June 2011

 I swear he put himself in there...

 Darcy and I took the kids on a road trip to West Virginia and Virginia.  On the way up we stopped off in Asheville, NC so that I could go see Mumford and Sons with my friend Steven.  It was a great show and I'm sure Darcy was thrilled to be staying in the hotel with 3 rambunctious children while I was out on the town!

Cousins pic!  We tried to do a daily picture to send back to Chris and Jeremy.  They had to stay home and work so they missed out on all the good times.  We wanted to make them feel like they were there with us.  Can't you just feel the good times in the picture above?

Hotel window washers = serious fun

 Ansted, WV!

 Owen tripped and fell on Papa's sidewalk.  The girls took turns pushing him in the stroller. He loved every minute of it.

 Cousins pic! 

 

 The jet boat ride that goes up the New River!

Owen's "slide"

 Ansted's Veteran's Memorial

 Once we left Ansted, we made our way on over to Smithfield.  Scott, Jenny, Grace, and Andy came over to visit with us one night.  There's nuthin' like being around family.

 Fire in the hole!  This is what was left after Baba took some gasoline and a match to the nest of bees that went after sweet Claire.

I love this picture.

Cousins pic!

Cousin Jenny made Nanny a beautiful red velvet cake for her birthday.  Then she accidentally left it on the counter at home.  This is what filled in at the last minute for that beautiful cake.  Look at the roses that were added so Nanny could have a little bit more icing!

 Happy birthday, Nanny!

Owen was helping Baba clean the boat after a day of kayaking.

While we were gone, Chris was making lots of progress on the deck! 

Aunt Monica came for a visit!

May 2011

 Chris had to pull our the big guns to help build the deck.  Steven and Gavin got more than they bargained for when they said they would help out on the deck construction.

 Karen is slinging burgers.

 

   Our little budding artist

 Nanny and Baba came to visit!

And Baba got put to work!

 We went over to Birmingham to help Emma celebrate her 3rd birthday.

So special...

 Lining up her new dolls

 Enjoying her favorite present- the gift of long blonde hair! 

 We took our second graders to the MLK Center on a field trip.  While we were there we had the good fortune to run into PBS as they were visiting the center as well.  They were filming the documentary Freedom Riders, which had the original freedom riders reliving their ride.  The ride is where African Americans rode buses into the segregated south to test the Supreme Court decision to ban racial segregation in the bus stations.  These brave men and women were attacked throughout the South.  Rip Patton, one of the original riders, was visiting the center while we were there and took the opportunity to speak to our second graders about his experiences.  They were fascinated by his story and were able to tell their families about meeting him.  It was really a special moment for all of us.

 Owen's first time out.  Mr. Naughty bit Mommy.

Piedmont Park recently opened a new part of the park they recently renovated.  There are nice trails through a hardwood forest section of the park and our new favorite stop- the Legacy Fountains.

 Don't mess with Bruiser.

Memorial Day Weekend in St. Simons

Gerard and Owen playing in the water.

Snack time!

Sprinkler time!

Morning Stroll through Live Oak Park