Summertime...and the pics got lost?

We had an AMAZING summer!

Learned a lesson though: I need to stop relying on my cell phone to take our family photos!  Unfortunately, this fall my cell phone needed to be replaced, and the new version has no SD card, so I didn't have the store move my old pictures to the new phone.

 

Fast forward to tonight, and there's about a three month gap in photos on my laptop.  So, as I try to resurrect the old phone to get the summer pics, I will have to fast forward to September.

 

EVERYBODY's in school!  Our district has full-day Pre-K, so even Tommy is out the door at 8am, returning around 3:30pm.  This means that Wes FINALLY gets some sleep!  This transition has been wonderful for us--no more rushing home on certain nights so that Wes can go right to sleep.  It's both of us, nearly every night, having a family dinner, helping with homework, and just spending time with the kids as a family.

 Do you think Tommy was a little excited for his first day of school?

 Like last summer, Grandma and Grandpa came to NY for an extended stay and we took the family pilgrimage to Charlestown, RI.  Only this year, all three kids stayed in the RV with the grandparents, meaning that Wes and I had a hotel room to ourselves, every night!  No little people waking up in the middle of the night, or waking us up at the crack of dawn.  It was heaven.

 And I'm happy to report that my parents are still the most fun grandparents ever!

 The kids were big fans of Grandpa's bike.

It was a summer of fun, friends, family, sunshine and love.

Will you be my Valentine?

Found this idea on Pinterest.  Have your kid pose like this--add a message.  Use a hole punch to make two holes around his or her hand, and slide in a lollipop.  Super cheap and super cute.

 Tommy's not in school yet, but he didn't want to be left out, so we ordered a few for him to make and send out to family.

 Somebody turned 43.  (Not me!)

 Easter--was a blustery day, so we had an indoor egg hunt.  It was still super fun!

 Tommy enjoying his haul.

 

And after Easter dinner, we came home to find Grandma Deb and Glenn leaving presents for the kids.  This, of course, led to a visit!

My children are loved by so many people; we are so fortunate.

 It's never too cold to go to the park!

 The kids wanted "a new park we've never been to".  So we found one.

 I think they had fun?

The three amigos.

2015!

Cuteness abounds!

 Snuggles with Daddy.

 Girls' day out to the Favorite Doll Tea.

 While Daddy and Tommy hang at home.

I'm sorry Tommy.

I'm sorry, Tommy.  You turned THREE nearly two months ago, and I'm finally getting around to telling everyone about it!  You turned 3!  We were so busy laughing with you that I forgot to post about it! 

For some stats...at 41 back breaking pounds and 41" in height, you beat your sisters at something, finally!

 

You are the most mercurial McGhee.  You can travel from outrageous laughter to stompy, pouty wailing in mere seconds.  You're, hands down, the best hugger--wrapping your arms around me and Daddy, ferociously, clinging to us as though your life depends on it, and holding on long enough for me to realize how fleeting this attention from you will be.

 

And, holy smokes, you're potty trained!  You were, by far, the easiest at this!  One day, you peed on the potty and the rest was history!  Nice work, little dude!

 

Handsome and smiley, you are our Tommy.  You insist you are not Thomas; nor Tom.  You embrace Tommy--that fun filled variant of your name...

Tori is your best pal.  You do everything you can to keep her interested in playing with you.

 

Tori's first day of Pre-K.  When she left, you spent the day clinging to Daddy, telling him how much you missed her and Dani.

 The king of comic relief...it is often a stretch to get you to pose for pictures without a silly face. 

 You know that ice cream is best eaten in only a diaper, in the sunshine.

 You love all things that drive.  When you aren't scooting around the house on a dump truck, you are pretending to drive!

 And, did I mention fearless?  You're the kid with the hand open feeding the goats, with your big sisters behind you watching to see what happens.

 Never one to shy away from a good tea party, you accessorize with clip on earrings and cheetah print feetie pajamas...while keeping it masculine with the Mario hat.

 You are the crack-up king---distracting Dani and Tori at meals while they laugh at your antics.   Sweet talking strangers wherever we go because you are just so friendly, and cute.

You, Tommy are our biggest bundle of energy, our little dude.  Our super, smiley light, that shines the brightest in the glow of your sisters, who adore you too!  Happy 3!

Trip of a lifetime.

 I've got really cool parents.

They're fun.  Super fun.

And they've blossomed as grandparents.  They are so engaged with our kids.

Mom recently retired and they planned the trip of a lifetime.  They bought an RV, and headed east.  Their trip will ultimately take them across the country before heading back to NC.

They spent six days at the house, enjoying the pool and the sunshine.

Motorcycle rides.

 This is what the folks will call home for the next three months.

They left on a Monday with the girls, headed to Rhode Island.

Each of us have a special place--a place that holds memories, that we long for when we are not there.

For me, and my parents, it's the Charlestown Breachway in Rhode Island.

I spent the better part of every summer in a camper, just yards from the beach, playing on the beach, roasting marshmallows, making summertime friends that we'd see every year, and as I got older, flirting with the college park rangers and lifeguards.

There is no place that I would rather spend my time than this sleepy little beach town.

 I was so excited to get there, I convinced Wes that we should leave a day early.

This is the first picture of Tommy's first day at the ocean.  Dani and Tori, having arrived before us were happy to show us around.

 I didn't turn on my laptop once.

The kids didn't miss the lack of electronics.

They were too busy running in the surf and looking for hermit crabs in the breachway.

 Dancing in the ocean.

 Enjoying the glow of the evening sun, showing Grandma their hermit crabs.

 It was dinners out, and the freshest seafood.

Pleasantly wonderful manners too.

 The nightly post-dinner trip back to the beach, just to enjoy the sounds and the sand.

 Maybe the taste of the sand too?

 The smiles never left their faces.

 Ice cream at the end of a hot day.

 And the beginning of sunset while the waves crashed.

Chasing sea gulls.

 Throwing rocks.

 Beautiful sunsets.

 Family.

 The excitement of a door with a Tommy-sized window.

 Snacks at the picnic table.

 The feel of the sand between your toes.

 And just enjoying the love of family.

 Pretending to drive.

 Enjoying the sun.

 And back, for more hermit crabs.

 And then it was time to go, but it felt like we had just arrived.

Because time just kind of stops there.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a trip of a lifetime.

We love you.