Happy 7th Birthday to...

Scout & Tex. These two dogs have provided hours and years of entertainment for us. They were our first babies, and they've been so good to our new babies...most often playing third and fourth fiddle to Drew and Grady. They still wag their tails and follow us everywhere though.

Here's a little tribute to their 7 years...

This is one of my favorite pics of all time. Scout, Tex, and Drew at our house in Florida. These dogs spend countless hours in front of windows...waiting for anything and barking at everything.


Scout - our regal puppy - she pretends to be serious, but she is usually the first to bark at passers-by and to instigate a play fight with Tex.

Tex - our goofball puppy - Tex loves the water, the trash, the turkey bacon paper towel from the trash, our bed, and many other things that he shouldn't like.

At our house in VA

On our deck in VA...watching traffic

Their first snowfall in VA...look how little they are. They aren't even a year old in this picture.

Tex - getting a better view of the traffic in VA

Their first days at our house in VA

Scout - this summer

Tex - this summer

Happy Birthday to our two favorite hounds!

Roadtrip to Rochester...

On the first of July, Dave and I packed up my car with the boys, and we headed to Rochester to see his parents. It was a 2,134 mile drive...to be exact from door to door. We were lucky enough to have a place to stay on the way and on the way back...with my dear friend, Marty, and her family. We traveled in the late afternoon, so the boys would sleep. Dave and I were pretty much exhausted, but it was so worth it. It took us 10 hours to drive to Marty's house in VA and then another 7 to get to Rochester. Here's a look into our vacation...

Drew and Sadie (Marty & Jim's oldest) - She and Drew are 6 months apart and had not seen each other in awhile, but you never would have known it. They played so well together. They spent a lot of time on the deck watering Marty's plants. Thanks to Marty and Jim for hosting us...they also have a daughter, Carson, who is 2 months younger than Grady, and they had fun too..but somehow I didn't get any pics of them that turned out well. We were also very lucky to see our friend, Jeannie, who spent part of her anniversary with us. Thanks, Jeannie! (and her husband John for letting her hang with us)
Williamsport, Penn - This is where the Little League World Series is played, and we go right by it on our way to Rochester from Marty's house. We had to stop and snap some pictures. This does little justice to explain how "out in the middle of nowhere" this town and stadium are. It's down a really steep hill too.

And now to RochVegas...we packed a lot into 1 week. We've all decided that next year, the boys and I will stay for 2 weeks like Dave's sis, Jen, did with our nephew. Dave will fly home in the middle to work then fly back to drive us home. We basically spent 4 days in the car and 6 days in NY.

July 4th - Steve's (Dave's dad) family came from Auburn, NY to cookout with us. We spent a lot of time under these trees that day because Rochester was experiencing a heat wave (the entire time we were there..seriously, it was 90+degrees the whole time and 80 degrees on the day we left.).

Grady in his play pool...he desperately wanted to be outside with the big boys, but he couldn't do all the fun stuff they did. He seemed pretty content here though.

In the middle of the week, our nephew, Caal, arrived with his mom and dad to hang out with us. He and Drew had a blast...they exhausted each other and us (ok, mostly Papa though).

Caal, Grady, and Drew

Papa playing baseball with Drew & Caal

Papa helping Drew and Caal climb the inflatable water slide that we were able to borrow from the neighbors. This was a favorite of theirs (not Papa's though). We ALL kept Papa pretty busy. If he wasn't busy with the boys, he was busy making whiskey sours.

Drew feeding the ducks at Abbott's frozen custard down by the canal

Papa covering Grady's ears at the 4th of July parade...there were a lot of loud fire trucks. Dave and I ran a race that morning then headed to the parade with his parents and the boys. It was a great way to celebrate the holiday.

Nonna with Grady playing in his pool --she was always quick to take the little man wherever he needed to be, and sometimes that was inside the cool air away from all the action, but she never complained.

