Sweet Carolina

We just returned from a wonderful trip to North Carolina. Kelly and I both have family there, and neither of us had seen our relatives in too many years to admit. Most had never seen Lola and Locke in person. So, it was a chance to get away, catch up, relax, and enjoy the people we're lucky enough to have as family.

We also spent several days on the beach. The kids had never seen the ocean so it was such fun living this new experience through their eyes.

Lola and Locke had a blast on every part of the trip. Swinging on the porch with Aunt Jean, building sandcastles with Mimi, splashing around the pool with cousin Andy, listening to the ocean in seashells, feeding seagulls crackers on the ferry (check out the just-snatched cracker in the seagull's beak) — they loved every minute.

California Dreamin'

What's not to love about California? It's got perfect weather, lots of coastline, delicious food, and lucky for us, family. We took a late summer vacation to spend some time with Kelly's family in Northern California. Two fabulous weeks of fun, family, playing, swimming, shopping, and resting up just enough to do it all some more.

Lola and Locke got to spend a lot of quality time with their adorable cousin Ryder, who's a mere 6 months younger than L+L. They exhausted themselves every day, running around the house, playing at the playground, swimming at the hotel, or having fun on any number of our excursions. We all enjoyed it immensely and look forward to getting together again.