Weekend Getaway

We took a MUCH needed mini beach vacation to Myrtle Beach this past weekend with Greg's parents.  It was wonderful!!  We stayed at the Carribean Resort, which had several pools, kiddie pools, hot tubs, lazy rivers, etc.  It was very family friendly....I would recommend it to anyone with children.  Brayden enjoyed playing on the beach in the sand, but he wasn't that big of a fan of the ocean after a small wave washed over him at the edge of the water and knocked him over!  We were glad to have so many options of things to do...once he would get tired of one area, we'd move on to the next.  His favorite thing to play with was a giant chess set in the indoor pool area.  He would move all the pieces to one side, and then move them back to the other.  Brayden really enjoyed having his Grammy and Grandpa there, and so did Greg and I!  Brayden wanted to spend most of his time with them, which Greg and I didn't object to : )  We had such a good time, but the weekend went by too quickly.  It was very sad leaving yesterday!  Here are some pictures of our trip, along with a little video of Brayden dancing to the music that was playing by the pool.

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Cutting the grass

Brayden LOVES to "help" his daddy cut the grass now.  I let him take his toy lawnmower out a few weeks while Greg was cutting the grass, and now Brayden wants to do it everytime Greg is out there.  It is pretty cute to watch.  He will follow Greg around the whole yard and is just as happy as can be.  Greg is looking forward to the days when Brayden will really be out there cutting the grass.  Of course, by that time Brayden probably will not want a thing to do with it! 

Oswego trip

We took a family trip up to Oswego, NY last week to visit with Greg's relatives. Brayden did GREAT on the drives there and back, 11 + hours each way! I was a little worried after our bad ride up in January, but he kept busy with a few new toys and lots of DVDs to watch. Oswego's annual hometown festival, Harborfest, was going on while we were there, so we got to enjoy some of the activities each day. On Saturday, some good friends we met in NC who moved back to NY last summer came to Oswego for the day. It was great to catch up with them and Brayden enjoyed playing with their son, Keaghan. We got to spend lots of time with Greg's relatives too, including cousin Luciana. We were a little bummed that it rained quite a bit while we were there, but it was nice to enjoy the cooler weather! Sunday was a beautiful day, which was perfect for the family reunion we went to at a local park. Brayden was such a trooper for the entire trip...he made himself right at home everywhere we went and was quite a ham for all of the relatives. Here are some pictures from our trip:

Playing at Harborfest

Brayden & Luciana took part in a kids "band"...Luciana decided to dance instead of playing the tamborine

Brayden & Keaghan

Playing in the sand with cousins at the family reunion

Brayden & Great Grandma Sharkey

After playing hard at the reunion

Beach day

Greg, Brayden and I took a last minute trip to the beach this past Thursday. Greg had to work in the Wilmington area in the morning, so Brayden and I decided to tag along. When Greg finished working, we went to Wrightsville Beach for the afternoon. We weren't too sure of what Brayden would think of the beach (especially since we got there around nap time), but he seemed to enjoy it. He really liked playing in the sand and looking for sea shells. He also enjoyed the ocean a bit, but not as much as I had thought he would....maybe next time. Here are some pictures from our afternoon.

4th of July weekend

We've had a great holiday weekend celebrating the 4th of July. Brayden was in his first "parade" on Saturday morning with lots of other children in my parents neighborhood. All of the kids decorated their bikes, scooters or wagons and went around a few blocks with a fire truck leading the way. I think Brayden enjoyed it...he loves to ride in his wagon all the time.
We got a big surprise at the parade too when my sister & niece showed up from Wilmington and learned that Brayden has a cousin on the way. Come February, Brayden won't be the baby in the extended family anymore...we are very excited to meet the new addition!

Brayden, Margo & Reese
The parade starts

Grandpa & Carolina (notice her shirt!)

Lydia joined Brayden in the wagon when she got tired of pushing her scooter

Margo & Brayden relaxing after the parade

We spent Saturday & Sunday nights at Greg's parents house. We got in a little sun and fun at the pool, and then watched fireworks both nights in their neighborhood. Brayden was VERY scared by the fireworks for the first few minutes, but he eventually calmed down a little to watch (Callie on the other hand was a nevous wreck the whole time). Brayden was definitely holding on tight to his momma the whole time though. Maybe he'll enjoy them a little better next year.

Backyard Fun

We recently bought an inflatable pool for Brayden to play in and he loves it! He has been spending a lot of time in it for the past two weeks, and Greg & I have been taking advantage of it too on the hot summer days we've had. Madeline, Lydia and Margo come over to play & swim last Friday...Brayden really enjoyed having some playmates to splash around with. Here are some pictures (notice the first picture of Brayden playing in a regular diaper...it was so waterlogged after just a few minutes that it was weighing him down and barely staying on!)

Brayden has fallen in love with his cozy coupe again in the last two days. He wants us to push him around in the yard nonstop and he will pitch a fit if we try to stop. He wanted Elmo to ride around with him today...it was very cute. When I was finally able to get him out of the car, he wanted to swing for a bit, and of course he wanted Elmo to join him for that too! He definitely loves his Elmo doll!!

Camp Don Lee

We spent this weekend camping at Camp Don Lee in Arapahoe, NC (near the coast) with the whole Grimes family. It was HOT, but we survived! Brayden did pretty well for his first time camping, but the heat was hard on him. He wasn't up for doing much besides napping and watching Elmo DVDs in my brother's air conditioned pop up camper. But Greg and I got to enjoy the surroundings...we went sailing on a few different kinds of sailboats, swam in the camp swimming hole, and Greg spent a little time fishing and even went kayaking. And of course, we made Smore's by the campfire last night. We had a great time playng outdoors and being with the family, but it feels so good to be in AC again! Maybe we'll head to the mountains for our next camping trip where it's a little cooler!

Greg in the kayak

Greg on the high dive

Swimming

Brayden & Margo

Sailing on the Hobie

The Grimes Family