Tennessee Trip :)

What a wonderful vacation we had in beautiful Gatlingurg Tennessee! The weather was great and the company was even better :). The first night we arrived in Gatlinburg we went out for BBQ on Tom's Birthday, and he opened his present from me and the boys. We even got to meet up with his old high school friend, Eric for lunch earlier. We were sneaky, and had all the waiters come sing him a pretty cool version of Happy Birthday, while presenting him with a wonderful scoop of ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate syrup! The next day Bamma, Pop-pop and Auntie Lina arrived. Despite their jet lag and sleep deprivation we managed to throw a pretty fun dual Birthday party for Brandon (5) and Bamma (50). We grilled out and had some yummy chocolate cake for dessert. We spent a lot of time relaxing and enjoying Tennessee's beauty, but we ate out a little too much; darn those yummy pancake houses!! We even got to visit a Salt and Pepper Museum--interesting! I must say we also got our fill of cloggers and the brewery!
We also had a wonderful time pre-Tennessee, at Gigi's and Pa's house. Tom and I had our birthday celebration, complete with our very own birthday cake, and key lime pie--my favorite!! Gigi and Pa braved the boys for a few hours while Tom and I hit the treadmills at their local gym to burn some of that key lime off! Are you up for it again Dove and Nancy!? Ha ha just kidding; we wouldn't do that to you again :)
Well, we're just about all packed up again for another trip to Kentucky (I'm blogging while I wait for the last of many loads of laundry to dry) to spend some time with all the family :). It's been an eventful couple weeks for us. Oh.......and we had photographs taken on the beach today! My friend, who took the pictures, has a website that she will download the pictures on soon: http://www.littlebit.smugmug.com/ I am so excited to see how they turned out!

Boys will be boys!

Brandon and Wes are definitely taking advantage of the long summer days playing in the dirt! It reminds me of my "mud pie making" days :). Brandon often still insists on wearing his super hero costume through out the 90 degree weather! The neighbors caught a shark on their new boat, and thought Brandon (as superman) conquering the shark would make a cute picture :). Our little Wes is getting smarter and more independent by the day! Just yesterday I asked him to go get his shoes; sure enough he turned around and picked up his shoes. Then I said we are going outside, so he walked to the door and started to turn the door knob. His new favorite word is "hello," and he actually knows to say it when he has a phone to his ear!
Well, we are busy preparing for the Tennessee trip on the 8th; we are having a joint birthday party for Brandon (5) and Bamma (50) in a beautiful mountain cabin!! We are also very excited to see everyone in Kentucky at the end of the month. After all of our fun vacation destinations it's time for us to get down to business! We are leaving Beaufort, to make the trip across country, on August 25th. We get to stop and see Gigi in Pa, and a friend of mine in Texas :). I am so anxious about the thought of Wes being strapped in his car seat for 8-10 hrs. a day, and also very sceptical! We will eventually arrive in California, but our goal is to get there on the 30th of August.
Other than that, we are all doing well; trying to enjoy the beautiful beaches before we reside in the desert! A friend of mine is a photographer, and she is going to actually take pictures of the family on Hunington Island-- I'm so excited to see how they turn out! I am also proud to say that I aced my first online class, and I am heading full speed ahead :). We can't wait to see everyone, and we wish you all a very happy (safe) 4th of July!!