Ezra Turns One

Andrew, William, Peter, Ezra, Robin, Jonathan, Christina, and Peter
Singing Happy Birthday, Ezra was uncertain about that.
(Not pictured- my parents and Aunt Debra) 

Ezra is officially one year old! We had a really low-key celebration for him on his birthday (31 December). I've been sick for a week, we have been trying to figure out housing things and life has been crazy. Good thing he's one and has no expectations! It's been great to have Ezra as part of our family for the past year. He is a delightful little guy and we love him. We first opened presents. Ezra did not understand this at all, but with a little help from Jonathan and Peter, he got them open.

Ezra and his new broom! He loves it. 

Ezra loves brooms and vacuums. He gets mad and will cry endlessly if I vacuum or sweep without letting him help. So, he got his own little broom so he can still help me and I can actually get things clean! He might end up getting a little vacuum in the future. 

Ezra's new shoes

Ezra got some new shoes- he's worn through his pretty good, and these ones have a little thicker sole, so they will hopefully be a little better for keeping his feet warm and safer when he's traversing outside. He also got some cute new clothes, some little treats, a soft little frog, and some dinosaurs.

Ezra's conquering face

Fruit pack for birthday!!

Ezra Loves
- Food: but only on his terms. He does not like to be fed food. He wants to hold the fork or spoon. It's messier, but it's the only way he'll eat. He likes to eat most everything. He loves those little applesauce packs, sandwiches, pasta, fruit, cooked carrots, squash, anything with meat in it, beans....pretty much everything we give him, he will eat.
- Climbing....everything. He has learned how to climb onto chairs and has made it onto the table twice. Going up stairs is a breeze (still slow going down). If he can hold onto it, he'll try to climb it.
- Dogs, we've been living with my parents for the last couple weeks, and they have a dog, Lucy. Ezra loves Lucy. For the first week, he would squeal any time he saw the dog. He follows her around and if she sits down he tries to sit right next to her.
- Being thrown in the air or spun- this always makes Peter a little nervous, even now, but Ezra loves is! He laughs and laughs. If he's sad, give him a couple tosses up in the air and he's back to happy.
- Peter: Ezra loves his brother so much. It's fun to watch them together. Ezra is starting to get agile enough to wrestle back and play a little rougher. Give him another year and I think he'll outweigh Peter and be able to take him down pretty easily!
- Baths- always an adventure, and now that he is steady, it's easier to bathe him and he loves splashing and playing with bath toys. He got a little octopus toy with little rings for Christmas, and he loves that.

Ezra's not a baby anymore!

Peter, Jonathan and Ezra playing with the new dinosaurs

Peter playing a lively game of "keep the balloon in the air"

Ezra Dislikes

- Being told no, or not being allowed to climb things or get into things

- Diaper changes- I'd forgotten how much a small body can twist until recently. 

- That's about it, as long as he's had sleep and is fed, he's pretty happy

- Cuddling- he still doesn't cuddle a ton, only when he's just up from a nap he'll lay his head on my shoulder when we're walking, for a minute, sometimes if he's tired. If you try to lay down with him and snuggle in bed, he'll just pop up and try to crawl around. On rare occasion, he'll fall asleep nursing and I'll just hold him curled up for a bit because I never get to hold him in my lap like that.

Abilities

- Walking, sometimes really fast

- Climbs 

- He has a good pincher-grasp- can pick up things with finger and thumb

- Still 6 teeth

- Usually only wakes up one time at night

- Babbles a ton, but not many real words yet. Says Mama and Ez (we don't know if he says that to mean himself or just likes the sound)

- Understands lots of verbal commands and questions- no, sit, want some food?, come here, etc

- We started teaching him some sign language, he knows food....of course, and working on please, thank you, more and all done.

Birthday cupcakes

After Ezra opened presents and the boys played for a bit, we sang Happy Birthday to Ezra and had some cupcakes. The singing was my favorite part. Ezra just sat really quietly and stared at us. He was very uncertain about that. But, once he had a cupcake, he was totally fine with life.

Slightly concerned with the singing.

Jonathan showing Ezra how to blow out the candle.

Devouring the cupcake!

We sure love Ezra. He's a good boy full of smiles. He loves us and is always happy to see Jonathan when he comes home from work. Ezra is learning more every day! Happy Birthday big boy!

Ezra at 10 month old!

Our littlest superhero!

