Happy half birthday sweet boy!

My sweet Porter, today we are celebrating your half birthday with you. Half of me can't believe six months have already come and gone and the other half can't really remember what our lives were like before you. One thing for sure, you have brought your daddy and I an unbelievable amount of joy and happiness in your six months. We love you so much sweet boy and can't wait to see what adventures your next six months bring.

Halfway sounds a lot bigger now!

Friday brings a day that I'm not so sure I'm ready for...my tiny boy will be SIX months old. In case you haven't considered it this way, that's half a year old! I have spent every day with him and literally watched him grow right before my eyes, but can six months old really be possible so soon?! I have never wanted to slow down time as much as after having a child. It really does fly by, chiche I know. Anyways, I'll be spending my next three days enjoying every moment with my still 5 month old sweetie :)

First Family Beach Trip

One of my favorite parts of the year is family vacation. We always go to the Isle of Palms, near Charleston, for a week in August. This year was our 11th year and still so fun! Our crew was plus one this year: Mom, Todd, Emma, Will, Jesse, Sean, myself, and the newest member- Porter, of course :) I have to say I've looked forward to this trip since I was pregnant with Porter. I knew making new family memories that included him would be so special, and it was! My only regret was not taking a picture of how much stuff actually fit into our car, it was ridiculous!! I had no idea we would have to take that much stuff, and we're not even talking extras here. These were the necessities! Our poor car was packed to the brim and came back even more full, if that's possible. I was a little nervous how he would do sleeping in the pack and play, but he did great. Well mostly, he got up about 2 hours earlier than his normal time- which was a harsh reminder of newborn times, but went to bed easily and napped well. He liked the beach ok, but the pool was much better for him. He is mama and daddy made over when it comes to hot weather- ugh! He loved (loved!) going for walks in his umbrella stroller. As you'd probably imagine, he got plenty of snuggles and holding time grandparents and aunts/uncles around. He loved watching us play games (a huge prioritiy on vacation!) and sitting at the table (in the bumbo) while we ate. He developed a new and quite strange obsession and made a new best friend, pictures to come :) I think that about covers it, I'll let the pictures do the talking...

First walk on the beach with mommy and daddy

Aunt Jesse, Auntie Em, and Uncle Will came too :)

"Mommy this feels gross!"

Ready for a walk :)

The new obsession- water bottles!!!

We had lots of early morning walks to keep him from waking everyone up :)

Playing games with mommy, nonni, and aunties

"I'm not impressed!"

A beautiful sunrise sure did make getting up at 4:30 (a.m.!) a little easier :)

"My new best friend, Ernie! Thanks Aunt Jesse!"

Eating (or watching) dinner with everyone

Last night at the beach, great memories!

Storytime

I absolutely LOVE how much Porter loves books and storytime. Even so young, he loves to sit and listen to stories. He loves to touch the pages and he will almost always laugh when you read the story with funny voices. Having been a teacher to younger elementary grades, I have a deep love for stories and picture books. I was so glad to see that my little boy shares this love. I think it's so important for parents to read with their children and I knew I would do this often with Porter. This picture was a Sunday morning storytime with daddy. I love making these memories with our sweet baby!

Little boys are not meant for tea parties!

Sean and I took Porter to the cute shops in Davidson last weekend. We found the most fun bookstore with lots of things to entertain small kiddos. There were chairs, desks, and tables all perfectly sized for Porter :) Letting him play with the tea set, however, was not such a great idea. We tried to let him play 'tea' with the stuffed lion and within seconds the dainty little tea set was demolished- good thing it was plastic. Just goes to show until this house gets some more girls in it, we won't begin collecting tea sets anytime soon. Trucks, trains, and monsters here we come!!!