Duck 2012

What a week we have had! We have spent it here at Duck, NC with around 40 family members from my paternal grandmother's side. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cousins have enjoyed a week of fun, relaxation, and catching up with one another. Coming to Duck is a tradition started around 25 years ago by my Mema (Edna) and her sisters, my great aunts. All of us grand kids grew up being brought to the beach by our parents and little did we know the bond that was being created:) It has been 10 years since I have come And I don't remember a season when my mom was ever able to come and really stay because she was always caring for my granddaddy or my dad. But this year, my mom stayed the whole week and enjoyed the ocean and watching her grandchildren play. What a wonderful week! Here are a few pictures from our last night, I took the twins out to say goodbye to the ocean and it got a little messy, but oh so fun!

Front Porch Living

One thing I love about living in my Nana and Papa's house is their front porch. I love sitting on the porch with the twins just rocking away, waving at the slow stream of traffic. Today was a day for that. An added perk is that the twins get to watch the ongoing construction on the church across the street, a definite joy for a three year old little boy:)

Summer Fun

This year we invested in a larger outdoor pool and it has been such a source of fun for our family! Just before our bedtime routine tonight, Steven and the twins jumped in for a quick dip and had a blast. It is so awesome to hear them outside giggling and splashing. I love looking out the window and seeing them playing together. So thankful to be in this beautiful home, in beautiful Jamesville, with this beautiful family that God has blessed me with! Enjoying these little years:)

VBS 2012

This was Berkley and Meredith's first year participating in Vacation Bible School at Piney Grove and boy did they enjoy themselves! VBS has certainly come far since my childhood, it was quite a production. I co-lead the music this year, which gave me a great opportunity to get to know many of the children in our church family. I pray that the seeds of truth planted in their hearts this week about God's amazing love will take root and help lead my little ones to love Christ! Thank you to their diligent teachers who I know are worn out after a week of leading a rambunctious group of 2-3 year olds! Below you will see a picture of Berkley hugging one of his teachers and Meredith singing in music; the patch on her leg was from their lesson on the good Samaritan.

Yee Haw!

This little shirt, vest, and boots have been worn by many of my cousins from years past. So sweet to see my Meredith all smiles wearing it!

First Swimming Lesson

The twins had their first swimming lesson today in Washington. I'm a crazy woman for signing them up for the 8am class when it's a 20 minute drive, but I figured we could do anything for 8 lessons. Berkley who is usually like a fish in the water had a meltdown over something, but I calmed him down with a bribe of a new toy car...don't criticize, it's a 20 minute lesson and he was SO LOUD that he was scaring the other kids. Thankfully he calmed down and ended up enjoying the lesson. Meredith is usually hesitant, but she did awesome the whole time, she was so happy! The best part about the lesson was that Steven's cousin, Landon, was one of the instructors. It always helps to see a familiar and loving face! I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of the lessons go. And a side note, I took the twins to Brownie Bakery for breakfast afterwards. It's a bakery in Washington that was like a dream world to me when I was a child. It was fun to share my love for Brownie Bakery with them!