Beach Squirrel

We have been going to the lake every Tuesday this summer with Tasha and her family. One Tuesday this little squirrel came right up to our beach chairs, looking for some food.

The kids enjoyed throwing him some goldfish and the squirrel seemed to enjoy the little treat!

Cousin Fun!

The Torgesen family came up for a visit at the end of July and we had a great time bonding with cousins again! These two girls have so much fun together, at least most of the time!

Nolan loved getting spoiled by his cousin Paige. He was quite the cuddle bug with her.

Ben is currently looking for work after a year sabbatical and has expanded his search to include the D.C. Metro area. It is a long shot that they would move from North Carolina but we all think it would be so much fun to have all the Cleveland cousins so close together!!

All-Star!

The 8-10 All Star Season has come to an end and it was kind of crummy to be perfectly honest. They lost every game they played and never could figure out how to play as a team. But lessons were learned and we got some cute pictures of our little baller out of it so I guess it wasn't a total loss!!

It's actually pretty nice having it come to an end though so we don't have to worry anymore about practices and games cutting into our summer schedule. We are still proud of our little All-Star and can't wait to see how he will continue to progress as a baseball player!

Dentist Diva!

Six months ago I took Maylie to her first dentist appointment and it was an absolute disaster. She screamed and cried the whole time and the dentist wasn't able to do anything with her teeth.

On Thursday, July 19th all the kids had their dentist appointments and Maylie was an absolute angel patient this time around. She sat in the chair all by herself, got a full cleaning done including some polish at the end. I loved seeing her all relaxed with her sunglasses on to protect her eyes from the overhead lights.

This time she definitely earned her certificate, a prize, and a new princess toothbrush. I hope she continues to be an angel patient for the dentist!!

Six Flags in the Summer!

We headed over to Six Flags on Saturday, July 14th so we could enjoy the water park that is only open during the summer months. We really enjoyed all the different water slides and the lazy river but our favorite area was probably the wave pool. We spent a lot of time there!

Here was also a fun kids area that was especially fun when the water would dump out of the giant bucket up on the top and drench everyone!!

We spent several hours in the waterpark and then changed into our regular clothes before heading out to the amusement park area. We only last about an hour though because it was so hot before deciding that we were ready to head back home. I hope we can make it back one more time to enjoy the waterpark before it closes for the season though because we really did have a great time there!

Discovery Fun

We busted out our membership to the Discovery Station one Friday morning and the kids had a great time there like usual. They especially love the arts and crafts area. 

Maylie loved painting and building with blocks...

Landon created his own version of the Empire State Building...

Nolan created a little ball toss game with some recycled supplies!

Abby stayed upstairs doing more crafts while the boys headed downstairs to try their luck in car building and racing.

20 Weeks!

Now that I am feeling better, this pregnancy is really going by quickly. I loved seeing our little man during our 20 week anatomy scan on Thursday, July 12th. He was quite the mover which I had already figured out with all of his movements that I feel during the day!

I really loved this cute picture of his little face!! He already looks like a Call baby, especially like a little Nolan!

A profile shot...

A good shot of his head, torso and curled up little legs!!

And a little creepy one of his face!!

Over halfway there to meeting this little guy and we are all so excited!!

Free Slurpees!!

Abby helped us to remember free slurpee day at 7-11 on July 7th. A yummy treat for us all!!

Summer with friends!

The kids have enjoyed getting together with various friends this summer. A lot of Abby's friends belong to Northwood Pool so we are always glad when we are there on a day when some of her friends are there too. Here are a few of them swimming together...

Landon  got invited to go to Six Flags with his friend Bridger and his mom sent me these pictures during their fun day. Landon tried his first Turkey Leg and was quite a fan!!

Oh how I love all the fun summer memories we are making!!

Outer Banks 2018

I think I came to the realization this year that our Outer Banks trip that we take every July is my most favorite week of the year. I LOVE the Christmas season too, but man alive I love just soaking up the sun, relaxing in our beautiful beach house and being surrounded by people that I love so very much. It always goes by way too fast!! I mean look at this view...

We caught the sunset one night as we strolled along the boardwalk. So beautiful!!

This year we did a few different things which I absolutely loved. Most days we go to the beach in the morning but on a couple of days we decided to do evening beach trips and it was so fun!! It was cooler, less crowded, and the waves were gorgeous!! Of course the view of these three boys and their skinny white legs couldn't be beat!!

My favorite thing about the OBX is being surrounded by my wonderful family. We all have a great time together and I love the time that we get to share here in this special place. My sister Tami wasn't able to join us this year but we hope she will be back next year!

My mom would be so proud that we got some family pictures and even a cousin "stairstep" picture at the beach too! 10 grandchildren and one more on the way!!

I still can't decide whether I love the beach or the sound side more. We are lucky to experience both each time we go to the OBX!

The other fun adventure that we tried for the first time this year was renting a pontoon boat for a day on the sound. It was soooo much fun and I think it will become a regular tradition from here on out. Here is our handsome driver...

The kids loved riding in the boat and then getting off at various points to swim in the sound. This is the first time we had gone swimming in the sound and enjoyed this experience, especially the "gloopy gloo" that was on the bottom that we walked through!

The kids even had the chance to drive the boat for a bit which they loved!!

Getting in lots of cousin time is the best!!

Forcing my children to take pictures is always fun too!

We always go to the Outer Banks during the week of July 4th and love participating the town of Duck's annual parade. This year the kids sold water and Capri-Suns during the parade and made $120 in just 30 minutes!! They sold out before the parade even began so they are already planning on how to bring more next summer!

Of course we also spent many afternoons shopping along the boardwalk in Duck! Oh how I miss this place but am already looking forward to returning next year!!