Keeping it Cool

It's been SO hot in Charlotte recently... it hurts to even think about going outside in the middle of the day. So it was a great week to have a pool party! Some friends of ours were watching this ridonkulous lake house this week and they invited us over to take a dip. Here's Carter and his friend Adelaide chillin' in their pool chair...

And Carter and Adelaide both thought the built in waterfall was super-cool. Splish splash!

The mansion itself was unbelievable. Built out on a point, it had around 200 degrees of lake view. It was 10,000 square feet and felt like a slightly scaled down version of Disney's Wilderness Lodge. The place was so amazing that I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I found out that it was just these folks' lake house... they actually have another house they live at full time 15 MINUTES AWAY!!! To have all this beauty at your fingertips and then just let it sit empty a lot of the time seems like a crime. Sadness.

Earlier in the week, Adelaide came over and spent some time with us while her parents had dinner out. She and Carter played with his toy that shoots little balls around and plays music. She really liked the music, dancing and hugging Carter. Carter likes to be hugged the first five or six times, but then after that, he's just looking over at me like "Why are these girls always suffocating me?" Trust me, buddy, this will come in handy someday.

Hugs. And more hugs. Hey, would you like to dance and hug?

Life continues to speed by. Carter's walking up a storm and doesn't want anyone picking him up now without his permission. He's making progress in other areas too... mimicking sounds, throwing a ball, and tonight, a very special moment. As Cierra was taking him up to bed, I asked him for a kiss. Normally when we ask for one, he purses his lips and makes a kissing sound. This time he leaned forward very deliberately, put his lips together, closed his eyes and gave me the sweetest little peck on the cheek. I was smiling ear to ear for the next ten minutes.