Within these Halls: bummer...but the lessons paid off!

this weekend we were headed to SML (smith mountain lake) for the Hall annual 4th of july.

well, saturday morning, we were packing up and heard they lost power the night before at 9:30.

okay...hmmm. i knew that would not be good for a 9 month preggo. BUT, they thought it was a downed line and would be back on later.

well, once we were 40 minutes away from being there, we heard a different story. gas stations were saying it would be days - there was a terrible storm and millions were out of power.

oh hell no.

so, i started calling hotels. booked. jack called for generators. none.

we arrived and i lasted about 40 minutes before the tears came. so hot. can't do it. hormones a ragin'. felt sorry for myself, and felt sorry for lawton leaving his cousins....

if only i had one of these ice pack vests!

the family decided to stay and sweat it out and we headed to greensboro around 4. thank god because in the end, everyone had to leave because it was too hot around 9....i hated that we couldn't all be together for the weekend and of course i was looking forward to having a last "vacation" before baby arrives, but it didn't work out....waa waa.

so, before heading home sunday, i suggested we go swimming at GCC so that lawton could test out his new swimming skills from having swim lessons that past week to be prepared for the lake...

this is what swim lessons looked like:

and in the end, he loved them and is a little fish!!! there is no way in hell i was going to dunk him like his teacher did and now he likes going under, floating on his back, sticking his ears in the water...charlotte swim academy was the perfect thing to do. private lessons for one week everyday and best of all, moms don't get in!

daddy and lawton in greensboro

monday we met trent at the pool in his apartment complex.

please look at this flirt. the ladies couldn't help but play with him. seriously, we (trent, jack and myself) were watching from the side and this is how the scene looked. he flirted and told them to "come get me!"....we told trent he can borrow lawton anytime, babies sure get the attention of women!

and then, for the 4th, we headed to the lake with the oxendines for a few hours before nap time. it was perfect. the water felt wonderful and this was lawton's first time getting in a lake and again, he loved it!

these puddle jumpers are the best. every other life jacket threw him underwater and with these, you just let them go! well, not really, bodies of water scare me, so i am close by...

happy birthday america!

and this is rachel and riley, the BEST cousins and babysitters ever!!! lawton is SO excited to see them and has loved seeing them so much this summer ;)