Ezra has officially made it to 10 months old! He has survived a number of tackles by Peter, being sat upon, a few tumbles off of beds and chairs, and getting hit in the head with blocks, balls, and dinosaurs. He has tried to eat rocks, acorns, chalk, and any old food that  hasn't been swept off the kitchen floor, and he's still around to tell us about it. Being a second child is harder in some ways.

Ezra and Peter, playing in the laundry basket. It entertained them for a good 20 minutes.
(Moments after this photo, the basket fell over and Ez got a big fat lip...sad baby)

Being a second child is also more awesome. Ezra gets more hugs and kisses. Peter tries hard to help him be happy during diaper changes and sad times in the car. Ezra has a brother who watches out for him and lets me know when he has climbed up something dangerous or has something in his mouth. He has a built in playmate, all day every day. He watches his brother and learns things faster than Peter did because he has a good little teacher.

He was eating dirt prior to this picture.
Because I raise my children in the woods.

We love this boy. He brings lots of smiles every day. He is a happy easy going boy, for the most part. He takes a bit to warm up to strangers (something we never saw in Peter), but once he knows you, he loves you. He has very strong feelings on when he wants to be held and when he wants to be on the ground walking...although what he wants sometimes changes in a matter of seconds lots of up and down around here lately. He loves being walked around (when he holds your fingers and leads you around). He is walking better and better every day, usually taking about 10+ steps at a time. He can pivot and change directions, crouch and pick up things and he's getting steadier on his little legs. He still wakes up every night- usually two times and nurses and goes right back to sleep, although one is getting shorter, so hopefully he'll drop it and just go down to one waking up.

Ezra taking a break

He gives more cuddles now, but in his own way. He snuggles the most after he wakes up and if someone else is around. So, if my parents or a friend is over visiting and he wakes up from a nap, I'll go get him and upon him seeing the visitor he puts his little head on my shoulder and just snuggles down and stays that way until he is ready to go play. It's fantastic.

Ezra snuggles are the best.

Ezra 10 month stats
Height- 28 3/4 inches (46%)
Weight- 21 lbs 3.5 oz (69%)
Head circumference- 47 cm (90%)

Loves
- Food- he loves most everything, but sometimes prefers specific things and will refuse to eat other things, but it just depends on the day and time. Sometimes he hates yogurt and eats all the cereal, sometimes he throws all the cereal and eats the yogurt.
- Peter, Mom and Dad
- Dogs (we visited my sister this weekend. She has a dog and Ezra was frantically laughing trying to climb out of my arms to pet the dog. It's a good sized dog and loved licking Ezra...who wasn't quite so sure about that, but overall, Ezra was thrilled to be around the dog.)
 - Splashing water
- Opening cupboards and pulling everything out of them
- Being outdoors
- When Jonathan rubs his beard in Ezra's ear- it makes him laugh, so we assume he likes it

Ezra, Robin, Peter
Hiking to 40 Acre Rock

Dislikes
- Diaper changes
- Having his hair washed
- Clothing changed
- Car seats
- If you give him a food he doesn't want he'll spit it out and throw it on the ground.
- Being away from Mom for any extended length of time

"Look, here's my cape."

Abilities
- 6 teeth: 4 on top and 2 on bottom
- Walking pretty decently
- Babbles a ton, says Mama when he's distressed (usually when he's in the car seat and wants out, or if I'm not fast enough to get him post nap.)
- Waves hello
- Sometimes will initiate and play peek-a-boo
- Has more focus on things and does not easily give up on obtaining whatever he wants
- Can go backwards down stairs (but only one or two at a time)

Jonathan, Ezra and Robin
(photo taken 12 Nov in NC mountains)

He's growing fast and soon he's not going to be a baby anymore! We love this boy and are so happy he's a part of our family!

Happiness (Kids Edition)

Today was a good day. We all went to vote in the morning when Jonathan left for work. Our voting place is the volunteer fire department. Peter got a quick tour of a fire truck with Jonathan while I was voting. Before we left, one of the firefighters gave Peter a foam fire fighter's hat. So, needless to say, he's a fan of voting now. 

After voting, I went to Wal-mart with the boys to buy Peter some socks, Ezra a sippy cup and some shampoo, because I lead an exciting life. We got in and out without a hitch and even managed to return some faulty markers we'd bought a few weeks back. It was a good trip. Once home, we ate some food and took it easy. The boys have been sick the last couple days, fever and cranky, nothing too bad, but it was good to have some quiet time. 

