Where did the summer go?

Hi Tad, my name is Harvey.

Grammy defends Tad's masculinity with the purchase a boy's bike helmut for the house. Tad had previously been wearing a helmut with pink and purple flowers. Tad stares at the driveway, hoping someone will take him on a ride.

Johnny prepared another masterpiece - surf and turf for Grammy's birthday.

According to the calendar it is late September, but the ninety degree weather, sunny days and fun adventures make it still feel like summer. The summer of 2010 flew by for us and we are now catching our breath and wondering what happened to the past three months. I have been completely delinquent with the blog and apologize for the long delay in posting photos.

We kicked off the summer with a fabulous trip to Hilton Head for the July 4th holiday. We spent the long weekend with Grammy and Poppa and a night with Joe and Donna Davis. Tad had a blast - highlights include playing on the beach, bike rides and a trip to see Harvey at Lawton Farm. Grammy introduced Tad to corn on the cob, which became an instant favorite (we now have to hide the ear of corn until he eats his other food as Tad becomes a bit obsessed once he sees it), and ice cream sandwiches. Perfect summer treats!

Looking at the above photos, I am struck by how much Tad has changed just since July 4th. He now sports a mullet (not sure where he gets the dirty blonde curls), walk/runs at quite a fast clip and says a handful of words (heehaw is this week's word of choice).

Take 3

Take #1

Take #2

Take #3

Whenever we get together with the Bowles, we promise Grammy that we'll take a great photo of her three grandsons together. We have high hopes for the perfect picture - adorable, matching outfits, a pretty background setting. This has yet to happen as the weekend usually turns into a whirlwind of activity. We attempted to capture all three monkeys in one photo before we left Nashville.

Vroom, Vroom

Brady, Tad and their Daddys.

Tad's latest obsession - orange cones. Eeeww. The Bowles treated Uncle Johnny to a visit to the Nashville Car Museum the day after Cooper's birthday bash. While Johnny checked out all the cars, Coop, Brady and Tad enjoyed the kids area.

Coop Turns 3: Party in Nashville!

Birthday Boy!

Mr. B. checking things out.

Wow. Is Bailey really the same species as my frenchies? I guess they have similar ears. She can see my tray! Bailey Dog was very sweet to Tad all weekend as he followed her around.

Coop, Aunt Meg and Coop's awesome train birthday cake! Yum.

Blowing out the big 3 candle!

Cooper's 3rd birthday was June 21st and we headed to Nashville to celebrate the last weekend in June. It is hard to believe that 3 years ago we were all gathered in Nashville staring at the first Gaffney cousin. Coop is so old now - smart, funny and such a sweet boy. We adore how he narrates the day and appreciate how sweet he is with "Baby Tad". The party was a blast, from the bouncey house to bubbles and delicious cake. After the party and much needed naps, we took a dunk in the pool to cool off. As always, we all had a great time with the Bowles gang.

Ahoy Matey

Check out the pirate water table Grammy and Pop sent Tad for his birthday. It has provided endless hours of fun this summer. It usually involves Tad drenching himself (and us) and finishing the night in a diaper on the deck. The photos above are from Tad's first splash in the water table, joined by Bryce and Brooke. He was cautious at first, but by the end of the night was trying to climb onto the table.

Brothers don't shake hands...

brothers gotta hug. The Bowles gang came to town for Tad's birthday bash. Coop and Mr. B shared a hug on our wagon ride. I swear this photo wasn't posed - they are just so sweet and funny. Tad is so lucky to have such wonderful cousins.

Party Time!

Tad was not very interested in the cake.

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to... some fun photos from Tad's first birthday bash.