Bowlin Beige

This past weekend we made the trip to Skip and Reva's mountain home in North Carolina. This was Parker's first trip to the in-law's house, and he also go to meet his Uncle Scott, Aunt Kelli, and three cousins! The views are always beautiful, and we even got to enjoy watching a thunderstorm roll up the mountain on Friday.  The dads took some of the kids to the creek to play on the rocks and splash in the water, while the moms stayed at home and relaxed. On Saturday Reva watched the younger kids - Carolina (4), Ainsley (3), and Parker (5 months), so the rest of us could go tubing down the Green River. Skip, Scott, Kelli, Eric and I, plus Maddie (13) and Caleb (10) enjoyed a leisurly 3-mile float down the river, with a few "rapids" thrown in to keep it exciting! That afternoon we gathered ALL the kids and took the whole family back to the creek for some playtime. The kids jumped on rocks, searched for crawfish, threw sticks, played in the mud, and had a...

I feel like I spend so much time talking about the funny things that Ainsley is doing that I forget to mention our newest little guy. I just can't get over what a happy baby Parker is. He almost never cries - so little, in fact, that when he does cry it usually means something is wrong. Last weekend we discovered he had an ear infection, simply because he was crying and we knew that was not normal. Parker is the easiest baby and has been such a wonderful addition to our family.  He always has a smile ready for anyone who looks at him, and he especially loves to coo and flirt with any nearby females. He's going to be a heart-breaker when he gets older! Parker greets me each morning with an excited smile to start the day. It's probably because I'm his food source, but I like to think he's also anxious to spend time with me. He smiles at Ainsley whenever she is making silly faces at him, or when she holds toys for him to grab, or covers him with her blanket. She is q...

Last week we spent an amazing five days in Kiawah Island, SC with some of our best friends and their children. This has become an annual trip for us, but this year was a little more crazy than usual. Ten adults and eight kids (four toddlers, four infants) and somehow we still managed to have a great time! Ainsley loved playing at the beach and swimming in the pool with her friends Whitney and Timmy. Parker enjoyed... well, he slept a lot, as usual. But he did have fun watching all the other kids and liked chillin' in the pool with Mommy. Ainsley found some sea shells and a starfish (which she excitedly showed to all her friends at home). Luckily she inherited her Nana's skin - she tans easily and never burns! She is getting more comfortable with her swimming skills and enjoyed swim races in the pool with Timmy and Whitney.  Her favorite game was getting on the raft and escaping the "alligators" (dads in the pool).  A favorite memory is watching the naked kids sitti...