Peter went outside for a bit and came back with a lizard he'd caught. He was pretty excited about it. I told him to find a good home for it by the trees. He came back to the door a few minutes later and exclaimed, "Mom! Look! Look!" I looked over to see this cute face: 

Peter wearing his lizard

He told me, "Mom. It was crawling on me and went up and down and then just stayed there." Then he giggled and said, "He's a little tickely on me!" That lizard hung out on his shirt for a couple of minutes. Peter loved every second of it. Finally the lizard jumped off and ran away. Peter just said, "I liked that little guy."

Watching his lizard.
(Yes his shirt is on backwards, and yes his sticker is upside down.)

Second happy child moment. For snack/late lunch (hobbit children), I had washed out Ezra's new cup and filled it with water. Up to this point in life for drinking he either nurses, drinks water from a cup small amounts at a time (as either Jonathan or I refill the cup a half an inch each time), takes some water in a bottle or steals Peter's water bottle. And because he's not the first child, it's taken a bit for us to get him his own. But the day had come, it was washed, filled and ready to go. I set it on his tray with some sandwich and then was working on other things. Then, I heard Ezra laughing. I looked over to see him hugging his cup and laughing. It was adorable. He hugged it for a good minute, laughing and smiling the whole time. Best present ever.

I caught him mid-laugh, so he looks more serious than he was. 

Happiest baby with a water bottle. 

Hopefully this video works...

Anyway, that was our day. Lots of smiles and happiness for the small things. Also, while I was making dinner (which is usually the hardest part of the day when the boys are done and I am done and we are just hoping Dad gets home fast), Peter played fantastically with Ezra and they were both happy the whole time I made dinner. Peter made soup (pretend) while I cooked. I asked him what was in it and he said, "Bread, miso and cheese." We have raised him right. It was a good day.

This is Halloween, This is Halloween

Family of superheros
(Jonathan as Clark Kent holding Ezra as Robin, Peter as Batman, Robin as Supergirl)

A few months back, Peter informed me that he wanted to be Batman for Halloween. It was a cute idea, but I was sure that it would pass in a weeks time and he'd move on to a new costume idea. Buuuuut, he didn't. And I was totally okay with that, because superhero costumes are really easy to pull together, and lots of fun to be for Halloween. It took us a while to decide on which superheros everyone else was going to be (I tried to convince Peter to be Batman and me to be Robin, Jonathan be Spiderman and Ezra a little spider...be he only wanted Ezra to be Robin) but we finally settled on our superhero family for Halloween. 

Superheroes can fly!

We checked out a few Batman books from the library, and once Peter learned about sidekicks and that Batman's sidekick was Robin, he knew that Ezra was going to be his sidekick. Peter initially wanted Jonathan to be the Hulk and me to be Wonder Woman, but with a little convincing, we went with Superman and Supergirl- their costumes are much easier to pull together and less green painting. 

Batman's coming to save the day!

Jonathan's parents were here a few weeks ago, and his mom helped with much of the sewing of capes and my skirt, which was a huge help. The costumes came together great. Jonathan's was by far the easiest. He already had a superman shirt, and he just wore it under a white shirt and borrowed Peter's red tie.

Best Superman Ever. 

We had a ward Trunk-or-Treat and chili cook-off the Saturday before Halloween. Jonathan was gone all day Saturday with a group from our ward cutting trees for people who needed help from Hurricane Matthew. They have been going down the last couple of Saturdays. I'm glad he's been able to go and help other families. The group came back in time to come to the ward party. We had some delicious chili and Peter came home with a huge bucket full of candy, which he shared with Mom and Dad....because he doesn't know that other kids keep all their candy, and I plan on keeping it that way as long as I can.

Batman and Robin
These boys are the cutest. 

We also went trick or treating on Halloween in my brother's neighborhood. His family lives in a development with lots of houses and lots of families. It was fun to go around with them and let the boys go around with their cousins. Lots of homes had fun decorations and there was even a haunted house in the neighborhood. Peter collected more candy and a few glow stick bracelets. Ezra rode around in the stroller and was in a pretty good mood considering he was up way past his normal bedtime. It was a great night!

Happy baby, happy mama.

Halloween was a great success this year. We had a blast and have candy to last us a while. Peter has already decided he wants to be a chameleon next year for Halloween....I'm hoping he changes his mind on that, but if he doesn't I've got a year to figure out a costume! Happy belated Halloween!

