We've spent a lot of time on the road this summer, which has been both fun and exhausting. Normally the driving isn't so bad, but this summer has been busy at work, so that means we've had to caravan every trip since I usually have to go home early. No family sing-alongs for me. That being said, we have been very lucky to have had so many opportunities to visit the beach, mountains and other awesome places, so we have no room to complain.
In June we drove up to Washington for little Maggie's baptism, in which I was the proud Godfather. The ceremony was beautiful and outshined only by the party that Richard and Lanie threw later that afternoon. The weather was perfect and all of the cousins had a great time hanging out together. It was really nice being back in DC for a little while, Molly and I decided to make it a little mini-vacation by staying at one of the nicer hotels in Georgetown. Mary Grace loved running through the halls, screaming at the top of her lungs. Everyone who worked at the hotel knew her name by the time we packed up to go home. It is always bittersweet visiting Washington; we have a great time while we are up there but always experience a little bit of homesickness upon leaving.
Grandma (Meemaw) and her grandchildren.
Aunt Lanie with the Baptismal Baby and her big brothers.
Maggie being baptized.
Mann Family.
Molly and Mary Grace on the altar of Lanie's church, Our Lady of Victory.
Maggie's cake.
Teaching the boys how to make fart noises.
James and Owen pose for a rap album cover (with their cousin).
Aunt Johanna and Aunt Lanie.
A kiss for Daddy after lunch at Jetties.
Stretching our legs before a long trip home.
Shortly after returning from Washington, Molly, Mary Grace and I were invited to dinner by our friends the Metcalf's. We knew Daryll and Morgan from college, and they have a daughter named Davis who is close to Mary Grace's age. We really enjoyed hanging out, grilling and talking about old times while watching the girls hit it off. Mary Grace and Davis ran around the house and played with all of Davis' toys, but took the most pleasure in destroying that morning's newspaper.
Mary Grace and Davis.
One particularly steamy Saturday morning earlier this month, I decided to buy one of those inflatable backyard pools. I spent about an hour blowing it up with my mouth because our bike pump doesn't have an adapter to fit those normal valves on blow up pools. Luckily, I finally got it inflated for Mary Grace.
Playing with the hose.
Modeling her European bathing suit.
We celebrated the Fourth of July in Linville this year with Geegee, Poppie, Uncle Colin, Aunt Jackie, Charlotte and Henry. Linville is beautiful this time of year, with cool mornings and mild afternoons. There was a little parade on the morning of the Fourth with fire engines, golf carts and tons of candy. Charlotte got to ride on top of one of the fire engines, so she was the star of the parade. Unfortunately, about halfway through the parade the firemen received a distress call, so Charlotte had to jump down and the engines had to leave the parade. Mary Grace was able to spend the better part of that week with her cousins, so she was in heaven. It was so cute to see them pick right up where they left off in Litchfield earlier this summer.
Lunch on the terrace.
Bath time with Henry.
Visiting with Jack Garrett.
Charlotte and Henry before the parade.
Mary Grace and Charlotte.
Henry going for Mary Grace's bow.
After returning from Linville, Molly and Mary Grace ventured down to Charleston to spend a couple of weeks with Meemaw, Peepaw, Aunt Johanna, Aunt Lanie, James, Owen and Maggie. Richard and I traveled back and forth when work allowed. Johanna had a few big events during this time, one being a wedding shower hosted by Lanie and Molly, the other an engagement party thrown by some of her college friends. Good times.
Other than the parties, the beach was the main attraction. Mary Grace has absolutely no fear now, and runs straight into the water as soon as she steps foot on the beach. She likes to go deep into the water, where the waves break. She isn't scared to put her head under anymore, so when the waves break over her head, she thinks it is great. It is kind of scary because if you take your eye off of her for one second, she will run straight into the water, whether it is the ocean or a pool. Her cousins James and Owen are fantastic swimmers, so it is obvious that she wants to be able to keep up with them.
It is really funny to see Mary Grace interact with James and Owen. She absolutely adores them, and they are always so kind to her. When the girls had the bridal shower, my Dad and I took Mary Grace and the boys out for ice creams. They all chose those orange push-up pops with the plastic stick in the bottom. The boys helped Mary Grace push her ice cream up whenever she needed a fresh bite. I thought that was really nice. I like that they look out for her.
Mary Grace really wanted to hug and kiss Maggie every time she saw her, which was kind of a problem since Mary Grace had a cold. Now, every time Mary Grace sees a baby, around town or in a picture, she thinks it is Maggie. It was also funny to see how Mary Grace reacted to the baby toys that were around the house. She liked sitting in Maggie's baby seat, which is exactly like the one she had when she was a baby. You could tell she was a little nostalgic for the good ol' days of being a baby.
Johanna's shower.
Enjoying the wine.
Marching to the beach!
Her hair is finally long enough for a pony tail.
Hurrying to the beach.
Stopping to smell the flowers.
Snack on the beach.
Maggie in her bouncy seat.
Mary Grace in Maggie's bouncy seat.
Petting Maris.
Chasing a crab.
Mary Grace and Mommy.
James.
Owen.
James making sure Mary Grace didn't get too close to the water.
Giving Mary Grace a hug.
Hard at work.
"Stop taking my picture."
She loves the water.
Big brother.
Buckets galore.
Playing in the sand.
Running to Daddy because he finds the big waves.
With Daddy in the waves.
Time to relax.
Sun going down.
Passed out with her new alligator.
