"Babymoon"

Being 30 weeks pregnant and having 2 young ones...the thought of going on vacation seemed like alot of work (if I'm being completely honest).  But it didn't take much convincing from my savvy traveler of a husband before we decided to take our last vacation as a family of 4 to Maui.  I am so glad we did!  Patrick called it our "babymoon" to which I laughed and said, "We're taking the kids.  It's not really a babymoon!"  But we agreed that it's our last vacation before baby #3 arrives.  So babymoon, family- style,  it was!  Addie and Charlie were champs on the long flights.  They truly exceeded our expectations.

Patrick has had an extremely full work schedule this summer partly due to the fact that summer is a busy travel season but also because he put in extra flying hours, knowing he'd be taking extended time off after the baby arrives in November.  Needless to say, it was wonderful to be together and relax as a family for a whole week.  While the opportunity for us to fly comes as a "perk" to Patrick's job at United, we never take for granted the blessing of taking a family vacation.

So happy to be off the plane and in sunny, warm Maui

these two were beach buddies the whole week...

we spent lots of time at the park nearby the condo

"I'm not sure about this slide thing..."

sitting on the luggage and talking on the phone as we were packing up to go back home...

Minnesota State Fair

Of course we can't let summer finish without going to the Minnesota State Fair.  Nate & Liz and their boys joined us (it's become a tradition now), and we had a good time eating unhealthy things and the kids had a blast on the kiddie rides!  Even though the pictures don't show him, little Charlie was with us too.  He just didn't go on rides or eat ice cream (which apparently was when we pulled out the camera).

Ice cream...best part of the day

Charlie "Walker"- 15 Months Old

The past month has been a big one for our Charlie.  He started walking a few weeks ago, and now he's mastering the skill, walking quicker and walking longer distances.  What's also incredible is the rate in which his teeth have come in...now 12!  At his recent doctor's appointment, we learned that his head circumference continues to above average (BIG), but otherwise, he's a small guy!  My new favorite word Charlie says is "bay-bee" (I think he's getting ready to be a big brother... ).  Charlie lights up when he sees daddy's face on the computer (Skype) when he's away on a work trip and just absolutely adores Adeline (he's so amused by her...it's quite funny).  Our boy is growing up so fast...

Swimming

Our kids LOVE the water, and there's nothing like having a FABULOUS pool 5 minutes away...

A Princess Dress

Adeline woke up this particular morning and said "oh, I want to wear my princess dress now..."

Eating her breakfast...

I'm not sure how long this "playing in the kitchen" will last for Charlie, but for now, he happily obliges and plays with his big sister.

Adeline looking very impressed at little brother's skills

The work of a fabulous face painter at our neighborhood block party...

We have a block party every summer, and all of the activities they have for the kids is quite over the top (there are ALOT of kids!)!  It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and we had a blast spending time with our neighbors.

HER expression...priceless

HIS expression...priceless

Looking ahead...

The bedding on our baby cradle is once again back to PINK...

A baby girl will arrive in November...

Blessings overflowing...