Bye to Bo

After Amiee's commissioning service in Virginia, she was able to spend a couple nights in Durham so that we could say a proper goodbye. We didn't do a whole lot of "stuff," but we did eat good food, watched a movie or two, and played. The girls had a blast; Claire was really the only one that understood that we'd be saying "goodbye" for a long time at the end of the weekend. She took that very seriously, though. No one is surprised by this information, right?

We took Amiee to eat at a few of our Durham favorites: The Q Shack + Tobacco Road Bar and Grill. Our friend, Kylie, came over from Raleigh to visit for a while, too, which is always a treat. (Although I failed to get a picture with Kylie...)

Hugs and snugs after lunch at The Q Shack.

Amiee was able to stay for a full weekend, and then she, mom, and dad headed out in the morning on Labor Day (after which there was a great deal of emotion in the Boswell house. Brad cannot keep it together in sad situations, you know? I kid.).

We were sad to see her drive away, but we're so proud of her, and we're so thankful for all the technology that allows us to keep in contact (at this point, she's been gone for about a week, and we've chatted every day via What's App and FaceTimed, not to mention all of the pictures in our shared Google Photos album and Instagram almost daily. Not too shabby, guys.).

In an effort to keep things light and comical, please enjoy the following *outtakes* from our last minute pictures with Bo (and Poppy):

I think Lily and Brynna have the same facial expression here...

...and here, too.

Lily...

My favorite one.

And my other favorite.

I thought this one was quite good, too!

I won't belabor the sadness of the goodbyes, so I'll just leave off with this excellent shot:

How good is this one??

Duke v Army

After Amiee's commissioning, she had to stick around in Virginia for a couple extra days, so Mom and Dad returned to Durham with the girls and me, and we all hung out until Amiee could join us (more on that later). Brad was able to snag some tickets for all of us to the Duke/Army football game! It was MISERABLY hot at first but got slightly better after the sun began to set. When Mom, the girls, and I left at 8:00 (and the sun was fully set), it was still 94 degrees. BLEH.

Despite that, everyone had a really good time! (And Duke won) The fun kicked off with the shuttle bus ride from the parking lot to the stadium. Lily has never ridden on a bus or free of a car seat, and her joy was unbridled. Please enjoy her faces:

Everyone in our vicinity was highly entertained.

Our tickets came with food vouchers, so we did it up right with hot dogs, chips, monstrously-sized drinks. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the food.

Enjoying pregame festivities!

So much blue + best we got at a group shot.

The littles did SO WELL, given the heat, the past-their-bedtime-ness, the volume, and all the people. The folks sitting next to us commented several times on how well they did, which is always nice affirmation to receive when you're herding small cats at a football game. 

She took her shaker shaking very seriously.

So did she.

This girl loves her Daddy.

Seriously. How cute is this?

We had a great time cheering for the Blue Devils and trying to explain football to Claire. Note: we have a lot of ground to cover. So glad Mom and Dad could join us for the fun! And when we got home, Amiee had arrived! I'll do a separate post about her farewell visit in Durham. It was too bad that she arrived too late for the game- she went with us to our very first football game last year! Anyone remember this?

LOOK HOW LITTLE MY BABIES WERE! Gahhhh.

Next up: hilarious pictures of the girls with Amiee. Because smiling normally is hard.

Letter to my Baby Brynn: 4 Months

Brynnie,

It kinda hurts my feelings that I am ALREADY writing your letter for FOUR MONTHS. These days are racing by, and while I'm grateful that you are consistently sleeping through the night and are on a fairly well-set nursing schedule, I am in no way wanting these days to slip away so fast. You are an absolute joy and delight, and I could not be happier to be spending these days with you.

Although you're only 4 months old (even though the days are going by quickly, in the grand scheme of your life, 4 months isn't very many), you've had a full and busy life! This past month, you've been on your second beach trip (to Topsail Island, NC with Gran and Grandpa), you traveled to your 4th state (Virginia for Bo's commissioning service), and attended your first Duke football game. WHEW! You were a champ for all of it, smiling all the way!

Our time at Topsail was so fun, and you were so happy to be with family and to spend time down on the sand, enjoying the breeze and the sound of the water. You got lots of cuddle time, and you did not get a sunburn, so I count the whole week a success!

We went with Nana and Poppy to Virginia for several days to see Bo's commissioning service. It was miserably hot, but you were such a trooper, and we all thought you did a fantastic job of enhancing our visit (minus a few bouts of car crying when you were overly tired).

Although riding in the van for long trips is not your favorite, you bear up as well as you can, and we're thankful. In addition to hitting a sleeping/eating schedule, you've started laughing more, and you're very close to rolling. It isn't entirely your fault that you aren't already rolling; I haven't given you too many opportunities to practice, as I am delaying your mobility as long as possible. Poppy gave me the side-eye for that, so I've *begrudgingly* started giving you more floor time/tummy time. AGAINST MY WILL, mind you.

You absolutely love and adore your sisters. They both love to play with you during your floor time, and you cannot contain your smiles and enthusiasm for spending time with them. It makes me unbelievably happy; I pray that your relationships with one another will only continue to grow and strengthen. I want you all to be each others' best friends and greatest allies throughout your lives. So far, so good.

We had to say a 2-year "see you later" to Bo this month. She moved to Kenya for a 2-year service term, and we will miss her dreadfully. Although you won't remember much of this time without her present at family gatherings (and you'll see her regularly on FaceTime), I'm a little sad that you won't have the fun of play time with Bo for a while. She loves you immensely, and don't you worry: you'll see her face very often.

We are so very grateful for you, Brynna. Our family has only been sweetened by you!
Love,
Mommy

Fun on Topsail!

#sistersshotsonsundays

#sistersshotsonsundays with Mommy and Bo included!

 Bye, Bo! We love you!

I love your many faces!

Duke v Army game! It was SO HOT. But Duke won!

Your thoughts on overly-exuberant sisters...

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Week 17

4 Months

I completely did not realize that you were wearing this outfit two weeks in a row...apparently, it's a favorite of mine.