Summer Road Trips & Family Time

People always say "it goes by so fast when you have young children,"  and life in the Gladden house seems to be zooming by at warp speed.  I have learned over the past few years to really focus on the present: what the boys are doing/saying, where we are, how it feels.  It is gone in an instant, and I don't want to look back and realize I was too busy to appreciate life's daily moments...

...like when our big boy "shaved" for the first time.

Celebrating with the Gladdens

Happiness with Uncle John

Reading with Aunt Joan

Not sure why Alexander is scowling in this picture.  The boys LOVE the piano and grace us with their musical creations daily.

Playing with CG and Padre before they left for their sabbatical this fall

What handsome boys!

We had a marathon road trip to Ohio in August for my cousin Morgan's wedding.  Elliot is hanging out with Aunt Michelle before the festivities.

Anna and Elliot... awwww.

Mesmerized by the groom

We followed the Ohio road trip with a visit to Steven's uncle in Knoxville, TN.  It was only a four hour drive, and when we arrived Alexander said "we're there already?!?"

Uncle Russell and Elliot

Chillin' with the Chambers

Alexander is totally absorbed by the pretend world right now.  He plays inside his imagination more than he plays with his toys!  He is really in to all things superhero and always insists on being "the good guy."

Hot Fun in the Summertime

What a summer!  We have been having so much fun I haven't stopped to blog about it all.  So here is your "catch up" starting with the most recent pics first.

Our Little Blonde Mr. Personality- 8 months old and SO spoiled rotten already!

Celebrating CG's birthday

JG, CG, and Padre caught some catfish, and the Gladden men fried it up for CG's birthday celebration.  Delish!

Mom had her last day teaching at Children's Day Out at AUMC in May.  We all celebrated with her in Auburn.  They had a special party for her complete with square dancers and presented her with this outdoor sculpture for the backyard.  She has touched so many little kiddos and their families over the years, and we are so proud of her and all she has accomplished. 

We celebrated Mother's Day at the beach with the Gladdens.  Alexander LOVES Splash (the family-friendly resort we have been to in Panama City for two years), and we hear about it all year long.

Some of the Gladden Clan in the Gulf

Elliot in his beach tent (this lasted about 30 seconds after I took this picture)

CG and Padre brought their "metal protectors" (as Alexander calls them) to the beach for some sand treasure hunting.  A couple who saw that they had metal detectors asked them to help find a lost wedding band.  This picture is of the sweet taste of victory after Padre and Steven were able to locate the ring for the couple... true superheroes!

Preparing for Pirate Mini Golf

Panama City Go-cart Fun

Batman, I mean Alexander, turned four this May.  He has been such a joy to be around lately.  He says the cutest things that make me giggle daily, is such a GREAT big brother, and doesn't test the limits quite as much as he did during the "terrible threes."  And did I mention that he willingly comes to the table for mealtime and even requests (and eats) some of his favorite foods?!?  Hooray for our big 4-year-old!

AO has been obsessed with Octonauts (a show on Disney Jr.) for months now.  Somehow, I thought the Curious George phase would never end, but alas, we have Octonauts now!  Here he is with the rest of his birthday loot.

We had a super cool pirate backyard birthday party planned for AO this year.  Every year on his birthday it has always been gorgeous outside, hot even.  So we had water backyard fun planned for the kiddos, and of course it rained constantly the days leading up to the party and we had record low temperatures.  Don't worry, Monkey Joe's to the rescue.  Indoor fun was had by all.  I guess my pirate plans will have to wait for another day...

Flying kites with Uncle Ian and Liam

Yeah for Mark and Dina!  So glad our CA friends got to stop by for a visit while Mark was in town for a conference.

Birthday Plans Change

We are having to move Alexander's outdoor pirate party indoors due to this ridiculous "spring" weather.  We will be partying at Monkey Joe's in Newnan at 11:30 on Sunday, May 5th.  We had to change the time because that was all they had available on such short notice.  Please call/text me (Erin) to let me know if you are planning on coming to Monkey Joe's, so I can give them a final head count.  Alexander is super excited!