Waxhaw here we come!

Well, it's been a whirlwind couple of weeks. As many of you know we spent last week dodging hurricanes at the beach! We had a blast. We took tons of pictures and even had some professional pix taken as well. If you want to view, look at our shutterfly page at: http://howellfamily4.shutterfly.com/

In other news, also while we were at the beach we recieved an offer on our house! It wasn't the offer we would have liked, but we were able to get creative and find a way to make it work. So we will be closing on both houses on September 30th.

We are so excited that we will be spending the holidays in our new home. The kids are thrilled (we can finally get thier toys out of storage). I'm a little nervous about switching daycares as we've been a big fan of Field of Dreams since Ethan started there 3 years ago. Hopefully E will do ok with the transition, Brady I'm not so worried about.

Wish us luck in the move and now that we finally have a guest bedroom instead of an air mattress on the floor - we expect to see some visitors!

We'll keep everyone posted!

Love,

Brian, Michelle, Ethan, Brady & Bogey

Sun, Sand and Chess?

Monday was another beautiful day at Topsail Island. Brian & Momoo went golfing and Grandma & Michelle spent the day on the beach. The rest of the week has a little more chance of rain, so we're hoping our nice weather holds out.

Mommo taught Ethan to play chess. Seriously. Real rules and everything. They played for about 30 minutes before giving up. I was pretty impressed, first with Momoo's ability to teach a 4 year old chess, and second for Ethan sitting still long enough to learn it!

We're having a great time. Tuesday afternoon we're going to drive down to Fort Fisher and meet a photographer that our friends Wes & Cynthia recomended to have family pictures taken on the beach. I'm excited but ready for a fight, as the outfits I've chosen include khaki shorts, which you can be sure will send Ethan into a tantrum, since he HATES anything other than "comfy clothes". Hopefully we can get some good shots!

Brady is a beach bum!

Brady has always had the looks of a beach bum, but now he has the credentials to prove it. After being a little hesitant most of the day, he came around right before dinner. Once he found the joys of playing in the surf, we couldn't keep him out of it.

Ethan had a great day as well, spending nearly all day on the beach playing in the sand and waves. Our first full day is in the books and everyone had a great time. He made friends with a little girl who lives a couple blocks from our beach.

Michelle got in some reading and sleeping in the sun, so she's happy. Brian's vacation starts tomorrow with his first round of golf planned.

The weather was very humid this morning and pretty warm this afternoon, but we really couldn't ask for better weather, especially with what was in the area just a couple days ago.

I hope everyone is well and we're looking forward to several more days of sun, surf and sand from Topsail Island, NC.

Howell Family Vacation Day 1 - The Aftermath of Hanna

This week is our annual trip to Topsail Island with Momoo & Grandma. As of Friday Tropical Storm Hanna was supposed to hit right on Wilmington, NC possibly as a Category 1 Hurricane. Friday night came and went and in Charlotte and we woke up to find that Hanna hadn't done near the damage it could have in our little slice of paradise. We were still a little worried as we drove in that what if the power was out, what if our steps had blown away, what if.... By the time we arrived in Topsail, after a beautiful sunny drive (and quiet too - Ethan & Brady rode with Grandma & Momoo!!!) we arrived to our beach house. The beach is just as beautiful as ever, and other than the waves being a little choppy, you never would have guessed a storm blew through just 12 hours before. Here are some pictures of our view from the deck. I took them a little close to dusk, so that's why they are a little dark.

Waterpark with Nana & GrandDad

In a rare 3-day weekend where we didn't travel, Nana & GrandDad (Bri's parents) came to visit. We spent Sunday at Boomerrang Bay, the waterpark @ Carowinds. Nana and GrandDad had fun playing with the kids in the water. Brady braved one of the "big boy slides" and the them of the day was Brady and "one more time, GrandDad." Needless to say, everyone slept well Sunday night.

We're gearing up for our annual beach trip to Topsail Island. We leave this coming Saturday and everyone is ready. Although, we may have an unwanted houseguest when we arrive at the beach house....Tropical Storm Hannah. Here's hoping it get's in and out so we're not locked inside for a week.