Wow! What a great summer this has been so far! Although it is very quickly - way too quickly - coming to an end, we do still have a few weeks before it's back to school time. We must enjoy it while we can!
My summer break started off on such a good note as I was able to take a girls' trip to Florida with my college roommates. We had such a fun time relaxing on the beach, eating great food, and of course acting ridiculous. I am so fortunate to have such a close relationship with these wonderful friends I lived with way back in 1992. When I am with them, it's like I'm existing in some in between space between who I was way back then and who I am now. It's a perfect place to celebrate the milestone of turning 40. I was also very grateful that Tim encouraged me to take this trip. I was apprehensive about being gone for four nights - a first - but he and Benjamin did great without me.
Just a few days after returning from Florida, it was time to leave again for the Wootan family vacation in the hill country. We were all really excited to spend a week at the lake relaxing. Benjamin was especially excited to spend time with his cousins and celebrate his sixth birthday! This year he requested a Hawaiian themed party. I think he started making plans for his party in January or February. I even found an entry in his school journal from April in which he describes what his birthday party at the lake will be like. Hopefully, the real deal lived up to his expectations. Nana made him a pineapple upside down cake and he received presents galore. "This is too much," he said at one point during gift giving. So sweet. Mostly, he just had lots of fun playing with his cousins. I, on the other hand, was feeling weepy about my little guy turning 6...
After another successful lake vacation, it was time to head home for a few weeks. We spent the first few weeks of July in Dallas. Benjamin really worked on his swimming skills taking two sessions of lessons at the YMCA and Tim taking him to the pool as often as possible. We enjoyed the 4th of July with friends for the annual parade and the fireworks as well. Those few weeks were nice to relax and hang out with our friends. But soon it was time to hit the road again.
For our next trip, we headed to Georgia and then on to Alabama to visit the Pattillos. We started off spending a couple of days in Tucker with our friend Dave. Tim loves to make the rounds and reminisce in his old hometown. We also got to help Dave celebrate his birthday and my good friend Amy was able to stop by for a visit as well. Our next stop was Dahlonega where we got to spend a little time relaxing in the mountains of north Georgia. We rented a little cabin in the middle of nowhere and then did some driving around to see some things in the area. It was absolutely beautiful there. I am so glad that we got to take this quick side trip.
Our final stop was Gulf Shores to visit the Pattillo family. Our visit was so relaxing - lots of swimming, visiting, eating, and playing with cousins. Tim did his best to catch some fish, but he didn't have much luck. Although Benjamin really missed spending time with
whole Pattillo crew, he was very happy to play with cousins we did see! Visiting Grandma and Pop-pop each summer at the beach is so much fun, and we are so grateful for this time.
Along with all our experiences this summer, we have also had our minds on the not so distant future arrival of another member of our family. We've had lots of talk about names, nursery decor, and "just wait till next summer." Each week I'm growing a little rounder and we are all growing more excited to welcome baby girl.
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