A Tale of TWO Claytons

Summertime

I have always loved the summer. I mean who doesn't? Long days, late nights, vacations, the lake, the beach, boats, cookouts with friends, cold drinks, and the list goes on.

Luckily, Ashton and Mary Seegars seem to love summer just as much as their mama! I see a lot of summer days at the lake and beach in our future!

We have spent a lot of the summer at the lake . .

The babies even went on their first ride on the Big Mable!

It was a wild and crazy Fourth!

We visited Granny and Seldom

so the babies could spend some time with their great grandparents!

We traveled to Charleston to celebrate baby Scoggins!

Can't wait for this little girl to arrive.

We Love our Kimmy and Ziggy!

It is safe to say that we have two beach babies on our hands!

The first trip to the beach was a success.

We even got to take a little vacation to D.C. just us adults . . .

We spent the Bickes Family vacation in Nantucket.

We had the BEST time!

Ashton loves his Mommie May!!

And his Pops. . .

Aunt A.C. was a huge help . . the babies loved spending time with her!

Two of my favorite ladies . . .

The Brotherhood of Thieves . . .

A pretty rough crew.

We sure were lucky to have Bammie with us on the trip.

It is so special that the babies get to spend time with their great grandparents!

The babies loved riding behind the bike!

Ashton loved the beach!

especially the yummy sand . . .

Mary Seegars did too but it took her a little longer to adjust to the sand.

We even got to go deep sea fishing!

So much fun!

What a wonderful trip with an even more wonderful family!

Ten months old, how can that be?

Well the title says it all. How did ten months pass so quickly? How are my babies pulling up and creeping and saying words? How are we two months from their first birthday? How am I ever going to hold onto these moments, these memories, these sweet and innocent little angels?

Father's Day

Gash and I have been blessed by the most wonderful fathers. The kind that love their wife and actually spend time with their kids. The kind that have worked hard all of their lives to provide for us. The kind that are selfless, genuine, caring, and kind. The kind that set an example in everything that they do.

I truly believe that this is why Gash is such a wonderful father. He has had the most wonderful examples in his life, and Ashton, Mary Seegars, and I are all benefiting from the man he has become. A father that I know his son will want to emulate one day. And for that, I thank God with all my heart.

We sure do love you dadadadadada!

Cousins

When your mom is one of ten and your dad is one of six, you have a lot of cousins. And cousins are a good thing. They become the big brother or big sister that you never had and in my case they become some of your best friends. One of the things that I have always found so special about Gash is his relationship with his cousins. When I first met his family, I felt like I was at home. Gash and his cousins were just like me and my cousins, best friends.

That is why it is so important to Gash and me that our babies grow up knowing their cousins. They may not have "real" cousins yet, but our cousins have kiddos and that is good enough for us. We spend a lot of time talking to the babies about their cousins and showing them pictures but nothing beats actually spending time with them.

I sure do hope that Ashton and Mary Seegars can make as many memories with their cousins (both first and second) as I did with mine. Because cousins are a good thing!

Fun Times with the Marshes!