A Father's Day Gift

When we first bought this house we couldn't get over how big it was. There was so much space and we thought, how could we ever fill it up?  Well, it was easier than we thought and we now look for new ways to organize and store things.  Since we don't have a garage, one of our biggest challenges is where to store outdoor things like rakes and shovels and all the tools that are necessary to make a tiny garden look like this:

So, for Ed's first Father's Day, James and Lucy treated him to a brand new shed for the back yard.  We had been talking about adding one to our yard for a while, but had to really mull over what size to get and where to put it.  We don't have a ton of space back there and have to stick to some HOA rules, so our choices were limited.  After lots of internet searches and trips to Home Depot and Lowes, we decided to go with the Suncast Vertical Storage Shed.

Since I am in no shape to pick this up from the store on my own (James really is no help with the lifting), the kids treated Ed to some Home Depot cards.  Nothing says Father's Day like "Pick up your own gift and build it yourself!!"  :)

Since neither of them are any good at holding things, Lucy and James were on hand for moral support.  Lucy was very interested in something on the stairs and James couldn't get enough of his Sophie toy.

In the end, it turned out pretty great. We had to do some shuffling of things so that it would fit on the deck, but with a quick relocation of the potting bench, we were good to .  The best part ~ it's big enough to fit lots and lots of junk!

 

 

And because we are from NY, the shed was outfitted with one of these. :)  You  can never be too safe to protect your junk.  :)

Happy Birthday Lucy!!

Our little Lucy girl is celebrating her 3rd birthday today - where did the years go?  We can remember when she was a sweet little puppy, warming our hearts and driving her kitty brothers crazy.  Now she is a sweet big girl, warming our hearts and driving her brother James crazy.  :)

For her first birthday, we were living in my parent's basement.  She had a good time, but I think her second birthday was better.  We were living in our new house and she got all kinds of loot including her very own birthday cake.  

Today she was treated to all kinds of toys and treats including another birthday cake. We'll have some photos to share, but in the mean time, here is a look back at a smaller Lucy girl.

Happy 3rd Birthday Lucy Girl!!!  We love you!!!

Beach Bums

The last week of my maternity leave was spent with the family basking in the sun at Bethany Beach.  We have been going up to Bethany for many years now as a family and are lucky enough to stay in the Doyle's beautiful house (check out the tour here).  This year was especially exciting since it was James' first time as well as Grandma Mangiaracina's first visit.  

The weather was beautiful and we took advantage of all the sites ~ well, as many as you can with a 3 month old baby.  Going to the beach now is not quite the same as it used to be.  In what way, you ask? Well, for one thing, we didn't step foot on the sand.  The sun was so hot and James is just too little to be basking in it.  We kept saying we'd go at dusk to enjoy "our time" (shout out to Petherton Peeps!), but we never quite made it happen.  That's okay - James still got to wear his cool-man shades. :)

We did manage to hit the pool and James was decked out in his swimming finest.  He wasn't a big fan of the water but he did manage to catch a few zzz's.

Bethany is an adorable town with a cute little boardwalk. We took in the sites on night one and indulged in some beach ice cream.  Doesn't ice cream just taste better at the beach?! James slept, but I know he enjoyed himself.

One of the best parts about being in Bethany is that it is so close to some other great beaches including Rehobeth and Ocean City.  Rehobeth is a cute little beach town with a great boardwalk complete with Fisher's Popcorn, Thrasher French Fries and Dolles Taffy.  We spent an afternoon taking in the sites and enjoyed some Mexican fare at Dos Locos.  James slept, but I know he enjoyed himself.

We did lots of outlet shopping, celebrated Ed's Birthday, Dad's Birthday, Lucy's Birthday and Father's Day and even managed to get in some valuable tummy time for the little man.  Lucy was a BIG fan of the vacation and got lots of joy watching the golfers outside the front window.

