stayed with Laurie and David and their 3 dogs. The dogs were great entertainment for Hunter. It was so hot while we were there so we enjoyed the slip-n-slide and the pool. A big thanks to Laura for meeting us there! We also got to hang out with Rebecca, Emily and Nicole. Mommy got some much needed girls nights too! Miss you friends and can't wait to see you soon!

7.

seven. lucky number 7. i do feel like the luckiest girl in the world. i am blessed beyond measure to have Nathan as my husband. he gets me. we can have a conversation without opening our mouth. he knows when and how to pry my deepest thoughts out. i'm thankful that despite knowing more of my sin than anyone else, he has more grace for me than anyone else. i love that our boys are privileged to look up to such a passionate, fun-filled, Godly man. happy 7th anniversary love!

9 months

Andrew has discovered how to stand up from sitting down and wants to be standing as much as possible now. He knows how to crawl regularly, but prefers his original speedy army crawl

He loves when we clap for him. He waves bye now.

His first official word was ball. He says it when he sees one or when he hears us talking about one. I have heard ma-ma and da-da on several occassions, but not as frequently as ball.

He had quite a fever virus that lasted for 8 days. He was a sick little guy and one reason I know that is because he didn't want anything to eat. I know he lost some weight.

He loves loves the pool. He likes to splash water in his face and just chills in his pool float.

Fun at Watercolor

Watercolor

At the end of June, we drove to Florida and met Nathan's family in Watercolor. It is on the gulf between Pensacola and Panama City on the famous 30-A. It is such a beautiful place full of southern charm with coastal accents. This was our 3rd time there, so we have many traditions now!

The trip was a bit different than we had envisioned, mostly because it rained SO MUCH while we were there. We were getting part of the hurricane, so it was torrential rain.

Many people asked us about the oil in the gulf. We didn't see any tar balls, however, we did see lots of people on clean-up crew. There were basins with soap and scrubbers for you to wash your feet off after you got out of the ocean. After speaking with 2 different people, we decided it was unsafe for the boys to get in the ocean due to the oils' (unseen) presence and mainly due to the oil dispersant.

Andrew also spiked quite a fever while we were there. We took him to Urgent Care where they put him on meds for an ear infection.

Despite the oil, rain, and sickness, we had a great time being with family. It was such a gift to spend a full week with the family. We loved our conversations, time playing in the pool and Sequence! I'm was a treat to not fix meals everyday and to have help with boys!

red, white and BLUES

We laid low today since we just got back from vacation last night and because our little Andrew is feeling sick. He's had a high fever since Wednesday and it just doesn't want to leave. A trip to the doctor is always fun on a holiday.

Hunter, however, had a great time tonight outside playing with the hose and riding in his car down the hill. We also enjoyed the firecrackers with the Markles in our street.

**sorry for the poor quality. my camera is broken :( so i used my phone**