Hunter Turns Six

We just got home from a wonderful extra long holiday weekend at the beach (pics to follow later this week when I have a chance to upload). Before we left I drafted this post but forgot to blog it!

Michelle & Justin threw a very fun birthday party for Hunter, complete with a tie-dye T-shirt craft and an amazing water slide - such a fun day! I took a million pictures so feel free to browse the album by clicking pictures below! Happy Birthday, Hunter...we love you!

28

Thanks to Chris I had a fabulous 28th birthday celebration. In our house I like to celebrate the "birthday week" - I would celebrate a birthday the whole month if I could but I digress...

Chris spoiled me with a lovely dinner out at Paradiso and a future spa day at an amazing local spa. Plus Charlotte was extra lovey toward me and is making great strides at walking. What better gift, right??

Here are some pictures from Lisa's deck on Sunday:

And some more on our deck from my actual birthday before we went out for dinner:

Mmm. Carrot cake.

The amazing sky later that night:

Me being goofy and the lovely blooms Chris gave me - thanks, darling, for a spectacular celebration!

One Year & One Day

My good friend Lisa and I are exactly a year and a day apart. We share so much common ground, even down to our similar personalities (compassionate perfectionists and self proclaimed over-thinkers - we are quite complicated!). I met her through my sister when I was in middle school and we have been pals since.

Chris and I went out to dinner with she and her husband Mark (who I have also known since high school) this past Friday night and had a great time!

Today is Lisa's birthday and we joined them to celebrate at their home. Below are some pictures from the weekend. Happy Birthday, dear friend!



Chris hated the original picture of him and was horrified I blogged it, so I doctored this one below by pasting a new Chris on the original - lol!

Horse Show

Shelby is an amazing rider! Charlotte and I visited one of her recent horse shows and what a treat it was to see her in action. Of course Charlotte loved the horses and I was able to snap some pictures for Shelby. Here are my favorites from the day.

Masters + 30

Since I am allowed to brag on my husband let me take a moment to share how proud I am of his intellectual accomplishments. My husband loves to learn. Many of you know that last December he completed his Masters in Educational Administration. He had several credits over the needed amount to obtain his MS so this summer he took two more classes to achieve his Masters + 30! This bumps him up on the state's scale and makes him that much closer to the doctorate I know he seeks to obtain down the road.

We celebrated with some homemade strawberry shortcakes. I am so proud of you, Chris! You are so smart and driven and I sincerely thank you for securing such a wonderful life for me and Charlotte.

Smooch

Caden and Charlotte melt my heart!

Ray of Sunshine

We visited Ravens training camp today on a whim and what a day it was! I was able to get Ray Lewis to sign Charlotte's jersey!!! In a frenzy of fans, I handed Charlotte off to Chris, focused my way to the front and shouted "Ray, please sign my baby's jersey!!" and he looked right into my eyes and smiled a big smile, finished signing and reached through the crowd to grab Charlotte's jersey! How cool is that?? He seems like such a nice guy, really taking the time to meet fans, especially the kids.

I was so star struck! Around our house number 52 is a BIG DEAL, so it was kinda unreal to be so close and actually interact with him. I am pretty sure after I thanked him I also told him I loved him...

Here are some pictures from the day! Charlotte is all geared up for the season! Thanks, Ray!!!

Dutch Wonderland

On the last day of July, Pop Pop, Mimi, Chris, Charlotte and I drove to PA to meet Pete, Kim and the boys at Dutch Wonderland. What a fun place for this age bracket! I highly recommend it as a day trip.

The park has two sides - one side with rides and attractions and the other a water park. Click the album below to see our adventures. Charlotte and Ryder rode a frog tower ride with Chris and they were terrified! And rightfully so since it did an up and down motion pretty quick. But they were good sports and decided to brave more rides with Caden, like the log flume, fun slides and the train. There was also a diving show that scared Charlotte to death! She was afraid of the daring stunts done by the frogs!

Dutch Wonderland July 2008

The kids were doing so well so we enjoyed the afternoon at the water park. Wow, they were in heaven. Here is a video of Charlotte with Daddy - she loves water!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I know Kim took many more pictures so I will get them from her and post. Needless to say, when we left the park at 4pm all kiddos were zonked out! I think we will have to visit again next year.

Stunning at 60

We celebrated Mimi's 60th birthday on Saturday. More pictures to come. Seriously, could my mom be any more beautiful? Still so young at heart!

17 Months

We had the most beautiful weather Friday! A perfect way to celebrate 17 months. Charlotte and I enjoyed time at a horse show for Shelby (Chris' cousin). Look for a post on that, soon. For now, enjoy some pictures of our sweet girl in an adorable dress sent down from NYC by my dear friend, Kristen. Thanks, Stone!

Getting some love from Mama and Dada in our front yard!

Welcome to the World!

Emmerson Ann is all things sweet, precious and new. I have taken many pictures so I split them into two albums. One from the hospital and one from Pop Pop and Mom Mom's house when she was one week old. She will be two weeks tomorrow!

She is lovely, in every way. Such a good baby and a wonderful mix of Greg & Melissa. Enjoy the pictures (unfortunately some were blurry as I was having issues with my flash). We are so very proud of our first niece!

Emmerson Ann

Charlotte really enjoyed seeing Emmerson again. She says "baby" over and over when we talk about her new cousin. Emmerson will have her hands full with Hunter and Charlotte for sure - I can't wait to see all three in action!

Emmerson One Week Old

Memories at Grandma's

Last month we enjoyed an afternoon at Grandma M's home. It was bittersweet as her kids were recounting memories and going through some of her things, but it was healing, too, to be there. Especially for Charlotte to get to swim with Pop Pop in the pool. We also got to tour the Elkridge Vol. Fire Station.

Charlotte was given a gorgeous cameo necklace that belonged to Grandma. What a treasure! The lady on the pendant has curls that remind me of what Grandma looked like in her youth, so beautiful. Click album to view the day. (The quality is not the best since it was my point & shoot camera, I left my Nikon at home.)

Elkridge

Where The Wild Things Are

...NOT supposed to be!

A few weeks back our dog Brogan discovered a visitor inside our fence. He was gracious and semi-welcoming and greeted this new friend with many barks! Chris decided to bring the guest inside for Charlotte to take a look. After a few pictures we returned our elderly friend to the wild.

We also have seen more nature in action with a now quite fat squirrel who found our bird feeder and has been filling his tummy. I know a shepherd's hook would solve the "problem" but we like watching him from the kitchen. Also pictured is a frequent flier to our feeder. Charlotte loves to yell out "bird" when she sees him. Aren't his yellow feathers divine?

Best Buds

Happy August! Our rose bush is re-blooming and it seemed like a perfect backdrop for floral dresses. Thanks, Daddy, for the picture.

Many updates coming your way. July closed out with the welcome of sweet Emmerson and August is already off to a fun start. Be on the lookout for some catch-up blogging very soon.