Down on the Rivah

My child officially has a southern drawl now that we spent two fab weeks in Little Dub. Andrew's vocabulary now includes phrases like, "I need to go to the muh-khanic," "can we go to 'da rivah," "please pass the okra," I'm nakee," "that crab just squeenched my toes," "can I drive that lawn mower," and "this rivah is choppy."

Not much in life better than a picnic lunch with Papa Louis and a popsicle from Aunt Clarissa

Uncle Dick is a really good sport

These boys really enjoyed running around "nakee"

Here is Mr. Happy so proud of himself for peeing in the potty. This potty training is a SLOW process, but we celebrate each and every victory!

We miss ya'll already... send us some okra when you get a chance!
P.S. Click on the below picture to make it bigger and check out Cameron's facial expression. It is priceless and cracks me up every time.

Sun and Sand with the Cousins

A little chaos, a lot of sand, a slobbery cow, some hungry goats, one clogged sink (who ate celery?) and many cases of wine all made for a wonderful week at Sandbridge Beach with the cousins. We had two sisters, four husbands, five cousins with five children (all ages three and under), and one boyfriend (g-d love him for enduring a week with five toddlers).

No more monkeys jumping on the bed!

Some footage of Andrew's gigantic jumps into the pool

Taking a little time to enjoy the view and get some rare peace and quiet.

We found a cute petting zoo with big tractors, slobbery cows, and hungry goats.

Here we are enjoying each others' company....and a nice merlot.

We had lots of fun--- wish we lived closer.

Try to Make Him Look Respectable

Baby Anna supervises just to make sure the lady is doing a good job.

Very handsome. A lollipop does the trick every time.

Baby's First Rock Concert

Everybody sing along... Coach Cotton, Willie Bob!
Boogie Woogie Benny, too!
ROCKNOCEROUS!!!

A rock concert and picnic lunch in the park-- so fun.

Dinner at Granny's House

Granny's still got it...

And it's delicious!

Off the plane. Straight to the waterpark.

Why else would Andrew and I fly 12 hours on a plane? We come for the Manassas Waterpark, of course! Thank goodness for Aunt Mary and her willingness to come with us. Andrew will forever associate Aunt Mary with the waterpark.

Final Preparation for Summer Vacation

Learning some basic strokes...

Trying something new-- floating

Watch me-- I can do it!

The kids in Andrew's class like to yell, "cannonball" when they jump into the water, and Andrew wants to be like the big kids. He jumped in and yelled, "MEATBALL!"

We're ready for summer vacation now!

Fun in the Sun

July just flew by thanks to visits from our good friends, Mindy and Russ. We filled our days with beach trips and hours at the park. Uncle Jordan moved to Hawaii to find himself--- I mean find a job--- and it is really nice having him here. Andrew adores his Uncle Jord, and I enjoy having a few extra hands to help out around the house.

Andrew and Russ had a great time chasing each other around. If we could figure out a way to harness the energy pent up in these two 2-year-olds, we could power the world.

It's Super Mindy!
She can leap over small buildings and chase a 2-year-old in a single bound.

Sing-a-palooza

The house is alive with the sound of music.
Please put your hands together for the
Wheels on the Bus:


This is an Andrew original tune. I am pretty sure the title is:
"Where is Sticky Face?"
He thought up this little diddy while eating an ice cream sandwich. Serious talent, people. I thought it was both cute and a little sad that Andrew incorporated "where is Daddy" into this song. He misses his Daddy a lot (I do, too).

Happy Fourth of July!

We had a fun-filled fourth with our good buddies, the Proutys. Andrew and Russ had a blast at a home-town carnival (think Stumptown or Poulsbo Fest). The boys rode the ponies, a rickety old "train," (aka a lawnmower pulling a few train cars) pet a baby lamb and a pot-bellied pig, and Uncle Jord took them on the spinning tea cups.

They boys ate corn dogs and roasted corn on the cob, while Andrew tried to excite the crowd in a rousing cheer of "USA! USA!" No one else seemed to want to participate. Party poopers.

Back in the neighborhood, we paraded through the street with sparklers and pinwheels. The kids loved it.

Happy 4th Everyone!