G & G Come to Visit...

Always smiling!!

Playing with Pap at her work bench

Showing us her moves...

Ella about to let go and stand all by herself!

Grandma and Pap came to visit us this past rainy weekend. Ella loves her grandparents--and loves to show off her moves, toys, chatter, and about anything else she can get her hands on! She even broke out a brand new move--standing by herself!!

New Friends

Ella and Dalilah met for the first time at a Tuckman-Barbee retirement party. Dalilah's mom and Ella's dad work together at TB. Ella is 5 days older than Dalilah.

Ella and Claire met for the first time at a Navy football game tailgater. Their dads were on the "steamin" Cleveland together and have been friends ever since. Ella is 2.5 months older than Claire.

A Little Humor...

Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland was amazing!!

Font and Jaime in 20 years...

"Shugarland" has a new spelling...

Angelo and I had a date night or rather an afternoon date at Sunday in the Country. It was a birthday gift given to me by my darling husband. We were able to see the band Sugarland perform along with a few other fabulous country bands. We took a few pictures of the folks that attended too--as you can see, we made our own fun wondering what others where thinking, wondering why they chose certain homemade outfits to wear, and wondering how on Earth they were going to make it home safely (this is the mom in me hoping they had sober drivers...).

A New Playset for Ella!

Our neighbors, the Clifford family, graciously gave us their son's out grown playset a few weeks back. Angelo hauled it over to our home, put it together, cleaned off the bird poop, and now Ella has her very own play yard! The kids in the neighborhood call it the "new playground" and we invite them over to use it anytime. Ella loves the baby swing and enjoys sliding down the slide with the help of Mommy and Daddy. Next up, a playhouse and a sandbox--then we really will have the "new playground" in the neighborhood!

Boothbay Harbor, Maine

At LL Bean in Freeport!

Eating the best lobster roll ever!

Boothbay Harbor!

YUM! Lobster!
The newlyweds!
Heather, Heather, Ella & Me

Gramps and Nana

We traveled to Boothbay Harbor, Maine this weekend to celebrate Heather Young's wedding. We flew to Portland on Thursday morning, rented a car, and spent the afternoon in Freeport. For those of you who haven't been there, it is an outlet shopper's paradise (my mouth dropped as we drove through!). "The Outlets" were small town shops turned into outlets--made for a very scenic and very New England main street. We spent most of our time in Freeport at LL Bean. Angelo took a picture of Ella and me inside the Retail Store. Since Ella's nickname is "Ella Bean", we thought it would be cute!

Boothbay is a beautiful, quaint seaport town with lots of hills, ocean views, chilly temperatures and fabulous seafood restaurants. We took advantage of the fact that we were in Maine and ate lobster at about every meal. Angelo had to capture the moment for me (I savored every bite of the BEST lobster roll I have ever had!). We stayed at a small Inn located on the Island of Southport. The entire wedding actually stayed at the Inn, so it made for some fun nights and lots of socializing. We walked all around Boothbay and toured Southport Island daily. Heather and Tim's wedding was breathtakingly beautiful. We are so happy we made the trip to celebrate with the happy couple! Congratulations again, Heather & Tim!

Happy Birthday!

YUMMY!

Ella pretending to make Mommy's birthday cake!

Ah, birthdays, got to love them! Cake, presents, good wishes, cards, phone calls--the whole deal makes me smile. My lovely husband and adorable daughter helped me celebrate yet another sober birthday (next year, I will not have a bun in the oven...) with a new picture frame, concert tickets, a much needed pedicure, and a delicious chocolate, chocolate cake. It was a great 31st birthday!

Swing, Baby, Swing!

Ella's new found happiness--swinging at the park. We tried the swings when she was about 6 months old and she wasn't a big fan--how three months changes everything! We tried the swings again after she became aware of other children swinging at the park--and seemed interested. Sure enough, no tears, just laughter--and lots of it!

Three Years of Wedded Bliss

Heard a great quote this weekend: "happy wife, happy marriage." And, I couldn't agree more! Celebrating our 3rd anniversary at Chart House was completely different than in the past. I think we spent more time picking up spoons, fruit, Cheerios, and other small bite size food items off the floor than we'd have liked--and Ella "talked" to us for most of the meal, so it left little room for conversation and reflection, but we have every night (after 7, of course) for that! Happy anniversary!

Newport

Ella enjoying our backyard in Newport while Mommy & Daddy garden.

Daddy & Ella at the Beach

Having fun in the water!
Our neighbor, Kimlee, meeting Ella for the first time and surprising her with 6 children's books--all about Newport!!

We spent three fabulous days in Newport, RI. Through the transition of old tenants to new tenants, there was a few days of no tenants, so we were able to stay at our condo. We visited with neighbors, introduced Ella to our many good friends, and enjoyed a day at Gooseberry Beach--one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere! Ella loved the sand and water--even tasted some sand and seaweed--YUM! It was busy weekend of late nights, socializing, naps on-the-go, and pure island fun.