Ezra at 9 months

Ezra James

Ezra is a bit over nine months old, and I haven't written an update on him since he was six months old, so it's time. Ezra is a happy baby who is learning a ton from his big brother. Ezra is on the brink of walking. He's been cruising along furniture for the last couple of weeks but in the last couple of days he has started letting go more often and reaching out to whoever or whatever is nearby.

Ezra starting to get his walking legs

That face. Cute Baby.

The last measurements I have of him are from his eight month appointment, where he weighed in at 20 lbs 9 oz (82%) and was 28 inches tall (62%). He is a big boy. He is still in 18 month clothing. 18 month pants are too long on him, but 12 month pants are tight due to cloth diapers. But he'll be there soon. His main mode of travel is a bear crawl. He crawls around outside with his knees off the ground and will power through gravel, over the stone pavers, and over pine cones, sticks, acorns and anything else on the ground.

Just climbing up the slide, like a pro.

He's so happy to be in that sleeping bag!

Developmental
- Almost walking, walks along things quickly and can transition from one object to another
- He likes to walk holding onto people and will sometimes make me walk him around and not let me have him hand onto furniture instead.
- Climbs everything he can reach, stairs, stools, the slide outside, anything piled up
- He has 4 teeth- two bottom middle and two top vampire (incisors). He likes to bit me a lot, especially when nursing...which he has gotten scolded for many times.
- Babbles all the time, sometimes quite loudly
- Sleep: usually wakes up 2-3 times at night (I think it's due to teething, hopefully it improves), usually 2 naps during the day, morning nap is longer 1.5-2 hours, and the second nap is usually 45 min-1.5 hours
- Eats so much food. I think he eats as much as Peter sometimes.

Peter and Ezra, bonding. 

Likes
- Food, so far all food, especially if he can feed himself. He loves sandwiches, beans, rice, cheese, grapes, bananas, apples, eggs, pasta, tomatoes, olives, broccoli, crackers, zuchenni, squash, cucumbers, everything.
- To sit/lay with feet crossed- anytime in his carseat or when nursing, he crosses his feet. If you uncross them he will quickly put them back.
- Trying to eat spoons
- Being tossed in the air
- Rocks, specifically when they are in his mouth
- Being outside, he'll crawl to the door in seconds if it's open
- Being with Peter, playing with Peter even when it's a little rough
- Playing in water, splashing water
- Chewing on phones

Getting ready to explore the yard.

Bear crawling

Dislikes

- Snuggling: Ezra is not a very cuddly baby. He wants to be looking and doing. He doesn't like to be held as much as he likes to crawl. Then only time he will snuggle is sometimes for about 30 seconds after he wakes up from a nap, or when nursing- but as soon as he's done he straightens out or twists to get up and away.

- Anytime I shut the front door, especially if Peter is outside and I'm keeping him inside.

- Pureed food

- Getting dressed/undressed

Peter asked, "Can I hold Ezra?"

Ezra is a pretty mellow little guy. He tolerates Peter's antics and loves watching him and being with him. Ezra's face lights up when people come to visit us. He has a great laugh. He is fast. He is a fun little boy to have in our family.

(Jonathan writes)
He is always happy to see me when I get home
He eats a lot and is very demanding if he is not getting fed quick enough
He like to eat my phone.
He likes when I jump with him in my arms or on my shoulders
He has a very strong grip, esp on glasses and spoons
He likes to swing his legs

Ezra at 6 Months

Ezra James

Ezra is already six months old! Well, six months and a week old. He is growing up fast and learning to do more things. Three weeks ago, Ezra went to the doctor for shots and a check-up. He had to get three shots, and he was a trooper. When they were weighing him, he peed all over the place in what I can only assume was a preemptive strike for the shots he knew were coming. He weighed in at 18 lbs 5 oz (78.8%) and is 27 inches (81.6%) and is in the 96% for head circumference. He is a giant compared to Peter at this age. Ezra wears 12-18 month clothes. Today I weighed him on our bathroom scale and he weighed 19.5 lbs. He has the bluest eyes and blond hair that is really long on the top and short on the sides. 

Look carefully and you can see his teeth!

