ode to big buddy.

Whew! After a fabulous ten-day vacation, I'm back home and getting back into the swing of things. We had a great Memorial Day weekend in Auburn and at the lake with the Dilworths. Brooke and Michael were amazing hosts and treated us to a fun weekend with their family. We love our time with them. Their 4 year old son, Thomas, and 20 month old daughter, Holland, kept us laughing the entire weekend and are some of the sweetest little ones around. John picked up Thomas' favorite catchphrase, "Oh yeah!" and has been using it every chance he gets. It's too funny. We can't wait until our next visit. I hope that it comes around sooner than later.

On Monday, me, 'Shug' (Mrs. Bryant), Lea, Bennett, and 'Pops' (Mr. Bryant) headed to the beach for a weeklong vacation on the coast. Bradley, Lea's husband, joined us on Wednesday and John came down on Thursday. It was a wonderful and relaxing week away from home and the hustle and bustle of life. Our days consisted of sun, surf, dips in the pool, great food, crosswords (more so Lea), magazines, popsicles, and buggy rides. Hands down, the highlight of our week was spending time with precious Bennett, or as we like to call him, 'Big Buddy.' John and I have so much love for our nephew. He is at such a fun age (18 1/2 months) and his personality is really shining through. He loves to make faces, play with everything "boy," spend time outdoors, and above all, hang out with Pops. I didn't take very many pictures this weekend, but couldn't pass up taking it out to snap some shots of Bennett. Here is our ode to Big Buddy:

Bennett loves peaches...

Bennett doing his "happy" face.

...and his "sad face."

Playing in the ocean with Pops.

Playing with Uncle John.

I could gobble that big belly up!

Who wouldn't want to spend a week with this little man?! We were sad to say goodbye on Sunday and are already counting down the days until our next visit with Bennett, Lea, and Bradley.

Our time with Bennett made me miss my nieces, Abby Grace and Daley, and my other nephew, William even more—I didn't think that was possible! The last time that I got to hold and hug them was Easter weekend and the pictures that Jeff and Katye send to my phone don't fill the void. In July, my family will be taking a beach trip together. The Bryants are gracious enough to let us stay in their house and we are so excited. You can expect another photo shoot next month! Can't wait!