Kumquats and such

For someone who wasn't a fan of the beach just one year ago, Reagan sure changed her mind! She even let us bury her and make a mermaid tail (probably because we had done the same thing to Daddy earlier:).  She just sat in the sand and played for a couple hours each day... While Reagan dug in the sand, Geoffrey & Jason caught some waves: And of course Reagan wanted her turn on the boogie board! Then she needed a nap... This is between when she nearly fell asleep on the sand with Uncle Geoffrey, and when I took her for a walk in the beach cart and she actually passed out! The next day, Reagan couldn't wait to go our in the water again with Daddy! And now she's officially a "Surfer Girl"...well, at least in her mind:)

We arrived in Duck, NC on Monday, July 1st. Although it was gray and drizzling, Geoffrey, Jason, Reagan, Tommy and I found a break in the weather and wandered down to the beach. We didn't don swimwear, but had a great time digging in the sand and throwing a stick into the surf for T. We stayed for a little over an hour and then headed back to the house for tacos made by Papa! They were delicious! The next day, it was beautiful, so we loaded up the cart and stroller and walked to the beach again. (Last year Reagan would start complaining about 5 minutes after arriving at the beach, so we were expecting the same, but everyone was pleasantly surprised as she did such a good job playing by herself and just hanging out!)  Reagan would get her feet close to the water, and as soon as a wave came toward her little toes, she turned and ran, shrieking, up the beach... I love this picture of Reagan and Grandma. Her little leg is posed so cutely and she's only that close ...

Max came to visit his buddy, Reagan, the last weekend of June! (Ok, maybe it was Keith & Colleen coming to see us...who can really say?!) Seriously one of the cutest kids ever! Here's his "party" look for Jason's promotion celebration: The day after the party, the kids and I picked up some sparklers & poppers while Jason ran a few errands and Keith & Colleen visited family who just welcomed a new baby. Sunday evening, we had fun in the backyard before bedtime and let Max and Reagan do some sparklers. The adults had a pretty good time too... Max seriously takes the best pictures! Love that these two have become such wonderful friends with their own little personalities:) Reagan asks me at least twice a week if we're going to see Max today!

On June 29th, we celebrated Jason's promotion to major! Geoffrey worked it out so we could rent the rooftop of his apartment building (Siena Park Apartments) and it turned out to be the perfect venue (well, after the sun went down a little:)! Backyard Barbecue  catered the event with pulled pork, brisket, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans and mac n' cheese. Jason's co-worker, Michael Seeds, and his friend, Chris Wrench, provided live music for the majority of the night - with a guest appearance by Susan Villella - and they were amazing! And Glenna was in charge of the cake...she did a fabulous job as it was not only stunning, it was delicious too! Overall, it was a fantastic party and we are so lucky to have such wonderful people to celebrate with. Keith, Colleen & Max came up from Raleigh, Adam & Lauren drove down from West Point, and all the Goodale's and Campbell's found the time to make it into Arlington for the evening! Here are some pictures from a ...