Ah Summer

It's been forever since I posted anything, but man, summer's been pretty sweet around here. 

 Camden and Will keep getting closer. Camden has been so darn sweet lately!

 Ice Cream. Lots of it. Makes both Will and me happy.

 Louisville Riverbats baseball games with Mimi and Poppy=sweet memories.

 When oh when did my little Will get so big?

 My boys are the best. Love them so much.

 This picture makes me laugh. I love how serious Will is.

 Will has the wave down.

 Oh Man, do we love Poppy.

 We also love the Splashpark, especially with Thomas.

 This is what Will did during "his nap time" a couple days before we moved. All of those things? Yup, they had been packed.

 So we got out of the house and went to the Zoo!

 My sweet boy.

 And then we moved. Our 6th move in 6 years of marriage. Thanks to wonderful friends and family, it was the easiest move yet.

 That entire truck is PACKED. Tetris packed. Miracle packed.

 And then Brittany and Phil came in town! And off to the Lake we went.

 Loves.

 Sweet bath time.

 Will's new room! Notice the naked boy in the corner.

 Daddy and Will waiting to see the 20 week Ultrasound of Baby Gahan #2!

 And it's a BROTHER!

 The Ultrasound pictures were AMAZING. Beautiful and amazing.  Baby boy looks to be strong and healthy! We are at Week 23 now. I feel him kicking all the time. Miraculous. I also feel HUGE, which I am trying not to think about. I also hope this little guy doesn't turn into either a french fry or ice cream while he's developing...this pregnancy has definitely been different eating-wise. Nothing really sounds good. Ever.

 Will helping us fix up the new house (which we love!)

 Will with his best friend from school.

 Flexing his muscles.

 Thank God Will LOVES to read. Clay and I might be lost otherwise.

 And then John came in town! Hooray!

 Again, when oh when did our little boy get so big?

 We love John!

It's been a great summer full of family time, summer camps at Collegiate, time with friends in town, a new house, online teaching, reading and writing, and loving our little, growing family. 

We feel so very blessed.

Maine: The Way Life Should Be

There are many things to love about Maine.

My list grows longer every year.

But perhaps what I appreciate most about our time in Maine is that we. have. no. schedule.

No classes, no tutoring, no homework, no papers to grade, and when I try hard,

not much cell phone-checking or emailing.

By the time we get to Maine, I am so ready to stop going a million miles a minute

and instead slow down.

It's blissful.

Yummy dinners on the front porch overlooking the ocean.

Play time with Will that isn't overshadowed by more work to do.

Long walks with no destination.

Beautiful, relaxing drives.

Time with my husband that is recreative and fun and simple.

I am grateful to Pat and Kay for many things (raising an awesome son, for one),

but this time with them in Maine is a gift to my soul.

Here are a few sweet moments:

 We are so excited to go to MAINE!!! and have a true vacation!!!!

 This is the view from our front porch. Sick.

 It's been a little rainy and chilly here, but we are taking advantage of every sunny moment we can.

Yesterday we went on a beautiful nature walk. The skies opened up on us, but we didn't really notice.

 Will's new game: Poke Granddaddy with a stick!

The fact that Grandaddy jumps into the air and does a funny dance every time Will pokes him doesn't encourage him at all.

Aren't grandparents God's gift to parents? I mean, really. 

Where would we be without our four incredibly fun, generous, supportive parents?

 They are so dang cute!

 Today looked like one of our best chances to hit the beach, so we braved the frigid water and headed down to York Beach.

(Yeah, not many people vacation in Maine in June. There's a reason why it has been so packed in August the last few years. These New Englanders ain't stupid.)

 Will LOVED the waves. We both went in mid-calf with him, but then we let him brave

the waters by himself one last time.

 One of my new favorite pictures:

 And this morning, a little fishing lesson from Dad.

Clay caught a HUGE bass last night--it was SO exciting as we all perched on the cliffs next to the ocean and held our breath as he reeled it in. The determined fish and the sharp rocks eventually led to its escape, but we can all testify that it was a BIG FISH.

He's ready to go again. 

Love from rejuvenating Maine xoxo