Our 4nniversary

It's become a bit of a tradition to highlight our wedding anniversary on the blog so why should this year be any different.  This year is our fourth and what an awesome, crazy ride it has been thus far.  Each year, we celebrated in a different way.  Our first anniversary found us back at Bethany Beach - the site of our engagement.  Year two found us escaping to a dinner out (Rays the Steaks if I recall) as we were in the throws of being new parents.  Our third anniversary was our biggest yet complete with a road trip to Charlotte, NC and Charleston, SC sans the little man who spent the long weekend with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Sue.

    

This year, we are back to a low key celebration with dinner out in Warrenton at Claire's at the Depot. Life is crazy hectic these days so we are excited to get a night off to enjoy each other's company.  It will be an added bonus that we won't have to cut up food into small bits and sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" 5+ times during the meal.  :) 

It's amazing how things have changed, but neither of us would want it any other way.  It's so fun to look back on life together and remember all the experiences we have had together - both good and bad.  Having a ridiculous amount of photos and a blog that is going on 4 years helps keep the memories fresh in our brains.  Happy 4th Anniversary, honey.  I love you with all my heart and can't wait to see where this roller coaster ride takes us! xoxo

Spring is Flinged!

We took full advantage of the gorgeous weather this weekend by spending 80% of it outside.  Whether at the playground, at a BBQ or a Spring Fling, we fully embraced the warmth and luckily, the over-abundance of pollen in the air did not affect any of us (yet).

Saturday morning started out with a quick trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house where James played with Lucy and Ella in the back yard.  You may not believe it, but our Lucy is not always a fan of other puppies - especially when they take the attention of Grandpa away from her, so we have slowly been socializing these two lovely ladies.  After 3 successful puppy play dates, we are in the clear. The girls had a blast playing and running and James had an even better time watching them.

Later that day, after a much-needed nap, we headed to the annual Little Rocky Run Spring Fling.  Apparently, this event happens every year at the rec center just down the road from us. 

Never noticed it.  

So sad, but luckily, our neighbors clued us in and we had the chance to bring our little man.  We took it one step further and invited his buddy Rafa to join in on the fun. 

I have to tell you, it was a pretty awesome Fling!  There were pony rides and a small petting zoo, a moon bounce, face painting, an Easter egg hunt AND a real live bunny ready to pose for pictures.  Who needs to go to the mall and pay when you can do it at the Fling!  Of course James was petrified of the oversized bunny, but that didn't stop him from stalking the poor thing...at a safe distance of course.  Rafa does not suffer from the same bunny-phobia that James apparently does.

The boys also participated in the popular Easter egg hunt.  I'm not so sure the boys knew why they were gathering eggs off the ground, but they both seemed to enjoy doing it!

Since the Fling took place at the rec center, the boys also had the chance to play on the playground and James NEVER passes up the chance to go down the slide. 

All in all, it was a great Fling and a great way to kick off Spring.  Later that day, we headed over to the Newlands to break in their new deck with a BBQ.  James was so cute trying to keep up with the older boys - especially Conner.  They both thought is was hilarious to tackle me and use me as a trampoline.

Happy Spring!

Ladies Man

There are no real words to describe what you are about to see. But before you press play, let me set up the scene.  We are at a restaurant having our post-hair cut pizza and James caught the eye of two very pretty young ladies.  Take a peek:

Such a flirt!  If this is an indication of what he will be like when he is a teenager, all I have to say is fathers - watch out for your daughters!

It's Done - Finally!

We are happy to announce that we are finally finished with the basement!  Well...92% finished, but we are finished enough that we are ready to show it off.  We are so, so happy with how it all turned out - especially since all of our own blood, sweat and tears went into making it happen.  Take a peek:

We love the cozy feeling that now exists in the basement and it's so great to add a functional area to the house.  Our storage has diminished greatly, but we have come up with creative ways to hide our junk (aka hide things in the basement shower!).  The important part is that James loves it down there and I think he will enjoy it for many years to come.  Happy Basement!

A Birthday Paw-ty for the Ages!

Birthday weekend has come and gone and I'm happy to report that it was a big success.  Who knew that putting seven 2 year olds in one room with cake and ice cream would be such a great idea?!

James had a blast and really appreciated the puppy theme - especially since his buddy, Jingle the Husky Pup, was all over the place.  I'm going to let the photos speak, but let's just say this - puppy dog adoptions + a balloon battle = a successful toddler birthday party!

It was a chaotic great time and I'm pretty sure everyone enjoyed themselves.  I know that James partied like a rock star - so much so that he grabbed a 2+ hour nap once the shin dig ended.  So far, two is looking pretty good. 

Happy 2nd Birthday James!

Two year have gone by since our sweet little boy joined our family and changed our lives forever.  Never before did Ed and I know what love was until we saw that little face at 11:09 am on March 1, 2012.  Now we sit here, 2 years later with a bustling toddler who loves to smile, dance and play.  He is truly the love of our lives and we want to wish him the happiest 2nd Birthday ever!

Last year, we made a video to highlight his first year and decided to make it a tradition so here you have our little buddy James - year 2.

Enjoy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!!