Back!

Well, I'd say our first vacation as a family of 3 was a rousing success. We packed everything we own into our van and hit the road for a 3 hour journey to our state's coast. Susan's parents, sister and our nephews were already there when we got in and the hurricane did little more than make our first day rainy and kick up some big waves.

We stayed in a cottage that was nice enough (if you didn't want to say, consume a beverage while you were there, vacuum or use the phone) in Kill Devil Hills. We did a little shopping, a lot of beaching, some touristy stuff and a WHOLE lotta eatin'. Theo watched his cousins rip roar around the house, splashed in the ocean, ate a little sand, saw much of the island from one of our backs in the Pikkolo, got lots of love from Gran and Grandaddy and just had a great time in general.

Susan and I enjoyed just being together as a family without schedule juggling, dog caring, diaper washing and budget stressing. We decided for our week of vacation to just relax and let the woes of Raleigh wait until we got back. I got to ride a wave or two for the first time since before I got pregnant which was very fun and Susan got to show me around the Outer Banks, a place she has loved since she was a little kid.

We were sad to come home, but also a little happy to be back in our own surroundings with our own routine. Our life may be quiet and simple, but it's also familiar and ours. Theo looked all around his room and clapped, I think he was glad to be home too.

It seems like whenever we go away, he grows by leaps and bounds. He's making some definite progress on the crawling front and is rocking on his hands and knees and even doing a 1-2 forward motion combo. Maybe he will crawl, after all. His other new development is demonstrating when he is unsure or a bit shy. When someone he doesn't know too well speaks to him, he tucks his head under one of our chins and peeps out. It's cute and secretly I love that he sees us as his comfort.

As I write this, he is tucked next to me sleeping off his first little fever. It's probably just teething (still no teeth to speak of) or some little germ he picked up on vacation. He's been really clingy today and it's obvious he is feeling kind of crummy, so hopefully he will be better in the morning.

So, we are back from vacation refreshed and looking forward to the fall. This is my absolute favorite time of year, as the dog days of summer wind down and the pumpkins, apples, leaves and sweaters come out. I can't wait to share my favorite season with my favorite little boy.

Enjoy the pictures - you can see the rest by clicking here. I have opened a Flickr account, so check it from time to time for new pictures.