But Did You Die?

we have some pretty awesome friends.  friends that invited us out on their boat for a nice cruise to wherever we wanted to go.  we all decided that since there was a chance of spotty thunderstorms (that is always the norm down here in the summer), we should stick fairly close instead of heading to savannah.  so, we decided that daufuskie island was a good choice.  nice place to eat and explore a bit.  

the boys bellied up to the bar.

the kids kept themselves busy

he looks good as a farmer, doesn't he?

and i'm pretty sure this is as close as she will ever get to a bull in her life!

as you can see...the clouds rolled in.  we rented golf carts and cruised all over the island for a few hours, hoping the clouds and waves would die down.

this looks super calm, because it was, for a while. 

but, at this beach (the second one we visited), the waves started getting bigger and the sand was blowing so hard, it was stinging our legs. 

this is what you get for trying to do donuts in the sand 😂

after our time was up on the golf carts, we headed toward the docks.  needless to say, i have no pictures of this part of the trip because it was a "hold on for dear life and don't dare take out your camera" kind of ride back to HHI.  we actually almost lost the boat before we got on because one of the lines had snapped from the waves throwing the boat all around and the other one was coming loose.  we got completely soaked from the water coming up over the bow and it was an interesting ride back, to say the least.  

once we were back on land, it was kind of funny.  kind of.  but, i'm pretty sure we are all going to be talking about that ride for a while.  as roman said that night..."that was fun, but only because we didn't die".  

we took this pic when we got back because not one of us had a dry spot on us and we were all ready to go home for a hot shower.  

we look great, huh? 

Tatelladina Weekend

finally!  our annual trip to Charlotte to see our friends the Tates and the Grdinas!  with no permission (or discussion) with anyone else, i've decided to call it the Tatelladina weekend.  I mean, that would be the most appropriate way to combine all of our last names, right?

 we usually go in may and the boys hit up the nascar race, but that weekend didn't work out, so we had to postpone until june.   no worries, it was worth the wait!  we've been doing this for a couple of years now and it just gets better each time, i think.  now that the kids are getting older, it is getting easier.  and...bonus...the girls got a chance to sneak away from the chaos for a couple of hours this time around!

we actually took a half day and picked up the kids from daycare and headed out of town around 3.  this was gianna's first time using the headphones for a movie in the car.  she seems so confused.  she wasn't moving in this pic, even though her hands look like it.  they were frozen like that!

after we got there and got settled, we put all the kids to bed and the girls headed out to have a drink and a snack and a little girl chatting.  well, to be honest, i probably did most of the chatting.  sorry ladies!

the next morning, the boys ran out and picked up dunkin donuts and the kids chowed down!

then, we headed out on their boat and it was gianna's nap time.  she started to fade when i put her in the tube.

roman pushed her around for a little bit.

but, when i put her hat on her, she woke up!  that stinker!

jay is growing his hair out now and we made fun of him all weekend.  his wife even calls him "pretty".  he's a good sport, though.  lookin' good, jay!

the boys had some fun on the beach

hunter was passed out in the captain's chair

and i laid gianna down too, but it didn't really work!

ashleigh is ready to attack!

and roman is about to fire back

then it was time for lunch!  jay grilled hot dogs and stacey made brownies and brought fruit and chips for lunch.  it was super yummy!

the girls were shoving it in!  the sun really makes you hungry!

gianna is saying "gimme more brownie, lady!"

my fam had a great time in the water

that night we went to dinner at tacomac.  we had a picture like this last year too, so i guess this is a tradition now

johns birthday was this week, so the tates got him an ice cream cake. happy birthday to you, john.  happy cake to the rest of us!

the kids played great on the swingset.  they were pretending it was a pirate ship and they were collecting crystals (aka pinecones)

this was my favorite view of the day!

gianna had a good time on the swings!

and finally, our annual kiddo picture.  it's so fun to see how much they've grown over the years.  

see the previous years here

2012

2011

2010

Let's Play Catch Up

we got married.  again.  as you can see, it wasn't super fancy or anything, but it was really important to toby to have our marriage recognized by the Catholic Church.  so, now we have two anniversaries.  and yes, toby...i expect a gift for both!

my kiddos are super cute, no?  hot rod and golden girl

gianna LOVES the boat.  and is super daring.  she wants to hang off the side the whole time

roman is such a river man.  he loves to be out there, on the lookout for dolphins

                                     

roman was giving poppa a father's day tackle!

popsicles on the back patio.  a summertime treat!