Deere Dudes and Beach Bums

Everyone knows that the best perk of being a teacher are those blessed 10 weeks every year called summer break.  Oh sure, many a teacher would deny that statement and claim that "making a difference" and "leading a child to a brighter tomorrow" is the best part of their often thankless job, but those teachers must just be allergic to the sun or have really annoying in-laws whom they dread visiting every August.

Such is not the case in this family of teachers, so the countdown to summer always begins quite early in our house.  After the hectic weeks of packing, moving, and unpacking came to an end, my three boys and I still had six weeks of summer left to enjoy with each other and our extended families. 

For our first big adventure we trekked up to Michigan where Hudson and Corbin, clad head to toe in "country gear," experienced several new firsts: ice cream (including chocolate!), a tractor ride (Is this a giant toy?), and Lake Michigan (brrrrr!!!). 

Corbin meets chocolate ice cream:

  Corbin's a John Deere man from the start:

One week and seven states later, our two little vagabonds found themselves in warmer, wavier, and sharkier waters--Bethany Beach, Delaware.  There they splashed to their hearts' content, and helped Ben and I realize that we must bid a sad farewell to our carefree tanning and beach reading days.  Overtired, sand eating, sun exposed babies apparently are not a recipe for a quiet respite from life.  Go figure.

Hudson trying to catch some rays and tan his bald head:

                   

Jimmy Buffet called.  He wants his shirts back.

And so after two big road trips and several shorter trips in between, our sweet summer days come to a close.  Ben has returned to work, and the boys are getting used to the fact that during the day only one person will be making funny faces and dancing around like an idiot for their entertaining pleasure.

And the countdown to June begins yet again . . .