Gone Beachin'

When I looked at a friends blog roll today, I saw that my blog's last update was 'three weeks ago'. Woah! I guess I really have been on vacation.



We just returned from two lovely weeks in the Outer Banks. Our family vacations juxtaposed nicely in North Carolina this year, and we reveled in the long break. Though, it must be said, that two weeks away from routine with young children is not easy. Nonetheless, it was the beach, and the beach is always worth it.

We tried to unplug as much as possible. And so we spent a lot of time here:





I'll be back to posting this week. And back to reality. :)

P.S. Google reader appears to have gone wonky in my blog absence, and so you may need to re-subscribe if this doesn't show up in your reader and you think it should have.

This and That

**This is your health article for the week. If you Zumba, do it safely!**

**It takes a lot of this...**


**...to get to that.**


But really the point of those pictures is my sweater. As it turns out, sometimes I swap style secrets with my patients. I've owned this polka-dot skirt for a few months, and really love it. I'd tried it with a few different tops, none of which did it justice. Then my patient walks in wearing the same skirt with the pictured sweater. It perfectly matched the orangey-red stitching on the skirt (which you probably can't see in the picture). I told her how I'd been styling it, she told me where she bought the sweater, and we both left happy. :) Now hopefully we won't both be wearing it at her next office visit.

**This boy's cheeks get more and more delicious. True Story.**



**That was a total 'mom moment'. I'd been playing dressup downstairs with the kids in the morning. Around lunchtime, I came up to see that I'd had this on my head for hours. And, I mean, why not?**




**I love how this shot makes it look like a host of angels were blessing our McDonald's Ice Cream Cone. Tiny's face even mirrors corresponding awe. I've taught her well the value of these cones.**



**That was my first foray into fancy little girl hair. I know it's a messy attempt, but can I get a round of applause here? Cause I was the girl who couldn't do a french braid to save her life while growing up. I finally got around to looking at the blogs with tutorials a friend had sent me, and realized I might not be as hopeless as I'd thought.**




**This was our first visit to the American Girl Doll Store, which was a hit. We'll go back on a less crowded day to get Samantha's hair done, etc., This trip? Tiny was thrilled that she got to pick out whatever she wanted from the bistro dessert case. Which ended up being a pink lollipop.**




**We had a great Independance Day, celebrating with family. This:**


**led to this:**


**then this:**


**and finally this:**


I love the Fourth.

Happy Weekend!