Linville July 2012

 The weekend after July 4th, we headed up to Linville for a lovely few days.  Nama came with us.  Good thing, too - who would've kept my boy from falling in otherwise???  ;)

 

 

 We were trying to feed bread to the fish, but they weren't biting.  Gluten-free fishies?

 

 So we went and found ourselves some rocks...

...and threw 'em off the side of the bridge.

 Again,

 and again,

 and again. For like a hundred hours.

When I suggested we do something different for a bit, here was the look I got:

So, we did some more. 

The next morning, we hung out in our jammies for a while.  (Yes, long pants and a jacket in July. Ahhhh, Linville.)

 Then we had breakfast al fresco at the picnic table on the back porch.

Arlo helped Nama set the table:

- Katie

Chicken Dance

Here we go again.  I'm attempting the Herculean tasking of "catching up".  With new baby's pending arrival (well, in 3 more months!), I figure this will be my best opportunity. 

I will try to be choosy.  I will try to edit myself.  We'll see how it goes.  

Waaaaay back in July (OMG), we went to a Durham Bulls game.  It was a party put on by one of Charlie's breweries, so they had rented out the 3rd base party deck.  This brought back fond memories of our rehearsal dinner nearly 4 years ago which was also held at the 3rd base party deck.  If you need a little reminder of the fun we had that night, be sure to check out this clip.  So proud. ;)

And a different sort of video clip where Arlo was providing the entertainment rather than Charlie and Casey (I need to figure out how to edit out my own voice. Will I never learn?! Shhhh!):

The fun thing about being behind in posting is having an excuse to go through these old photos and videos and seeing how much my boy has grown and changed.  He was about 21 months old in these pics...he is now almost two and a half! Crazy.

- Katie

Dear blog...

I've missed you.  Really and truly.  You are my journal, my scrapbook, my favorite method of sharing pics and stories with family and friends, and motivation for never leaving my camera at home.  I haven't given up on you...we just needed some time apart.  I plan to have you back in my life very soon.  Wait for me. We have a lot of catching up to do.

Love, Katie

Me and Josie B.

Arlo and I had the pleasure of hanging with Miss Josie one afternoon this summer so her mama could get some stuff done.  We had a blast and I just love seeing how the two of them interact.  Their expressions are priceless!

 

They are so sweet together and we had the best time.  

Here are a couple quick pics from a sprayground in Durham.  It's no Splashville, but it was a hit nonetheless!

Beach Bum

Back in June (I know! I'm trying to get caught up!), we finally made it to the beach!  We had looked at a calendar and realized, between my work schedule, Charlie's summer work traveling, etc. that Charlie and I had only 2 or 3 weekends OPEN all summer.  We checked with Dede and Dede Daddy and the only time they could go too was the following weekend!  So Deda made all the plans on Monday and we headed to the beach on Friday.  

This was Arlo's very first trip to the ocean.  He's in a hurry to get there!

Want to see pure joy and excitement?

After he got over the total awesomeness of the ocean, he discovered shells.

We stayed in a great beachfront and poolfront condo in North Topsail.  It had a little porch on the back with a high pub table and chairs.  Arlo found his niche underneath.  He loved sitting under there having snacks while the adults chatted and enjoyed delicious beach-y drinks.

The ocean view from our deck. It was so peaceful and beautiful.  We spent the mornings drinking coffee and searching for dolphins, while Arlo pointed out each and every boat and bird that got near.

After coffee and breakfast, we headed out to the ocean.  I didn't take many pics (sand + wind + camera = not good) so these came from Deda who was braver than I.  

If you know Arlo, you will not be surprised that he loved every single thing about the ocean.  The waves, the sun, the water, the sand, the shells, all of it.  Except maybe for the salt (I don't like saltwater in my eyes either!). 

Refueling.

We are not usually beach people - when we go on vacation, we usually go to the mountains - so I didn't know much about North Topsail.  It was quiet and scenic and peaceful - just what we wanted! 

 The tidepools at low tide were my favorite part.  They allowed for lots of running and splashing and "swimming" (laying on belly and kicking legs) without mommy worrying about the baby being swept away by a rogue wave. 

 But the waves did have a certain allure to this daredevil.

 Just like at the pool ("Deep end!"), I think he would've just kept on going if I didn't hold him back. 

When we'd had enough of the seawater, we'd spend some time in the pool.  Then we'd head in for lunch and a long nap and do it all again in the afternoon.

We do love the mountains, but the beach sure is awesome, too.  Especially when you get to see the joy in your child's eyes as he discovers it himself. 

 

We can't wait until the next beach trip!