Something momentous has happened at our house.

I didn't even realize it had happened.

2 weeks ago, we had dentists appointments. 

 I dread these.  Not because it's the dentist; because I am reminded that Sam needs to stop sucking his thumb.

He has been a thumbsucker since he was 2 months old.  I vividly remember the first time he really sucked his thumb.  I was relieved.  He could now comfort himself and put himself back to sleep.  He was our first thumbsucker.  Anna sucked two fingers for a while, but none of the others even took a pacifier past 6 months.

I had no idea how to even begin to get him to stop doing it.  Last time at the dentist, they gave me some suggestions.

I was a bad mom and didn't do them.

I wouldn't even give it a second thought, but it has affected his teeth, and he has started getting in his adult teeth.

So I braced myself to be lectured by the dentist after Sam's appointment. 

He came bounding out after his appointment. "How did it go?" I asked. "Great" he said.  "Did they tell you to stop sucking your thumb"  "Nah.  I don't suck my thumb anymore".

Hmmm.  I had heard that before, when he decided to stop and didn't suck it for, say, 5 minutes.  I wasn't convinced.  "Sam.  When did you stop sucking your thumb?"

"A while ago mom.  The lady asked me to put my thumb in my mouth in the dentists office and I did and it felt weird.  I haven't sucked my thumb in a long time."

I stopped to think about this and realized, I hadn't seen him sucking his thumb, in a while.

I got home and told Paul and he realized the same thing.

He stopped doing it all by himself, when he was ready.  No bad tasting liquid on the thumb, no safety pinning socks to his pajama shirt, none of that.

Wow.  What a relief!

:

Jamestown Settlement

 We decided on the spur of the moment (as we were drivng home) to stop in at Jamestown Settlement.  It is a recreation of Jamestown , an Indian village and 3 clipper ships, set back in 1607.  We had visited Plimoth Plantation when the big kids were younger and we really enjoyed it, so we decided to stop here.  We were not disappointed.  It was a great experience.  I am sure that Paul and I enjoyed it the most!

 Emma and Ben looked so cute in these matching strollers.

 He LOVED doing this!

 Scooping out the charred part of the log to make a canoe

 Oh my!

 We were very glad our pews in church are NOT like these.

 The warriors!

We finally really got on the road about 4pm and knew we were in for a long ride home.  We arrived home around 3am and fell into bed.  It was so good to be home.

Tuesday and Wednesday in Virginia

Tuesday we went to some friends of my brother and sister in law's house.  They live right on the water and have a beautiful property, along with an inground pool.  Their little white dog spent the entire time running around the pool and then jumping in.  If someone was in the pool, he was jumping in.  Turns out he is OCD and can't stand people in the pool and jumps in the entire time.  Poor doggie swallowed so much chorine water that he was up all night.

Ellie and Emma

Sam enjoying the pool.  The water was very cool, but once you were in, it was nice.  (Or so I'm told.  I didn't venture in)

Part of their property.  This is the guest house.

Beautiful James River.

Emma enjoying her time in the pool

Sam playing the James River, which is really the ocean.

Tony, Paul, Anna and Ben after a long walk out into the river.  They walked and walked and walked and the water did not get over chest high.

Anna and Paul kayaking

Emma playing in the buff!

And loving it!

Paul took Ben and Sam on a kayak ride.

Ellie

Tony relaxing

Emma was wiped out.

Eating breakfast at Uncle Tony's

Sitting on the dock at Tony and Elena's

On either side of the dock they have a crab pot and catch and then eat fresh crabs daily

Another beautiful sunset

Benjamin was convinced that this little structure was a "little preach" and demonstrated how to use it.

Like Father, Like Son