Road trip to Newport, KY

Towards the end of June, the kids and I packed our bags and headed to Kentucky with my mom and grandma.  My grandma's sister lives in Covington and she was planning to stay for a week.  It's an easy drive down so we decided to spend the night and then hit the Newport Aquarium the next day.  It was Cormac's first road trip...he went through three states :)  It was great to see my Aunt Jean and Uncle Don and they loved seeing the kids.  I have lots of fun memories of taking trips with my grandma and grandpa to visit my grandma's family.  

This was our first overnight in a hotel with all three kids and I told Jeremy he should thank my mom for being the guinea pig in this adventure!  The kids actually did great!  We wore them out by making a side trip to IKEA in the evening and then swimming in the pool before bed.  Everyone was asleep by 11pm and not awake until 9am!  Thank goodness for dark blinds in the room :)  The aquarium was lots of fun!  I've actually been with Maryn one other time, but this was the boys and my mom's first trip.  They were in awe of the tunnels we walked through with fish swimming all around.  Maryn loved the penguins and the shark petting area.  

Such a great trip!!

Lunch at Wendy's on our way down

My grandma, Aunt Jean and Uncle Don with the kiddos

Cormac's first time in a hotel!

Maryn and Mimi at the aquarium

Me and my boys

Learning about turtles hatching

Their big exhibit was Mighty Mike...the 15 foot alligator!

Hopping on the frogs

Not too sure about climbing on :)

He did love to push the buttons that made frog sounds though.
He kept saying, "ibbit, ibbit!"

Cormac on a frog (you just can't see the frog :)

Petting the sharks!

In one of the tunnels

Best lunch!!  A grilled cheese and tomato soup restaurant....yummy!
We need one of these in Indy!!

Time for a snow cone :)

Such a good little stroller rider!

Me and my mom...Maryn took a pretty good picture of us :)

cousins

The kids love to be with their cousins!  We had a great time with them one weekend at the lake and here are a few pictures to prove it :)

Everyone in the water!!

Theo and Stone on a boat ride

Stone and Maryn doing a little painting with Derek

Stone

Maryn

Turner

Theo

Quincy

Cormac

Stone and Maryn...buddies :)

Doing a little tubing!

11 years...

On June 23rd, Jeremy and I celebrated 11 years of wedded bliss!  Well maybe it's not all been exactly blissful, but pretty close :)  I am so thankful that 16 years ago God planned for our paths to cross.  We have endured some bumpy patches and through it all we have grown as a couple.  Each season of marriage as provided opportunities for us to rely not only on one another, but most importantly to rely on our God.  He has blessed us with a beautiful family and a deep love for one another.  I'm so thankful that I can spend each day with my very best friend!

Cormac...5 months old!

 On June 20th Cormac turned 5 months old. My how quickly time has gone by!

 Cormac is so sweet :) It just feels like he knows he's the third and just needs to go with the flow. He is perfectly happy to lay on the floor and play or be in his bumbo seat. Just recently we tried him in the exer saucer and he loved it! He has cut his first tooth which would explain the constant slobber and soaked clothes. You would never know if it hurt though because all he does is smile :) His only issue is sleeping. While I thought we had hit the jackpot with him sleeping through the night so early, he has quickly decided that's not for him anymore. We're back to being up 1-2 times at night and minimal napping during the nap. Maybe it's a growth spurt or the cough he has developed...who knows! All I know is I love starring into those big blue eyes every chance I get!!

He loves the starfish on the saucer!

Just relaxing :)

All smiles!

He loves to grab his feet when he is laying down.

First tooth!
On the bottom, just peeking through :)

Cormac in the dress first worn by my great great grandmother's uncle.  The dress has been worn by most babies in our family and is over a hundred years old.  Needless to say we only stay in it long enough to snap a picture :)

Father's Day

This year we spent Father's Day up at the lake. We treated Daddy to being able to sleep in and had waffles and fruit ready for breakfast. Maryn was pretty excited to make Daddy waffles :) Where do I even begin in describing Jeremy as a father and husband? I could say what you would expect to hear...he is loving, lots of fun, always ready to engage in some sort of play, and compassionate. Those are all great, but it's what I see that warms my heart.

 I love when...
...he walks in the door and Maryn says, "hey, hey", Theo says, "DADA!!" and as soon as Cormac sees him his face lights up
...Maryn says during the day, "I sure do miss Daddy."
...I find he and Theo both with a newspaper in their hands on Saturday mornings
...he and Cormac fall asleep on the couch in the evenings
...he and Maryn are snuggled in bed reading a bible story
...jumps right in to help when he comes home from working all day
...he takes time to have special moments with each of the kids .
..I see that him growing in patience :)
...he recognizes that I've had a hard day and validates my feelings
...we get to spend time together, just us.

 Well that list could go on and on :) I'm so thankful that God placed Jeremy in my life. My love and appreciation for him grows daily. I'm thankful that our children are blessed to have a father that loves them unconditionally, is devoted to raising them in a Christ centered home, and can make them belly laugh on a daily basis. We love you!!!!

Maryn made a bookmark for Daddy at school and we bought a special book to put it in.

Daddy and his kiddos :)

A snuggle with Cormac

A little climbing time with Theo

Papaw was at the lake with us too...
Happy Papaw Day!!

We celebrated with Ceta a few days before...
Happy Ceta Day!!

touch a truck

In mid June, Broad Ripple Park had a "Touch a truck" event. The kids loved being able to see so many vehicles we see daily around town. Plus to be able to climb up in tAnn, honk the horns and pretend to drive was super fun. Extra bonus for me that Jeremy was in the area for a meeting and stopped through on his way back to work to help out :)