We took a family trip to the beach for Labor Day weekend. We actually stayed in the exact same condo my friend had rented.

Carter enjoyed taking our chairs:
He absolutely loved running on the beach. His favorite was chasing the birds across the beach.

Splashing in the water with Daddy:

We have really enjoyed our zoo membership. Carter and I met my friend Misty and her son Kaden at the zoo one Saturday morning. The boys had a great time together and behaved very well.

They enjoyed playing in the orangutan statue:
Carter loves the carousel:

Watching the orangutans who were yelling back and forth at each other:

Enjoying lunch before they climbed on the table next to us, closed, and shook the umbrella. It was great to hear another kid say, "Hey dad! Look at those little boys!"

I deemed the day a success when no shoes were kicked off and no tantrums were thrown.

Still trying to play catch up........

Carter loves to wear our shoes. He especially enjoys tromping around the house in Daddy's boots.
I regularly have to reorganize the shoes in my closet as a result of Carter trying them on.

3 kids on a lawn mower. Who knew safety gear could be so entertaining?

Carter had a great time with his cousins. Of course, his showing off for them caused many more problem with misbehavior, but he had a blast:

We had a great lunch with Uncle P and Aunt Cathy. Here's Carter sitting with Uncle P.


Carter with Poppa:
The three guys all dressed alike:

The kids outside the restaurant:

We headed to Louisiana at the beginning of August. We flew directly from Charlotte to Baton Rouge. Here's a blurry picture of Carter and Kevin on the shuttle in Charlotte:

Carter was very excited to ride on an "airpane." Once on it, he looked out the window and continued to ask to ride on an airpane. I don't think he realized he was on it.

We started our trip meeting with family in Baton Rouge. After lunch, we headed over to LSU to check out Mike The Tiger's new home:


After an exciting day, Carter was exhausted and fell asleep on the way to Gammy and Poppa's house:

We took Carter to EdVenture.
He got to drive a firetruck:
Dress like a fireman:
And drive a tractor:

Carter is extremely playful and always wants to be "ha ha funny." We never know what he'll be wearing our hauling on his fire truck. Here is playing with his trains:

Breakfast has been a struggle in our house. Here is where I will earn my "Mother of the Year" award. Yes, that's Chex Mix for breakfast.

We bought a bike seat for my bike. Carter was super excited about wearing his helmet. We don't make it too far on our rides, but they are long enough for him. He enjoys hanging his feet, so they hit mine as I pedal. Here he is helping us put it together: First ride:

I did find a few pictures from our beach trip. Carter woke up very early each morning, so Matthew joined us to watch cartoons in our room. While in there, he also taught Carter how to climb in and out of the pack n play. Carter helping me pack:

We attended the Blythewood Balloon Festival with the hopes of being able to go up in a balloon. That never happened. Every time the balloons began to inflate, the wind would pick up. Carter did enjoy seeing them, and we enjoyed the people watching.

Carter enjoys playing with my old Walkman and listening to his "moo-sick." Funny, because my students don't even know what a walkman is.

Carter likes to "cook." He mixes spices together while I cook. I found this adorable monkey apron for him and was able to find a little set of pots and pans at IKEA.

Every little boy needs to wear sunglasses while he cooks.

Carter had to make a bed for his big Elmo:

More from the botanical garden. Of course, Elmo made the trip with us:

Ok, so I think I will go back and catch up by posting some pictures. I realized how long it's been since I have even uploaded pictures from my camera.

In late May, we met up with some friends in Charlotte. After lunch, we headed out to the Daniel Stowe Memorial Gardens. They were awesome with tons of water features. I'm sure you can tell which ones Carter enjoyed the most:

The summer is flying by. Last week, Carter and I crashed my friend Connie's beach vacation. She was there with her family for the week, so Carter and I drove down on Thursday and left on Friday. Carter had a blast with her two boys and absolutely loved being at the beach. Some highlights:

• When I was tell Carter a wave was coming, he would wave at it.
• Carter wanted to "get down" when I was holding him in the ocean. I told him he couldn't reach, so he reached up toward the sky.
• Carter announced everyone airplane that flew over.
• He had a blast digging in the sand, throwing it on me and throwing it all over himself.
• He saw a bunch of dead crabs.
• Carter followed Connie's son Matt everywhere.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures. It was tough being there without Kevin. Carter wasn't always Mr. Cooperative. Now, I think we will plan a trip to the beach for Labor Day. I'm looking forward to that!

I am getting horrible at blogging! I think I get too caught up in trying to keep up with every event and all the details. More coming soon.....I promise.....Maybe.