{Hume Again, Hume Again, Jiggity Jig}

Ahhh...I love that our adventure with Eli as a newborn has turned into a family tradition. We have gone to Hume Lake for a week every summer now, for five summers! So much fun! It is great to get away from your normal routine, spend time as a family and to be at the true "happiest places on earth"!

This year was slightly different due to our newly moody 4 year old who in years past has wanted to do anything and everything under the sun (at least twice) but this year only wanted to stay in his jammies and play at the cabin! Don't get me wrong, I would not have complained about the down time, however, this year, we also had a little 1 year old who was giving up her morning nap and if we didn't leave the cabin and do something, would fall completely apart by 9am!!! Not the best combination, but we made the most of it.

We did manage to drag Eli to the beach, for a walk, to the playground, to day camp and the pool (all of which he loved once he got there of course) and Naomi even got to be a "day camper" too! This gave Mommy and Daddy two awesome morning dates. We took advantage of that and walked around the lake, got coffee and also went boating!

Hume Lake is such an amazing place and holds such a special place in my heart and spiritual walk that I look forward to spending many more summers up there as a family. I think each time we go, we talk about how it will be for the kids to attend their week long summer camps and how much fun they'll have (even though that is years away!). Oh well, for now we'll just enjoy the mountains, the peace and family time, knowing each fun summer vacation is one closer to our kids experiencing the wonderfulness that is Hume Lake Christian Camps!


Eli the Butterfly Hunter (one day during Naomi's nap, I asked Eli what he wanted to do. He replied, "hunt for butterflies!" Of course, why not! Armed with a bubble wand and walkie talkie we set out)



Success!



Replinishing after the hunt!



I can still see my "little boy" in pictures like this one




Did I mentioned it poured a few afternoons?! Crazy!




Fort time, on acount of the rain





We ate breakfast and lunch at the cabin, but joined the staff for dinners...now that's what I call a vacation!



Anything you can do....



...I can do too!



Big stuff and Little stuff


Macho, macho man





Beach time!


"I'm just a summer girl..."



Eli wanted to build a castle, so we went to work, added a mote and viola!


the finished product.


{Dedication}

On Father's Day weekend we dedicated Naomi to the Lord in front of family and our church. What a precious gift we've been given to care for, love and to nurture. I pray we do the best we can and trust God with the rest! We love you Naomi Jane!




Not sure if you can tell, but Naomi was "that kid" during the service. Crying, squirming, wanting to walk off the stage...



Trying hard not to smile for Papa



ALL smiles for Uncle Tim!



Our crazy family



The support "staff" (not pictured Joe and Lisa Vaughn)



Warming up to the idea



Our "Bo-mi Monster" back in action

{Party Girl}

Following the dramatic birthday, we had a small party at the park on Saturday. I can't believe I'm admitting this (being a 2nd child myself) but we definitely downplayed the party for Naomi since "she's only 1, she's not going to remember it!" I know, I know, I never thought I'd do it either! :)

We had a very nice, low-key day, hanging out at the park, eating pizza and watching the kids play. Naomi wanted nothing to do with with super fun caterpillar cake I made or the "eaten" cookies either. I had a sneaky suspicion she might not want them so I had a second "cake" on hand just in case. She managed to stick her finger in the cake but nothing else so we have no great photos of cake mashed in her face! Bummer! She did very much enjoy her layers of blueberries and strawberries however. Naomi definitely has a mind of her own!


Our Very Hungry Caterpillar!



On Monday...



On Tuesday...



"Hmmm, what's this?"


"Yick!"



"This is fun!"



"Now that's more like it!"



Enjoying her "cake"



Everyone else enjoying the real cake



Wheeeee!



Uncle Tim & Auntie Jen



Sandy & James



Kiley, Eli & James...playtime!

(Sweet N' Sassy)



Naomi is 1! It seems like she's been a part of our family forever, but at the same time it is impossible that she is 1 already! At 12 months she is a busy little girl and desperately tries to keep up with her brother. I have a feeling we'll have the "anything you can do, I can do better" mentality from both sides...how'd we end up with two stubborn, competitive kids? Don't answer that! :)

Naomi is super expressive and her silly, shy, coy, surprised, mad faces crack us up! She is a dancer and shakes her hips and bootie anytime she loves the song. Her current favorite is "Summer Girl" from the movie soundtrack Country Strong. That song will instantly put a smile on her face and make her dance! She is working on several words including 'Da Da', Gaw (dog), Uh-oh, Nana (banana). She is obsessed with dogs and is sure to point out any furry animal with an enthusiastic "GAW, GAW" and smiles. Other tricks include giving kisses, high-fives and waves. She is such a sweet little girl and I love her soft little head and the few cuddles I can sneak in when she slows down enough to give them out!

Unfortunately her birthday was a bit dramatic! We went to a park and Eli held Naomi on his lap while they went down the slide. About half way down, her leg got caught up under her and she started crying and wouldn't put any weight on it the whole morning. I knew she needed to see a doctor but the earliest they could get her in was 3:30pm! So, we ate lunch and carried on with the plan of going to Babies R Us to buy her some birthday shoes with Nana. We figured we could still try shoes on her foot that wasn't hurt and keep her entertained at the same time! It worked and then we headed to the doctor. They took x-rays and said they thought it might be fractured. We got a TINY air cast and made an appointment for two days later at the Peds Fracture Clinic. It was so sad to see her in the cast and not able to walk. She was getting so frustrated. Thankfully, we were given the "all clear" at the clinic and they said it was probably just a sprain and she'd be fine! It took her about two weeks to gain back her full confidence in walking and for her limp to go away. We were so happy it was not broken!

So without further ado, our sweet, cute, funny, adorable (I can say that cause I'm her mom!) and sometimes a bit of a stink pot, little girl!



Eli's handwritten card to Naomi...so sweet!









Naomi loves Eli's blue version of this cup, so we knew exactly what to get her!




Between these photos and the next, were the traumatic events of the day which I didn't capture on film, sorry!







Eli serenading us!