Family Vacation at The Cape

This summer we went back to Wellfleet, MA to the same spot we vacationed last year. Aaron and Helena loved that it was exactly as they remembered it the year before and Natalie loved racing right behind them. We rented a large house with Stacie's parents, sister and cousin's families. The kids loved being together and had a fantastic week together!

Natalie and Helena bright eyed, bushy tailed and ready for a day at the beach

Natalie "catches up" on her laptop out on the porch

Our first day at the beach was pretty overcast but it didn't stop Aaron from having a great time!

Can you tell Natalie loves the water?

Aaron walking in the shallow waters of Mayo Beach

Mayo Beach is the perfect place for the kids to explore ocean sea life

Collecting shells with Grandma

One of our favorite pictures of Helena enjoying the water

Helena, growing up so fast!

Aaron and Helena having a great time together

Helena and Aaron were having a detailed conversation about the tides

Julian and Lexi strolling on the beach

Grandpa and Natalie

Lexi and Natalie

Natalie playing on the beach

Taking a walk with Grandma, looking for shells

Helena and Ainsley loved playing together

The four year olds running in the water

Aaron loved having another boy to play with

One of the days during the week, Helena befriended a little girl and they had a blast on the boogie board together

The boogie boards were the biggest hit of the week, Grandma and Grandpa bought each of the kids their own and they spent hours on out in the waves during high tide riding their boards

One of Scott's favorite days of the week was the afternoon he spent with them out on the waves. It was a really windy day and the waves were pretty big for a beach on the bay. All three of them had a blast and the kids never slept so well!

Grandma and Natalie having fun on the beach

Julian and Lexie

Grandpa, Lexi, Auntie Barbara and Julian during Square Dancing

This photo was taken on the last day of our vacation. Everyone had left earlier in the day due to some rain, but we decided to wait it out and returned to the beach in the late afternoon after the rain. The sun came out and it was high tide. It was my favorite day at the beach!

Daddy and the girls on the boogie boards

Mommy and the girls

Mommy and Helena relaxing together

Sports Camp

Scott and I signed Aaron and Helena up for Sport's Squirts camp this summer. They both love to play with soccer balls, basketballs, and baseball's out in our backyard and we knew that Sport's Squirts would be fun for both of them. The coaches were wonderful with all of the kids and Aaron and Helena loved learning about a new sport each day. The coaches used kid friendly vocabulary to introduce the equipment each day and taught them about each sport using children's characters and popular children's movies. It was so much fun to watch!

Listening to directions

Helena and her new friend, Mia, take a few minutes to chat

Playing "still as a statue"

Coach Rhodri and Coach James pose with Aaron and Helena on the last day of camp

17 Months Old

Natalie is now 17 months going on 4 years old. Although I like to think that she is still my baby, she reminds me on more than one occasion each day that she wants no part of being a baby. Her every moment is spent trying to play just like her older brother and sister and, for the most part, she does a pretty good job keeping up. Natalie is now able to run and walks very well. She is stable on the stairs and can make her way up with little assistance. She is able to say many words now and her laugh melts my heart.

Natalie wants no part of using a "baby swing", she sees Aaron and Helena use a "big kid swing" and she wants to do the same. After lots of practice and a little bit of stress on Mommy's part, Natalie is able to slowly swing on the "big kid swing" by herself, which is just as she likes it!

Summer vacation is exhausting!

Natalie fell asleep one early afternoon as I was pushing her gently on the swing.

Summer Fun

This summer is off to a great start! The kids have enjoyed a more relaxed schedule for sure, and our days are filled with lots of time spent outdoors. While I find myself exhausted at the day's end, the kids are just as tired, but we are having so much fun!

Aaron, Helena and Natalie cool off with popsicles in the "clubhouse"

I took Aaron and Helena to Stay and Play one afternoon to play on the water slides. They had such a great time climbing up and sliding down and to make it an even better afternoon, Aaron bumped into a friend from preschool and that made our day even better!

Aaron and Helena are quite the artists. They love to mix colors and paint pictures. The warm days are perfect for painting out on the breezeway, which provides shade and a cool breeze.