Beating the Heat

It has been HOT here the last few weeks.   But that hasn't stopped us from having fun.  What do we do when it is to hot to really enjoy it outside?   You play inside or find activities that are in the water.  We have found lots of different water activities and Neal loves them all.

Neal's favorite by far is swimming in the big pool with Tyler and I and of course anything when his friends are around.

July 3rd

Happy Fourth of July everyone!   We got to celebrate a day early with a great Fireworks show on July 3rd in downtown Fuquay.

This is the first time in 7 years that I have gotten to really see fireworks for the 4th of July.  In AK there were always fireworks but with the constant daylight the fireworks are very hard to see in the sky.  So this year not only did we get to see them light up the sky but we also could enjoy them outside without being freezing.   It was dark and 90 degrees outside yesterday and so we had a great time watching the show.

There was the firework show in front of us and a thunder and lightening storm arriving behind us last night.  So we watched from right outside our car and just as the fireworks ended and we hopped in the car it started to rain, and then pour.   Neal was talking about the fireworks and then saying "boom, boom, splat, splat" every time he say lightening and heard thunder the whole way home.  It was quite the exciting night.

When we arrived home we found that we had lost power so we had to run through the pouring rain to our front door (running through huge puddles).  We found some flashlights and Neal was beside himself with delight getting ready for bed with the flashlight and finding his way around the house in the dark.  Neal loved every part of the night from the fireworks, to the storm, to the power outage and getting to stay up way past his bedtime to enjoy it all.

A great early celebration of Independence Day with the family.

And so it begins...

Just look at what is coming this weekend...

We have been given an "Excessive Heat Watch" for our area over the next few days.  I am not sure what we will be doing to avoid the heat but I am sure it will be things indoors or at the pool (though even being outside at the pool sounds to hot).   I'm starting to think I am going to have to switch to iced coffee to make it through the summer.  I think this heat spell calls for some movies, games and quilting (anything indoors to keep cool) - could turn into a fun and relaxing weekend.

Special Guests

Food is a great way to bring family and friends together.   Every meal is better if shared with people you love.   Neal would agree with this and I have often found him bringing his favorite "friends" to the table.

It's a good thing we have some extra chairs at our table 'cause I never know when Neal's "friends" will be joining us for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Official

This last week the final step in our cross country move was finalized...

That's right, we are officially NC residents.  North Carolina is our new "home sweet home" and will probably be the only place Neal will ever remember living.  We are having a great time settling in here as a family, and even though it's a big change from AK we seem to be adjusting just fine.

The Beach!!

We had an early Father's Day and Birthday celebration for Tyler on Saturday and took a family trip to the Carolina coast.   It was amazing!

We had the perfect weather, the beach wasn't very crowded and the water was so warm.

Saturday morning when Neal woke up I took him into the bedroom to snuggle with Tyler.  As he was sitting on the bed I told him that we were going to go to the beach.  Neal stood up and woke Tyler up saying "Daddy get up, go see boom water".   The entire day at the beach all Neal wanted to do was play in the "boom water".  

We had a ton of fun building sand castles (so Neal could knock them down), throwing shells into the water, jumping over waves and watching Neal laugh and swim in the water all day.  It was a relaxing day and a fun way to enjoy time together as a family.   We will be making lots more trips to the coast for sure.

Hard at work

It has been great living somewhere with sunny weather pretty much all the time.  It is great being able to be outside a lot and play or sit in the sun.  With all the sun and having a house with a yard sitting around isn't the only thing we do.  Our weekends seem to consist of yard work (I know this is no surprise to those of you who have had a house and yard for years).

Neal is a great help in the yard.  He helps me weed and his favorite is helping Tyler mow the lawn on the "tractor".

Finally, after a hard days work in the yard what is better then a well deserved cup of ice cold sweet tea.