Summer Days and Adventures

​It has been an awesome summer and we are so grateful for the opportunities and time with family that we have had.  I have been wanting to document our summer adventures on the blog, but we have been incredibly busy with travels, grad classes, and packing that my blogging fun has had to wait.  I am deep in another summer grad class and we are about to move again so it is a busy time, but we are excited about moving closer to campus and the boys are looking forward to their new school.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from our summer.  
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We spent an amazing week in Gulf Shores with my husband's family.  So much time on the beach and in the pool and lots and lots of play time for the kids with their cousins.  Thanks to my sister in law Sara for this beautiful photo.  If I get my act together this year and actually send out a Christmas card with a new baby in the house, this one will more than likely make the cut.  

On our trek south to Gulf Shores we drove through Mississippi and stopped at a  welcome center which was fun to share with the boys since I grew up in MS.  The sad part of our drive south was that the transmission went out on our old beloved minivan about an hour and a half before we should have arrived at Gulf Shores.  We made it to the beach and decided to part ways with our old friend and are now having to shop for a new minivan.  I really don't like car shopping, but at least we can take our time and find the right vehicle for our family.  
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​We visited Fort Morgan in Gulf Shores, AL for the Civil War tour and found it fascinating and full of rich history.  My husband took this picture of me when I was exiting the fort.  It was unbelievably hot and humid and this pregnant girl was lagging a little behind.  

Learning to build sand castles with Daddy.
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This sand castle kept growing and growing.
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On to more ordinary days.  Our 5 year old was super excited to show off his crafts from vacation bible school.  The theme was cave quest and the boys had a blast.  Notice the suitcase on the floor.  That one is still sitting in the same spot a week and a half after returning from vacation.  I hate unpacking suitcases, but we have unpacked 3 out of 5 suitcases and we are in the middle of packing up the whole house for moving day.  Maybe I'll just zip it up and move it the way it is.  
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The boys have enjoyed a lot of board gaming this summer.  After a hot afternoon of sweeping the outside patio and walks they got to enjoy some game time with Daddy.  
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My husband discovered a bag worm infestation in some of the trees in the yard so he paid the boys 5 cents for each bag worm they removed from the trees, but after a couple of days, he had to lower the price to 2 cents per bag worm (for any new worms found) because the boys had found so many.  He was worried they would appreciate the value of a dollar less and it would cost him way more than he anticipated.  The boys were quite busy in their new enterprise.  They had left a few bag worms in a container on the island one night and when we came in the next morning we found this one hanging on to the edge.  
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Our oldest turned 9 this summer which is so hard to believe.
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​I love this picture my husband took a few years ago of our oldest behind a spider web.  He was so little.  

On the birthday front, we also celebrated a 5th birthday this summer which is even harder to believe that our youngest is 5 already.  
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We took the boys to a fishing derby earlier this summer and they didn't catch a thing, but won two fishing poles in the raffle which made their day.  This one hated wearing a life vest, but the rules said anyone 5 and under had to wear a life vest.  I found the vest for $2 at a local thrift store a couple of days before.  
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I have had a lot of classwork to do this summer so on one of my busy work days, my husband took the boys out for some outdoor adventure fun,  
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The boys love the outdoors and their adventures with Daddy.  

​Hope you are having a fun summer and making lots of fun memories.  Feel free to share your favorite summer adventures!
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Linking up at Friendship Friday, Share the Wealth

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