Developmental

- He is almost crawling. He can get up on hands and knees in crawling position, but hasn't quite figured out how to move all his limbs together to move forward. For a while he would get up on his toes and hands- like a push up position- and just hold it. He still does that, but has figured out how to bring his knees in. Ezra can pivot and go backwards. He can also roll a complete circle and sometimes uses that method to get things.

- Ezra has two teeth, bottom middle. He loves biting everything. 

- He can sit for 5-10 seconds independently before toppling. 

- Personality- He is a happy boy. Peter can easily get him to laugh by yelling, "Ribbit!" and jumping like a frog. Ezra loves it. He lights up when people come over. He will let anyone hold him and is content unless he is hungry or tired. 

- Sleeping: Most nights he goes to sleep by 8pm, sleeps until 11pm- wakes up and nurses, sleeps until 3:30am- nurses, and then sleeps until 7-8 am. He takes 2-3 naps a day. His morning nap is usually 2 hours long, and any others are about an hour. 

Hair blowing in the wind! Happy boy in his swing. 

Blurry, but adorable. 

Likes

- Food- He has started eating food other than milk. So far he's had bread, crackers, egg, rice, broccoli, watermelon, cantaloupe, black beans, carrots, sweet potato, mashed potatoes, banana, apple, cheez-its, pasta, and a couple things of baby food. So far he loves everything and will get vocal if you don't feed him fast enough. He is very aware if you have food and aren't sharing with him. He has fast hands.

- Baths- he loves to kick and splash in the water.

- Peter- Ezra loves when Peter comes and plays with him. Peter makes Ezra laugh easily and loves to hold him. 

- His swing: We bought an outdoor baby swing to put on the play-set we got from the grandparents. Ezra is very content to sit and swing and chew on the straps. 

- Sticking his tongue out- it's almost always sticking out just a bit. I initially thought it was because he got his teeth in and he was feeling them, but now it seems to be the norm. 

Post-bath baby

Working out those muscles. He used to do this all the time.
Now he gets his knees in more.

Dislikes

- If he's on the ground for too long and he's been trying to crawl, or just planking, he gets really mad and gets some tears going. 

- Not being fed when other people are eating.

- Being snuggled- he's not a really cuddly baby. He likes being held so he can look around and will get a little frustrated is you try to hold him in toward you. Even if I'm carrying him in his pack and he's exhausted, he rarely will fall asleep being held. He likes to watch the world. 

- That's about all. He's pretty easy going and happy. 

Brothers- Peter and Ezra

 Ezra fits right in to our family. He is a happy little guy and is loved by all. His little smile warms my heart and makes it easier to make it through the hard days. He makes some of the best faces and makes awesome sounds. I love watching the boys together and watching Peter interact more with Ezra as Ezra gets older. I have a feeling they are going to be little terrors together, but I think they will support each other. It will be interesting to see what Ezra is like as he grows older.

Carolina Beach Trip

For Memorial Day weekend, we went on a trip to the beach! The initial plan was to spend three days at the beach with Jonathan's sister and her husband and anyone from my family who wanted to come. But, as we began looking into camp sites, there were no open spots, at least not anywhere close to the beach. Turns out, even though we were planning a month in advance, it wasn't enough in advance for Memorial Day weekend. Everything was booked. So, we went to plan B, which was to drive down to the beach just for Saturday, then drive up to Christina and Big Peter's home, and stay with them and drive home on Monday. 

Ezra napping on the beach 

We left for Carolina beach around 7:30 am, and got there around 11am. We stopped at a store along the way to get rash guards for the boys and sunscreen. White headed kids burn easily- and so does their mama, and we try to prevent that as much as we can. Jonathan and Peter went into the store and I nursed Ezra in the car and we were back on the road quickly.

Jonathan and Peter making moats and castles.

Peter becoming one with the ocean.

We made it to the beach and found parking pretty quick. We parked about a block away- closer than I was expecting we'd find, and it was way cheaper than I was expecting, so win-win. We grabbed our bags and the boys and found ourselves a great spot on the sand. We changed and sunscreened and headed to the waves. Peter loves them. He loved to sit in the shallow waves and get hit with each incoming wave. He also thought it was a neat feeling when the wave was heading back out to sea and pulling the sand from under his feet. At one point, a bigger wave hit him and he went under for a second and he didn't even get sad! Nicely done Peter. Ezra didn't love the water, but he didn't hate it either. He got wet up to his waist before he protested. We tried to get him to sit in the sand and splash in a puddle, but he did not care for that either. He seemed ambivalent about the sand.

