Fenwick Island: Round 2

All four of us were so excited to head back to Bayside on Fenwick Island this summer, we had so many fun memories from last year and couldn't wait to make many more this time around, and of course bring Hayley along. James had the amazing idea of bringing our sitter along with us, to help with the kids and so that we could both get a bit of a break. Let me tell you, we are never going on a vacation without Ally again!!
The day we arrived was spent unpacking and getting settled, James and I taking naps and a few drinks. The boys were tired from the drive down so we all just relaxed and caught up with ourselves.
Sunday, we spent at the pool. The boys jumped in and out all afternoon long, Hayley enjoyed the splash pad and we all had fun hanging out together. By late afternoon the kids were exhausted so Ally took all 3 of them back for naps while James and I hung poolside with a few drinks! (I dont even remember the last time that happened) That evening we went down to the Ocean City, MD boardwalk for ice cream and rides.

The next day called for a beach day. Even though it's a bit of a drive, Lewes Beach is worth it as it's perfect for the kids. We were all beyond happy to feel the sand between our toes again. The boys spent most of the day in the water splashing around and playing on the bogie boards we picked up. Having Ally on the beach with us, was the greatest thing ever! She was able to help with Hayley while James and I played with the boys in the water and then she was an extra set of eyes on the boys when Hayley didn't want anyone besides me. Speaking of Hayley she took a minute to warm up to the water but after a few minutes was floating around in the ocean with all of us.

Most of our vacation rotated between days at the pool, or at the beach and a couple of days it included both. Drinks always included. It was extremely relaxing and I know the boys loved getting to spend so much time with James. Tuesday the weather wasn't that great so we had a lazy morning, had lunch and the kids played on the playground at Da Lazy Lizard and then took a drive around Assateague Island hunting for wild ponies; which we found.

James and I got to enjoy an evening out on our own. We went to dinner at Harpoon Hanna's (one of our favorite spots down that way) and stayed for a few drinks afterwards. I love getting kid free time with him, and celebrating our 7 year anniversary made it even more special.

Bayside has it's own fishing dock and kayaks, so one morning James and I took the boys out on the kayaks. I was curious to see how they would do being out on the water; they looooved it. Asher had his feet propped up on the front on the kayak and this big grin on his face looking like he was where he was meant to be. I loved getting to spend some time just them, and I know they felt the same way. Once they had enough of the kayaks we decided to try crabbing. While they were excited to do it, they were a tad shy of the actual crabs. We caught quite a few, though much to James disappointment, we couldn't keep them.
Dad and Jen came down for the last couple of days, I hadn't taken a vacation with them since I was in college. We spent many hours at the pool, us adults went out to dinner one evening, and we took them crabbing, which was so much fun and something I really enjoyed as Dad used to take David and I when we were younger.

When Saturday rolled around and it was time for us to go home, we were all so sad. We have come to love Bayside so much, and all that it brings. Until next time Fenwick!!!

Hayley Ann Mae: Seven Months

I totally got behind with my posts, but I did get her photo taken :)

Hayley Ann Mae: Eight Months

I was doing so well keeping up with Hayley's monthly updates, but then vacation and the 3 kid thing happened and there went 7 months. Therefore, this month 7 and 8 combined. Sorry Hayley!!!
These past two months, baby girl has been growing by leaps and bounds, so much so, I feel like I have a one year old! Maybe it's just her being an over achiever, or its a boy vs. girl thing but she has picked things up waaaay faster than either of the boys did (minus speech, the boys were saying numerous words by 8 months).
Her personality has really started coming through and we are catching a glimpse of the little girl she is going to be. She loves having attention, and will fake cough or cry if she feels it is lacking. She is extremely happy and loves when its loud and pure madness in the house. If the boys are running around or wrestling, she is sitting there roaring and kicking her legs in excitement! I have a feeling she is going to be our wild one.
Each month we are just more amazed with our Lady Hayley, and still have moments where we can't believe that she is ours.

Stats: no official weigh in but probably just under 20lbs

Sleep: Well our amazing little sleeper disappeared around 7 months. It all started the night she cut 2 teeth, she and I were up from midnight until 6am, of course it also happened to be the night before we left for vacation. For a month straight she was waking up every night, multiple times and sometimes would be awake for a couple of hours. I'm not sure if it was teething related, wonder weeks or just a phase. It seems to be over for the most part, thank goodness!! Most nights she is asleep by 7:30pm and wakes up at 7am. Big news!!! Hayley was moved into her room, her own room...at 7 months old...shocking I know!! However she seems comfy in the crib and I'm doing ok, I only check the monitor a handful of times throughout the night lol. Nap wise, she was taking two solid naps, but now it seems she is starting to drop her morning nap, which why wouldn't she seeing I'd had Tuesday and Thursday mornings to get things done while the boys are at school.