On our last night in town, we decided to check out the Ocean City boardwalk ~ something we have not done in many years.  James slept, but I know he enjoyed himself. Notice a theme??  Actually he was awake for some of it.  Although being that it was Senior Week, I'm not sure it was anything I wanted him to see!!

All in all, it was a great week and we were sad to see it end.  Even though it didn't feel like a true, relaxing vacation (not sure that is possible with an infant), it was nice to get a way.  We especially liked all the extra hands to help out with James.  

I think next year we are really going to enjoy ourselves - especially since James will be an eager toddler ready to build sand castles!

Not So Bad

So I know I owe everyone an update on our vacation to Bethany Beach and I promise it is coming.  The Mangiaracina household has been in flux since our return and it deserves a shout out. 

Yesterday was a BIG day for all of us.  Not only was it the end of my maternity leave and the first day back to work, but it was also the first day of daycare for our little man.  I had been dreading this day for over 3 months and did everything I could to stop it from coming.  But Old Father Time ticked on and the big day arrived. After a lengthy pep talk advising James to get along with the kids and not to pick any fights, we decided Ralph Lauren was a good first day of school outfit.  :)

I did most of my crying the night before because I really wanted to stay strong when we arrived at the daycare.  Mission: Accomplished...sort of.  We arrived around 7:30 am and I anticipated that James would get spooked when he saw all the strangers.  Not so much. As Miss Nigora showed us around, James just took it all in ~ and was smiling.  By the time we left, he was deeply involved in his play mat so we knew he would be just fine. 

I cried in the parking lot.

The day flew by as I caught up with 3 months worth of work and tried to remember things that my now Mommy-fied brain had forgotten.  I gave a call to the daycare center around noon to check in on the little guy and was pleased to find out that he was doing great.  He had taken a few naps and had fun during tummy time.  Apparently he is "very smiley" and "sleeps well without having to be rocked."  Yah!

Finally it was 5:30 pm and time to pick him up. When we arrived he was out cold in his crib.  We collected his empty bottles and picked him up to load him in the car seat.  He was very groggy - never have we awoken him from a deep sleep. But then the big smiled creeped onto his face.  It made my heart melt.  We spent the rest of is awake hours playing in our Bumbo and with Lucy.

He fell asleep at 8 pm and slept for a blissful 8 hours.  Maybe daycare isn't so bad after all.  :)

Bright, Shiny and Just Like New

It's amazing how you don't really appreciate something until it is spruced up.  Take the railing on our front porch for example. It's an ordinary, wrought iron railing.  It is on both sides of our 8 step porch and helps us get up and down the stairs with ease.  Nothing to get excited about.  Just an ordinary railing.

Until now.

Take a few days of sanding, a few coats of pain and some serious amounts of sweat and you get yourself a bright, shiny, new fancy pants wrought iron railing!

Look at the shine on that puppy!

So why did we ~ meaning Ed ~ decide to spend 3 weeknights sanding this sucker and a weekend painting it?  Well, we were heading off the Little Rocky Run HOA Architectural Review Board.  You see, they go around the neighborhood and look for things to bug you about.  Whether it is too many toys on the front lawn or a broken screen door or mold on the siding, they look for it. Then they send you a letter telling you that have X amount of time to fix it or you will get fined.  Nice, right? :)

Well, we are proud to say that in the almost 2 years of living here, we have yet to receive such a letter.  We have been working hard to not only maintain the place, but actually make some improvements.  But our wrought iron railing, you see, was the weak link.  After years of being out in the elements with no attention it was starting to look sad.  Not only was it dull and flakey, but it was also rusting in some areas.  So Ed put on his painting finest, and got to work.  Unfortunately, I don't have any "during" photos, but really it is the end result that matters.  Look at this baby:

Ed did a fantastic job. Not only is this puppy totally sealed up, it looks pretty. And really, that is all that matters.  My favorite part about the job ~ the "Wet Paint" notices so that no one would mess up the masterpeice.

So take THAT Architectural Review Board! And I mean it in the nicest possible way. :)