Courtney, Charlie & Eli too :): Joyful July :)

July was by far my favorite month of the year. I was able to spend a lot of quality time with those I love most. :) The only problem is, the month seemed to fly by.

We had a small get together at our house to celebrate the 4th of July. It was so nice to have everyone here!!

I was excited to plan out our menu and do some baking!!! Charlie grilled burgers and hot dogs for everyone, so I got to make the extras to go with. :)

I made these Cherry Bottom-Chocolate Buttercream Cake Squares. They were really TASTY, but one goes a longggg way! Haha.

I also made some Cilantro Baked Beans...

and a table full of snacks...

My guests all bought desserts, so we had quite the selection! They were all soooo yummy!!

I am sad I didn't get pictures of everyone....I think people hide from me when they see me with my camera out. Haha. I did get some cute pictures tho!

Mommy and Daddy....

Vicki, Brandon, Chris and Samantha....

Brother and Sister :) ...

Thank you to everyone for coming! We loved having you all (and eating all of your leftover desserts! HAHA!)!!
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Later that week, my friend April and her son, Aidan (who is 2 1/2) came to play. Charlie was in Austin for work, so we decided on an evening dinner playdate. We ordered pizza, Mommies chatted and the boys tore the house apart...It was soooo much fun!! :)

Aidan and Eli playing...

I think this pic is soooo cute...

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That week I was running around like a crazy person, trying to get everything packed and ready for our upcoming vacation. Of course THIS was the week Eli decided he wanted to pick out what clothes to wear and what shoes needed to go on his feet.

On Saturday, he was not going to leave the house without these three-sizes-to- small penguin slippers on his feet (in 100 degree weather I might add)...

Here is a *FUN FLASBACK*....

Eli was only a few weeks old when Uncle Chris and Auntie Samantha bought Eli these slippers and they were wayyyyy too big at the time. :)

Since I was only going to Starbuck's and to get gas, I just let Eli be Eli and he wore his penguin slippers on the outing.

Well later that afternoon, I needed to go to the grocery store and mall, so I told him he needed to wear regular shoes.

So this is what he puts on his feet...

I LOVE this little guy!! :)
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On July 15th we packed up the car and headed out for a nice, long drive to Tennessee. I really do love driving there...Tennessee is such a beautiful state. However, driving with a toddler for hours on end is a lot different then driving with an 8 month old baby.

I must say, for the most part our favorite little guy was all smiles in the car....

Our first stop was to visit Dad and Nancy. It was such a nice visit! They loved seeing Eli. :)

Eli had a lot of fun exploring with his Daddy while we were there. :) Charlie took Eli outside to catch Lightning Bugs the night we arrived...

I did some exploring myself and really enjoyed watching the sunset. I think this pic is pretty cool...

During our visit, Eli made a new friend (but don't tell Lulu!). This little puppy from across the street just didn't want to go home and just loved following Eli around. I thought it was the cutest thing ever.

Eli and his new friend...

We had the best time catching up and spending time with Dad and Nancy. It was such a nice visit. :)

Thank you Little Gram and Grandpa for having us!!! We had a great time and always love visiting!! xoxo
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We left Dad and Nancy's and headed up to Pigeon Forge. We had rented a cabin in the mountains for a few days.

Did I mention it was UP in the mountains?

I am pretty sure we rented the highest cabin in the United States. I actually got a little nervous on the way up...

The cabin was really cute...

Me in the cabin...

We had such a fun little family vacation!!

We went to Gatlinburg (I LOVE this town!) and did some shopping...

It was at a restaurant in Gatlinburg where Eli tried Honey Mustard for the first time. I turned my head for a second and look over at him and he is eating it by the forkful...Haha

We also spent a day at Dollywood!! I had never been before and thought it was the nicest, cleanest and friendliest theme park ever!! We had sooo much fun :)

Some photos from our day at Dollywood...

After our super excitig day at Dollywood, we get into the car and in 2 minutes flat....

Thank you my Charlie for a wonderful family vacation!! I love you!! xoxo

****************************************************************************We were home 2 days from Tennessee and packed the car up again to head to South Padre Island. :) Charlie's company sent us, which was really nice! It was kind've crazy to come home, unpack and repack--but the trip was soooo worth it!

This cool dude is ready for the beach...

Arriving at the hotel...

We went for a walk on the beach that evening...

The hotel was right on the beach, so we spent most of our time there. :)

View from our room...

Playing at the beach...

We also took Eli to see the Sea Turtles while we were there...

The last night we were there, they had a nice dinner for us. Charlie's work gave all the family members nametags to wear. Eli thought he was soooo cool getting to wear a nametag like his Daddy. :)

I LOVE this pic (look how proud Eli is!)...