Social: Our girl is still as nosey as ever and loves to be in the mix of it all! Whenever Chase and Asher get together with their guy friends, the boys dote on her and you can tell she loves every minute of it. She gets so excited whenever she sees another baby her age, and apparently her friend Amelia is her jungle gym.

Diet: For the most part Hayley eats pieces of food instead of purees. There really isn't much that she doesn't like. She is a huge fun of pulled pork, grilled cheese, soups. One of her favorites is anything with banana in it.

Skills/Milestones: Where do I even start? She has two teeth, her bottom two to be exact and cut them at exactly the same time. No wonder the girl was up all night! Since 6 months she has been getting up on hands and knees but just couldn't figure out how to go forwards, finally right at 7 months she just took off one afternoon and hasn't stopped since.  The next day she started to pull herself to standing on any toy or piece of furniture that she can. 

Favorites: Mummy, Daddy, Chase, Asher, Cisco looooves music and being sung to, enjoys bath time, her exersaucer, playing in water.

Connecticut Getaway

After taking Grandma to Connecticut when she visited at the beginning of the summer, the boys and I agreed that we needed to take James/Daddy there. It was the kind of setting we knew he would love and there was so much that we wanted to go back and do.
We split our time between staying at a hotel in Mystic and then visiting my side of the family in Stonington. Traveling with kids is never boring, the first night at the hotel involved Chase throwing up all of himself and the bed he and James were sharing at 1am. Thankfully we got him, and the bed cleaned up without waking Chase or Asher, I mean thats pretty impressive. We also managed to escape anyone else getting sick while we were away!
That first day we took it easy with Chase still not feeling quite 100%. We decided to visit the Mystic Seaport. I had been to Mystic back in high school and remembered this living museum being so much fun. We all had a great time exploring the big ships, visiting the fishing village and exploring the kids area.

The next day was beautiful so we decided to hit the beach for the day. When we had been to CT back in June, Ruth had shown us their town beach, and I remembered how perfect it seemed for little kids. And I thought right. It was small, not busy, zero waves and had tide pools for hunting crabs. Besides walking up into town for lunch, we spent the entire day there. We built sandcastles, explored the tide pools, swam in the water and played catch. We ended the day with dinner in downtown Mystic on the water where the boys could watch the train go by and boats come in and out of the marina.

The following day we visited the Mystic Aquarium. The boys were so excited to as they love all sea life. We were impressed as this aquarium had a sea lion show, which enthralled the boys and various other sea creatures that we had never seen before, except in a book. The boys favorite part was this huuuuge tank and inside was a puffer fish which just amazed them. My favorite exhibit was the beluga whale. I've never seen one in person and it was such a beautiful creature. That same day we headed to Ruth's house. The boys adored Ruth from our last visit and were so excited to see her again.

We couldn't go to Mystic and not take James to Mystic Drawbridge ice cream. It is the best I have ever tasted. I let Hayley have a little taste and she discovered her love for it at that moment. If i didn't give her more immediately she would yell at me, it was very entertaining for us and those sitting around us.

The kids were way over tired our last full day there in CT so we took it a little easier and headed to a cafe for brunch which was recommended to us, and it was so yummy. With full bellies we took a drive to Rhode Island while the kids took a well needed nap. In the afternoon we visited the Stonington Lighthouse. It's a small building but still fun to go in and look around. We ended our little getaway by going to one of our new favorite restaurants called Dogwatch Cafe. Any place that has backyard games to keep the kids entertained is a hit in our book.
The first half of this year, James has been so busy at work and we were well overdue for some quality time with him. I know it this trip was all what we needed, James had time away from him computer and phone, and we got to spend time with our favorite guy.

Asher rambles

Lately, around bedtime, Asher has been opening up, asking questions about the universe and telling us funny stories. I forget, from when Chase was this age, how all of a sudden they want to know everything, some of it is comical and other times just precious, either way I want to take note of these moments. So last night, James was laying with Asher when in the midst of random questions  Asher asked, "will Jesus still love me if I don't have hair?" What a great opening to tell him how he never has to worry if Jesus loves him. That he always will! No matter what! Obviously at almost 3, he has no clue how deep of a question he asked, but I just love that he I asking about Jesus and want to know that He loves us.