Summer Loving & Leaving

Who needs a vacation when you can spend your summer doing this...

Ok, ok, maybe we were on a permanent vacation, but it's back to reality for me after spending the majority of the summer galavanting across the country. Grace, Braxton and I got to spend some amazing time with my parents in northern California.

Grace and Grandad found each other at the airport

Braxton met his Grandad for the first time. 

Grammy and Grandad with their favorite grandson!

 

We visited family. 

GG, or "Grandma Buddy" as Grace calls her

Great Grandma Elsie and Braxton

Lots of fun times playing games and snuggling!

We rode trains.

Western Pacific Railroad Museum

Went to the Alexander Family Reunion Campout at the DeForest Ranch.  

Dog race followed by the kids race

Grace wants to ask Santa for one of these for Christmas! 

Grace took swim lessons.

3 weeks of lesson in Portola. Grace loved the instructors and gained so much confidence in the water. 

Braxton learned how to sit up, scream and Army crawl. 

"It's on, Mama!"

We ate like we were on vacation!

 

Went hiking, biking and kayaking. 

  

We missed Daddy a lot, but we were reunited for a fun trip to South Lake Tahoe at the end of the month. We got to enjoy to the view (and the cooler weather), and let loose a little with some good friends.

See the resemblance? ;)

My handsome date! SO happy to be reunited with my other half. 

The boys pre-wedding. 

Congratulations, April and Ryan! We had a blast celebrating with you guys!

I'm still not exactly sure how we ended up living so far away from my family, but I am so grateful for this fun-filled time we got to spend with them this summer. How lucky was I to wake up to fresh brewed coffee and the occasional bakery delight? We went on evening walks and enjoyed the bounty at the weekly Farmer's Market. We saw wildlife ranging from packs of bucks, to a bear trotting across the rode. We laughed, joked and made cherished memories.

Bike ride and donuts- a perfect combo!

This mug was handmade by a potter selling his wares at the Beckwourth Farmer's Market. I'm pretty sure it can house 3 cups of coffee! (Perfect for mornings when you're dragging...)

We were sad to leave our west coast friends and family, but had to head home and resume "real life." The flight home was pretty good not quite horrible. We decided on a red-eye non-stop flight from Sacramento to Charlotte. Our hope was that B + G would sleep (you know, since it's the middle of the night?!). The hard part was getting to the airport well past their bedtime and negotiating ticket counters, security checkpoints and gate areas with two delirious children. Braxton slept the entire flight home (thanks to the all-you-can-eat-breastfeeding-buffet) and Grace finally got comfortable a fell asleep.

You know, just hanging at the airport trying to maintain our sanity. 

Now that we're home, we're getting in some more family camping trips and prepping Grace for her return to preschool. She will be attending three days a week, and can't wait to go!

Braxton is moving and grooving and basically a menace. He can maneuver his way using an army crawl all the way across the living room, into the kitchen (or to the dog food bowl). He is still not sleeping through the night and has started eating pretending to eat, but mostly just spitting it all out.

Family life is keeping us busy, and we are looking forward to the shift to fall in the coming months. Bring on the football, celebrations, pumpkins and changing leaves!!!

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