Britt's Donuts and the beach- Win!

There is a donut place in Carolina Beach that is loved by many. And, lucky for us, it opens for the season on Memorial Day Weekend! So, when Ezra was napping and Peter was playing with a friend he had made, I sent Jonathan on a donut run. He came back with a dozen delicious donuts that were scarfed down in minutes. Best beach snack. Also, he had perfect timing, it started to sprinkle about a minute after Jonathan left to get the donuts and as soon as the drops started, people started packing and heading for the hills. I started packing in case the heavens decided to open. The wind started to pick up, almost blowing away the umbrella that was shielding Ezra. I called Peter over and had him hold tight to the umbrealla- not an easy task for a three year old- while I tried to gather things into bags. I was starting to get worried trying to get everything together, keep Peter focused on holding the umbrella, Ezra woke up...and then, Jonathan appeared with the donut bag, and the drizzling rain stopped. The potential rain had sent half of the beach goers home, and made the donut line really short! It was beautiful.

Shark Boys

Peter the Scuba Diver

We were a little nervous going into the beach trip due to a potential rain storm. We had been warned that there was a tropical depression heading to the coast and it was possible that it would start raining at noon and keep going all day. We discussed skipping the beach, but decided that even if we were only there for an hour, it would be worth it. We needed the break and knew that the beach would give us a good restart. We lucked out and had great weather all day. We had the one brief drizzle during the donut run, but other than that, no rain came down. The drizzle brought in some cloud cover and cooler weather, but it was still warm enough to play in the water.

Ezra fell asleep as soon as he got in the ring sling!
Nap attack.

Peter and Jonathan...that boy loves his Dad so much. 

Ezra barely in the picture...sleeping baby.
Peter's face. Ha. 

We stayed at the beach until Peter was done. That kid played hard all day. He made friends with anyone who would play with him. At one point, he finished eating his donut, looked at me and said, "Mom, I need to go find a friend." And he ran off to find a kid playing in the sand. Most of Peter's friends were kids about 10-12 years old and were building something in the sand and Peter would just start building alongside them. I tried to check with the kids to make sure they were fine with Peter playing with them. All the kids said it was fine, one of them said, "Yeah, it's fine. He's cute." Peter thinks he's a big kid.

Peter with a new friend.

Peter's face reaction to crab legs for dinner.

After we were done with the sand and sea, we decided we needed some good seafood before we headed back. We headed over to Michael's Seafood Restaurant. My Dad had recommended this place, he said the chowder was excellent and everything else he'd had there was good. So, we figured we'd check it out. We got the chowder, papaya salmon, and some tuna (I think) with grits. Peter got crab legs with corn on the cob. I was in the bathroom when Peter decided what he wanted to eat. When I came out, and Jonathan told me what Peter was getting, I asked Jonathan if Peter knew what crab legs were, he said, "Probably not, but he'll find out!" When they brought Peter his food, he just looked at it for a bit with big, almost nervous eyes.

Jonathan getting the crab meat out for Peter

Jonathan got to work breaking the crab legs and getting the meat out for Peter. Once Peter ate it, he deemed it wonderful. He devoured lots of crab meat, some of the chowder and a bite of salmon and tuna. He ate almost all of the crab meat. Jonathan had to work fast to try to keep up with Peter's fast eating.

Peter tried to use his teeth to get the shell open.

Jonathan and I both liked the food the other person got better than what we had ordered. We both ate a couple bits of the food we ordered and then tried the other fish. Jonathan said, "I like yours better." I was happy because I liked his better, so we switched and both left the restaurant happy and full. The chowder was quite delicious. I'd order that again in a heartbeat. I ended up with the papaya salmon, I wish there had been more papaya, the flavor was too light for me, but the salmon itself was great. Jonathan liked the tuna. Ezra nursed while we ate, so when we were done, we all got back into the car and drove up to Greenville to see the Olsons. The boys slept almost the whole drive to Greenville, so Jonathan and I got some good talking time, which is always needed.

It was a little bit of a crazy day, but it was worth it. We had a fun, Peter got to play at the beach (he's been wanting to go to the beach for months), Ezra met the ocean and sand for the first time, my California beach boy got to get his beach fix, and I had a blast spending the day doing whatever we wanted with no big plans or time limits. And, we learned we can totally do a day trip to the beach....which means there are more beach trips in store.