We are in the midst of our Outer Banks trip and we are having so much fun. Today the waves were perfect for boogie boarding. Leah has taken lovely naps on the beach allowing me to enjoy the sun and waves. Isaac has repeatedly gotten sand in his eyes and I’ve barely seen Emma because she is just too busy playing with her cousins. More pictures will be coming but we did go out one evening for family photos. Thought I’d share.

I’m so happy that yesterday is over. I can’t complain to much because Leah continues to amaze me with her pleasant baby ways. On our way to the Outter Banks, Leah and I flew alone. On our first leg, we flew from SLC to Chicago Midway and she slept the whole way. The cute ladies that I sat next to were surprised and called me a super mom but really she is the super baby.

After that flight I only had a hour layover but as I sat there I watched some thunder clouds roll in. Along with them came lightning and 70 miles per hour wind gust. The rain storm put a stop to all flights. We all waited patiently while the storm blew over. A rainbow appeared and the planes started moving again. The only problem was that my plane never showed up. The delay kept getting pushed back more and more.

Two hours went by. Then three hours. I went for a walk. My bum was tired of sitting. My arms were tired of holding. Four hours past by. Finally we heard word that there was a plane coming from Minneapolis. Another hour and we were finally boarded.

When I landed at Dulles I had been holding Leah for 12 hours straight and Leah had finally reached her point of crankiness. I’ve never been so happy for an air matress.

Today we have a 5 hour drive ahead of us until we are relaxing at the beach. Unfortunatly Leah is stuck in a car seat between her two siblings constantly getting poked. Poor girl! I think she would prefer my arms.

It’s been a wee bit busy around here. My little sis was married on Thursday. Are they just a gorgeous couple? She had a back yard wedding at my parents place so we had a bunch of weeding and flower planting to do in order to get ready for it. There was a lot of stress leading up to the big day but it turned out to be one of the most perfect weddings I’ve ever been to. It was fun for me to see a bunch of old family friends and all the faces I’d grown up with whether they remembered my name or not. The weather was gorgeous and everyone loved the horse drawn carriage available for guests to shuttle back and forth from the parking lot. There was also a live band and dancing. Cool huh!

I’m such a looser though and didn’t even bring a camera. I figure I’ll have to get copies from family. Emma was a flower girl and was in heaven with the whole idea. I had to bribe Issac to wear his tie. He was such a stinker and he would never cooperate for wedding party pictures. Can’t wait to see them- him laying on the ground in front of the bride because he wouldn’t stand, his famous unhappy pouty lips with a sucker poking out. I had to resort to bribing him.

Being so involved in a wedding makes me reminiscent of the day Jer and I got married. It’s so much fun to be the one in the spotlight for a whole day. Everyone ooing and awing, a million hugs and smiles from everyone. It was such a whirlwind of a day but I have nothing but the best memories.

Sigh.

If only we could do it all over again.

Jer and I love hiking. We have reach a point where Emma and Isaac are pretty good at holding their own but they still get distracted with all the wonderful sticks and rocks to pick up. Isaac wants to throw rocks in the river all the live long day and Emma seems to escape to some sort of make believe land. Each little mossy patch or grouping of trees becomes a perfect fairy land. We find ourselves saying constantly “Come on! Get moving!”

We’ve accepted that fact that we are never going to get very far with the kids. We may hike for hours and still only get a mile or so. We still manage to have fun and enjoy the beautiful mountains.

(Did you notice the climbers behind Jer? Wish it was me. Did you notice the war wound on Isaac’s head? The other day we counted about 20 scratches and cuts on that little body. What a boy!!)

This time we went hiking I tried out my new homemade baby wrap. I got the directions to make it from my sister’s blog. It’s a lot cheaper than buying one, easy to make, and super comfy. I like it way better than a Baby Bijorn especially for a tiny new baby. Leah felt more cozy and better supported. I could hike a long way and my shoulders didn’t get tired either.

My sister suggests buying 6 yards of fabric. That is oodles and you can make 3 seamless wraps from it. Instead I bought only 3 yards and cut the 18 in strips she suggested. I then took the second 18 in strip, cut it in half, tapered the ends and sewed them onto the ends of the first 18 inch strip. Ta da! The perfect baby wrap.