July 4th & Boys Turn 2

It has been a super rainy summer, but we managed to get up to the lake to spend a little time on and around the 4th of July...not to say we didn't get rained on.  But we still had a fun time!  The kids love riding in the tube and fishing.  

Look at Joshua's face!  lol

John helping Daddy navigate

Snack time

We headed home for naps and to get ready for the fireworks that evening...IF the rain would hold off!

Todd-Hughes-Todd-Hughes-Todd...what comes next?  That's right!  Another Hughes in December ;)

Sweet Greer...just 4 days later he became a big brother for the first time ;)

The spread

Patiently waiting on the show to start...in pj's

Sweet sweet friend

Not many sister pics are taken these days...

We had a great 4th.  The rain did not hold off though.  Just about as soon as the first fireworks shot off, it began to pour.  We all ended up watching the show from inside our garage to be out of the rain.

The next week the boys turned 2.  I remembered my family pretty much wheeling me out the front door for the fireworks show this time two years ago, and I watched from a reclining lawn chair right in the middle of the front yard.  I was as big as the house.  We have come a long way in two years!  

Daddy built the boys a train table for their birthday this year

We have had a great time introducing them to "Thomas"

We woke up the morning of the boys' birthday to an absolute downpour.  Thankfully the rain stopped just long enough for us to have their little party.  Just as the last guests were leaving it began to rain again.  We had such a great day!

Birthday morning toasts w/ Aunt Julee

Birthday biscuit!

John-John's turn

John wasn't happy when Kate tried to blow out his candle :(

Scrunchy faces

Sweet little birthday boy

The cake

That Joshua...lol

Our new favorite bed time story

Setting up the train table

It is GREAT being 2!!!

Oh my sweet boys...how are you TWO?!  What joy it has brought watching you grow!

Foo-fackles

This is John's translation of "popsicle."  We are loving some popsicles in our house this summer.  When I look back to summer 2013 I think two things will immediately come to mind:  popsicles and golf cart.  John runs to the fridge and starts shouting "foo-fackle!" as soon as we get out the door.  Oh, this age!  Everything they do and say is so stinkin' funny.

Ready to ride

Forgive me but the remainder of this post is going to be a bit all over the place.  These are just some random shots from the summer: 

I love this pic of Joe in his truck w/ all 3 car seats across the back seat.  lol

Laid-back Jack!  (or Mattie)

Kate's friend Hadley and her new baby brother came over to play one morning.  Love watching these girls play together!  Hadley and Kate will be starting pre-K together in the same class next week.

We went to the library a few weeks ago for the last "story time" of the summer.  I have decided that story time is still a little over-ambitious for us.  About 10 minutes in they lose total interest and begin running in different directions.  Kate on the other hand LOVES story time.  She would sit there and listen to book after book and sing song after song.  Hopefully the little guys will get there by next summer ;)

Ready for story time!

Listening quietly the first few minutes...didn't last :(

Last week we took the boys for their 2 year-old check up.  How has this happened?  I feel like just days ago we trudged in there with two infant carriers looking like death warmed over.  lol  Something about becoming a parent spins life into speed of light motion.  I don't like it one bit.

We had a little dance party while waiting on Dr. Massey to come in.  I have got to stop and talk about this doctor visit.  The boys were SO good.  The nurses could not believe it.  Normally babies don't get shots at the 2-yr visit but they each did end up getting one shot a piece...we were a little behind on our Hep A.  The nurse came in to stick John and when she did, he puckered up his face just ever so slightly, but never really cried.  He did so good.  Next Matthew got his, and when she stuck him he just looked up at me and never so much as twitched.  The nurse told us that in 22 years of administering vaccines to babies, she had only seen that happen 3 times.  Tough little guys :)  Note:  every time we have EVER been to get shots of ANY kind, all 3 of our children have screamed their faces off.  This was like an out-of-body experience. 

Just before the 4th of July the Sullivans were in town so we all met up for ice cream again just like last year.  It was no easy task getting a shot of all these wild kiddos so we did the best we could.  Can't wait to do it again next year guys!  We miss y'all!

Cameron is my BFF from forever-ago and still to this day.  They live in Connecticut now :( but still come down south to visit family (thank goodness!).  It is still crazy for me to think she had a little boy and then twin girls, and I had a little girl and then twin boys.  What are the odds???

Beautiful kids

Joe and I snuck away last weekend to Charleston to celebrate our anniversary while mom and dad watched the kids for us.  I think this may be the only pic I took from the whole weekend.  It was so wonderful and long overdue, although we missed the little guys pretty bad :/

Walking the battery

We had a great July 4th and the boys are now "2"!  I am once again behind... I will get to those posts soon.  Kate is starting pre-K next week and the boys will be going to Mother's Day Out.  The boys have Kate's same first MDO teachers and Kate will have Will's pre-K teacher from last year...all very very sweet ladies.  We are excited about starting a new year!  Crazy, but Fall is right around the corner again...