Shark Week...

I have become a big fan of Shark Week on Discovery channel and the boys have loved watching all the new shows with me. Today the boys made their own versions of a shark cage. Conner went the very creative route...

Ben made a very functional version and he explained how it would work perfectly for swimming with sharks!

Later, while Dad grilled dinner, it began to rain a little and Ben and Conner used this opportunity to grab their umbrellas and play in the rain! (And, yes, their shirts are on backwards... been like this all day. Conner started the trend this morning, telling me "this is just the way it goes" and Ben followed along. I don't know...)

Girl Crazy...

Ben, Conner, and I walked to the park this afternoon so the boys could run through the splash pad! They were so cute for the 10 minutes before they turned crazy!!!  I don't know if it was the sunshine, the freedom, or the group of girls that arrived shortly after us, but I watched as my guys chased those girls all over, growling and yelling at them... and I realized that my boys are indeed, almost 9 years old...  I tried to keep them under control, but I eventually rounded them up and we headed home, where we had a nice long talk... but I did get some cute pictures!

Mud Puddles...

Nick took the boys on a bike ride and they managed to find all the mud puddles! They walked in the door with mud splattered on their shirts and faces, and then they showed me how their bikes were all dirty, too! They had a great time!

Swimming Lessons...

First day of swimming lessons!!!

Happy Father's Day!

We enjoyed a fabulous Father's Day on Sunday! After a visit from Nana and Gramps and the boys' baseball game on Saturday, we rested for the rest of the day! By Sunday, we were a bit more rested and ready to enjoy Father's Day and get some stuff done.  Nick also got to smoke some more meat for dinner so he was a happy camper! Halfway through the day, we got out a new pool and we all cooled off in the ice cold water before dinner! Happy Father's Day to Daddy, Gramps, and Papa!

GoodBye...

On Friday morning, we set the boys up with some tablets and got busy getting ready to make the long trip home.

We had another wonderful week at the resort that we have gone to for the last 10 years! Thank you to Mama and Papa for another great vacation! The boys had such a fantastic time and have lots of stories and memories to share!

"Fit it all in" Thursday...

Ben and I are ready to start our last day of vacation and we are going to do a little bit of everything today!

Conner discovered that he could have his own little fort in this huge tree!

Conner, Ben, Nick and I had a late morning fishing expedition...

The afternoon was spent at the beach. The boys also got to tube one last time!

We decided to take some time and make sure that the boys knew what to do if they were in deep water and also had their life jacket on, so they jumped off the dock and floated on their backs for a while!  They were loving it!

Ironically, after the life jacket lesson, Conner and Ben floated out a little too far on their tubes... without their life jackets. I had just told Nick that the boys were out too far, when Conner slipped off his tube and into water where he couldn't touch. Amazingly, our little man moved his hands and feet enough that he was able to stay afloat (for the most part) until Nick reached him! That was a scary ten seconds, that seemed a lot longer, but Conner was so proud of himself!  (Nick put the tubes away after that...) The rest of the day was wonderful!!!

S'mores on our last night...

We had a great last night!