We're Back!

The Fourth of July was fantastic!

We got to spend the holiday in North Carolina with Dan and Tricia and their adorable kiddos. Courtney, Carter, Jonah, and Izzy loved playing with Shelby. Turns out she's ok with having an entourage.

People, North Carolina was beautiful! We loved taking it all in. And you just can't beat quality time with a cute family.

Here's a rundown of the adventures:

On Saturday we went sightseeing, then stopped at the park to play and have a picnic dinner. Price's Chicken Coop is widely known for its fried chicken. That was a delicious taste of the south.

Izzy and Uncle Tom

Shelby lives to play on playgrounds, so she played hard...and got so sweaty!

We stopped at Amelie's in an artsy part of town called NoDa. Amelie's is a quirky French bakery that had the most delicious raspberry lemon tarts. I hope everyone else enjoyed their treats as much...from the look of these smiles I think we're a satisfied group.

Cheese!

 

After dessert, we got a taste of South Carolina life. Fireworks are illegal in North Carolina, but it's easy to jump the state line from Charlotte to South Carolina! The fireworks show was at a church building and there was a great crowd. I've never been that close to fireworks before. I think the impending danger and risk of mishaps made it more exhilarating for everyone!

This was Shelby's first fireworks show, and we kept an open mind in case she wasn't a fan. Oh, she was! She loved them! It was fun to watch her wide-eyed little face.

Shelby wanted to make sure Patch could see! So cute!

Izzy was NOT a fan, so she donned a blanket and snuggled up to Dan the whole time.

We had an excellent two-for-one deal this trip, because we got to see Ed and Jen's family, too! They all arrived on Sunday night.

On the Fourth of July, we all went to the pool. It was so relaxing to soak up the sun and hang out.

The pool was perfect for Shelby and she loved wading and splashing. It was hard to get her to leave!

Check out this cutie! She got to borrow some fun pool toys.

Me, Taylor, and Jen

That evening, Tricia and Taylor introduced me to geocaching. Anyone heard of it? It was on my list of must-dos for the trip and I had a very successful first time. Five finds! I may have a new hobby on my hands. Stay tuned.

Later that night, we played on the patio and had some fun bonding time. We listened to music and had an impromptu dance party, made s'mores (tasty!), played with glow sticks and sparklers, and caught a cool evening thunderstorm. Nature's fireworks for the Fourth of July!

Tom thinks Shelby looks kooky in this photo. It definitely shows how much she loved her glow stick "pretties"!

S'more attack! Tom, I'll get you back next time!

Tuesday we went to the U. S. National Whitewater Center. Wow! This place is a man-made whitewater rafting center and it's impressive. There were tons of activities besides rafting - zip lines, ropes courses, climbing, kayaking, the list goes on! - and it was a great place to spend the day.

Shelby played and played and got super hot and sweaty again. It was hilarious. We made sure to keep her hydrated and the heat certainly didn't stop her.

Shelby has her dad's climbing skills. She set the trend - everyone else did the climbing wall later on.

Jen and Taylor climbed the rope net like pros!

The brave rafters! Tom's in the front wearing the blue helmet and he's surrounded by Dan, Tricia, Courtney, and Carter.

Look at this hardcore group!

Zip line! Tom is on the left, Dan on the right.

This trip was such a blast. It was a perfect mix of running around exploring and hanging out enjoying one another's company.

Thanks for letting us invade!