Recapping Instead of Packing...

Well, my last post was in honor of Benjamin’s birthday, but I skipped a few noteworthy summer events in my blogging. So, tonight I’m going to do a little summer vacation recap. It’s important that I do this now because we will be leaving early (??!) in the morning to drive to the beach – Gulf Shores, Alabama – and our summer vacation will become even more laden with memories. I need to recap before I forget all the fun stuff we’ve already done.

First of all, the Wootan side of the family went on our annual lake vacation. This year we stayed in a really nice log cabin on Lake LBJ. The cabin was three floors with three bedrooms, a huge kitchen, a wrap- around porch, and lots of televisions. It was a far cry from our lake vacations of old when we camped for real – Coleman stoves, tents and pop ups, Ivory soap in the lake, and take your own tp to the public bathroom (which some years boasted stalls without doors)! Although I have some really great memories of my family and lots of laughter from the old days, I cannot tell a lie: I like cabin dwelling much better. In fact, I don’t even like having to share a bathroom, so this was year’s accommodations were awesome in my book.

Anyway, the point of the whole trip is that we did have lots of fun and ate lots of good food. Benjamin swam in the lake and absolutely loved it. Our swimming hole had a rope swing. Many of us tried it; one or two of us were actually successful. Also, our cabin had its own swing set and a sandy spot near the creek. We all enjoyed the sand and fishing and swinging. Benjamin and his cousins, Emma and Olivia, seemed to adjust to life at the lake well. I think we all could have stayed there a few more days without any complaints. All in all, it was a great time.

Emma Rae, Gina, and Benjamin enjoying some lakeside laughs

Andrew showing off on the rope swing (he was one of the more successful of our family)

Olivia, Emma, and Benjamin checking out the little fishy

Tim's big catch!!! What excitement.

Last week was also a very busy week. Besides celebrating Benjamin’s first birthday, Tim and I decided to do some house cleaning/rearranging. Consequently, our den is now much more spacious and Benjamin-friendly. Well, actually, at the moment, it’s covered in wood flooring boxes because last week we also came to the decision to replace our carpet with bamboo. That will happen when we return from the beach.

In addition to our cleaning and rearranging, we got to visit with the Wootan clan again. My brother Andrew played softball in Mansfield, so we got to see everyone again which was nice. Mom and Dad came over on Sunday and spent some time with us here. They returned home Monday- wish they could have stayed longer, but we enjoyed it while it lasted.

Finally, on Monday, Benjamin went to the doctor for his one year visit. I absolutely cannot believe it has been an entire year. So exciting and a little crazy and a tiny bit sad that he’s changing so quickly… His visit went well, and he’s still at the upper end of the charts on his growth, especially head size. He must have a really big brain!

All in all, this summer has been great so far – busy but great. We’ve gotten to see and visit with friends and family, and Benjamin seems to be enjoying all the new experiences. Tomorrow he’s off to Alabama for his first beach vacation. How wonderful. Speaking of which, I need to finish packing.

I had to add this one of Benjamin sporting his baseball outfit at the softball park- what a cutie.