Say What?!

Disclaimer... this post is kind of long, but you should read it to the end... afterall, the pictures are the fun part, right?


We've been super busy this month so far, but are having a blast!!
The first week of July felt like a vacation. We got to spend lots of time with family, thanks to the fourth and the hot weather (Jeff had some early days!! :)

Independence Day was fabulous. First, we went to dinner with my dad and his wife, my sister Ashley and her kiddos. We went to Cracker Barrel and they were packed!! But, breakfast (well, more like brunch, by the time we ate) was so yummy! Caleb tried some egg and fried apples and he loved them! The waiter even brought out some more fried apples just for him on his (the waiter's) tab. How cool is that?

After breakfast/brunch, we headed to Jeff's parents' house. There were so many people there, aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, brothers... so fun! We stayed there pretty  much for the rest of the day, just talking, laughing, singing, eating (I ate mostly junk), and playing. Caleb had so much fun playing outside. After a lot of family left, Jeff's parents and siblings and the Pences' sang... we loved that. Then they all played volleyball. I opted out of that one. I am no good at that game (well, I haven't played since I was in college).

That evening, we headed over to my mom's house where we had dessert and watched an awesome fireworks show on tv. I really wanted to go see the fireworks in real life, but that just wasn't in the cards this year. Caleb was super tired and burned out from all of the excitement earlier in the day, that we didn't think it would be a good idea to take him to see the fireworks. Next year, though, we are definitely going.

We got home pretty late, but it was so worth it to be around our families! :)

Because Jeff's cousin Heather and sister Tracy were still in town, I spent a lot of the rest of the week over at Jeff's parents' house. We went out for lunch at Panera with Jeff's mom, sisters Lisa and Tracy and future sister-in-law, Crystal. Yum!!

On that Friday, we all headed up to the temple. That was an awesome trip. We took two vans. Jeff, Caleb, Lisa (and her boyfriend), Tracy, Evan, Crystal, Jeff's parents and his grandpa all went. Lisa and her boyfriend watched Caleb for us while we all went inside. It was so good of them! And I was so grateful that they were able and willing to do so. I do feel bad, though, because apparently, he was fussy the entire time. :/

After the temple, we stopped and got some food and then headed to Jeff's oldest sister's house in Fredericksburg. Sandy was having a game night, so we stayed and played games and ate tons of yummy stuff (you know, the usual- peanut M&Ms and Twizzlers... along with some fresh fruit).

We ended up staying the night at Jeff's parents' house because then on Saturday, we all headed to the lake with Jeff's brother-in-law, Jason. He has a boat and he took us out on Lake Anna in his boat. It was a lot of fun. He also has a tube and he pulled some folks on the tube. It was so fun watching them! I didn't go out on the tube, but I did get in the water. Caleb had a pretty good time, too... and even fell asleep on the boat around naptime.

We were exhausted by the end of the day. Whew!

Sunday, we just went to church and relaxed at home.  Then Monday morning came and I took Jeff to his parents' house for work and then Caleb and I, Jeff's mom and sisters Tracy and Lisa and Crystal all headed to the beach. (Well first, we went to Target and then the beach). We only stayed for a couple of hours, but it worked out perfectly because we left late and then it started to drizzle a little as we were leaving.

That night, Grandpa Hall took us all out to dinner at Cracker Barrel (We waited for Heather and her kids to get back to Richmond from North Carolina). Caleb had scrambled eggs and fried apples. Yum!

Tuesday, I went back to Jeff's parents' house and then later that morning, we loaded up the van, dropped Lisa off at work and headed to Fredericksburg to visit with Sandy before Tracy had to head to the airport. Jason ended up taking Tracy to the airport, so we stayed a bit and chatted and let Caleb play with Aaron (until he bit Aaron on the arm- it was a good one, too : / ) Poor Aaron.

Well, the rest of the week was pretty chill. Caleb and I had a play date on Thursday and spent a lot of time out and about. He was an absolute doll. Friday, I had a doctor's appointment and Caleb hung out with his Grandma Calton and then we chilled at home a bit before heading out and about again.

So, we've definitely had an adventurous, fun-filled month already. It's been awesome.

Here are some pictures from the week...

Look at that grin!! Caleb LOVED the ocean!!

Seriously, I could just eat him up!

 Random pictures from Independence Day:

This is probably my favorite.

My little family. :)

I picked him up- right after I took this picture. 

Pictures from the rivah:

Just look at that stud!

Sittin' on the boat with Aunt Tracy!

So glad that he was able to nap (and if you look closely, you'll see the drool running down his cheek).

Oh, and before I forget....

Somebody's really teething and couldn't keep his finger out of his mouth.

Can you tell he's excited for a new addition (or maybe it was the cheerios we were bribing him with)?

"Yeah, that's right..."