We had such a great week with Dave's family. Mark, Dave's brother, brought his girlfriend, and we loved meeting her. Nonna and Papa cooked for us, made sure we had comfy beds, and all of our favorites...cinnamon bread, many things from Wegmans, whiskey sours, and lots of time in their beautiful backyard. Looks like this trip will be a family tradition...(they even watched all 3 boys, so the big kids...me, Dave, Jen, and Carlos could go to see Dave from DMB play with Tim Reynolds. It was an interesting evening to say the least. Thanks for Nonna and Papa for being such great hosts.

Happy 9 months to...

Grady! We went in for his 9 month check this morning...no shots, thank God. He weighs 18lbs, 8 ounces (25th%...would hate to see the kid in the 75th%), and he's 28.5 inches long (50-75th%). I don't know where Drew's measurements are, but I included a picture of Drew at 9 months below to compare. Grady is crawling all over the house to catch his big brother, and he has nasty calloused feet and knees to show for it. He also will have nothing to do with baby food anymore, so he has 4 bottles everyday and 3 meals. For instance, yesterday he ate a breakfast bar and turkey bacon for breakfast, then had a little baby food (from Miss Angela at school...he will only eat baby food there) chicken nuggets and cheese toast for lunch, and for dinner he had lima beans and ham. Yes, that's what he is eating at 9 months old...crazy!

Drew at 9 months in August 2007
Grady at 9 months in Rochester this past week

Need a unique baby gift...

check out this cute onesie with a nest and eggs. I know the artist (she's family...), so let me know if you want to know more about how to buy one or 100. They are awesome. Check out how happy Grady is wearing it. She can paint many other images too and can play around with color requests.

P.S. - Many vacation photos to post later...just need to find the time, and we're headed to Seaside on Friday. Be patient, please!

9 years ago...

today, Dave and I got married on the beach in Destin, Florida. We were lucky enough to have dear friends and family travel from all over the United States to celebrate with us. It was quite a trek for many people, and we are so thankful they were there.

Dave and I met in the fall of 1996 in Owen Hall at Purdue University. I was 18, and he was 19. We didn't start dating until the fall of my junior year though...my fault on that one, but maybe it was better that I waded my way through a few jerks and fun semesters with my girlfriends before we finally got together. I kept him close though by setting him up with many of my sorority sisters...ha!

Well, I must say that after all this time, I am more thankful for him today than I ever knew I would be on that warm August day in the dorms at Purdue. He is really an amazing dad and husband...and truly my best friend.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DAVE!

This pic is a little old (from 2008, I think)....sorry, we're on vacation, and I don't have access to all of our pics, but it will have to do for now.

Happy 4th of July...

We're in RochVegas...finally! It took one 10.5 hour trip through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and a stop with some dear friends in Virginia then what was supposed to be a 6 hour (but ended up being an 8.5 hour trip) through Maryland, Pennsylvania, then finally into New York, but we are here.

Nona and Papa were waiting with open arms, clean sheets, and lots of hugs and kisses for the boys. We're so happy to be here for the week. Dave's sis and her family will be here in 2 days, (making the road trip from Tampa...with a 3 year old and their dog...are we crazy or what?!) and his brother and his girlfriend arrive just in time for us to hang out before we head back to the Deep South.

Dave and I ran in the FireCracker 5 yesterday morning. It was a 5 miler through the town he grew up in, and it was a blast. The course was great...just a little hilly but nothing like the Peachtree Road Race which my brother is currently running in as I type this entry. I do not envy him at all...a 10K in the Georgia humidity...ugh! After our race, we enjoyed a 4th of July parade in Fairport. It was full of fire trucks and candy. Drew loved it.

I'll post pics of our adventures later this week.

Happy 4th of July to all of you! I can't go without a thanks to those who served in our military to gain us this sweet independence and to thank those who are currently serving away from their families to keep us safe. A special thanks to the Tallents, Outlaws, and Hecks...families who epitomize selfless sacrifice!