Sunday in Pictures

Rainy, dreary weather means staying indoors and finding things to occupy our time - for Robert that was football, for the kids - games and wrestling which always result in crying - and for me...well, I just moseyed around with my camera to capture it all.

Never a dull moment in this household - but early to bed the tired babies go!

Alligators, Old Friends and The Help

To recap the last week and a half I will begin with our visit to Alligator Adventure.  Evan has this weird infatuation with animals that bite - if they bite he wants to see them, study them and - for whatever reason - meet them.  We figured a 50 acre preserve covered in alligators, crocodiles, bats, snakes and other unattractive reptiles would be just the place for our little Jeff Corwin.

My brother, Todd, Mimi and Barnes joined us on this expedition - and while we all complained about the heat, Evan and Mattie were proactive and strolled their way back and forth through the misters.  Mattie Girl literally squealed with delight.

This past weekend we met up with some old friends of mine that we have not seen since our wedding in 2007.  And before that it had been almost 10 years!  I went to Chatham Hall in VA my freshman year of high school and became great friends with Tiffany.  We swam together in a competitive league that summer and that is when I first met her husband Brad.  Almost 16 years later, here we are, both with kids and it felt like nothing at all had changed.

Tiffany, Brad, Me and some dude - 16 years ago!

Things have definitely changed, but a great friendship is being able to pick up right where you left off.  And that's exactly what we were able to do.  I need a little more time with these two, however, to truly catch up.

Also this weekend my mom and I went to the movies and saw The Help.  A-MAZ-ING.  I was an emotional wreck throughout the entire movie, but it was so worth it.  Never did that movie let me go for even a second.  I never thought I'd ever say it, but this movie was so fantastic I have absolutely no desire to read the book (even though I heard it was amazing too).  The cast was brilliantly selected and the balance of humor/drama was perfect.  I HIGHLY recommend this movie.

11 Months

 

We are one month away from Mattie Girl's first birthday.  Just typing that seems so surreal.  These past 11 months have flown by and I am at a complete loss for where the time went.

As Mattie's personality continues to develop and emerge, I am convinced more and more that she is her mother's daughter.  And by that, I mean we have a little tomboy on our hands - rough, tough and active.  Not even a year old and she already makes her brother cry.

In other news, MJ finally has her two front teeth.  They are large and in charge and make me laugh every time she smiles.  She chows down on all table food now and eats bigger portions than Evan.  When we go out to eat we order the kid's meal for her and have Evan eat off our plates - the girl has a massive appetite.

She is taking steps now, but not in full stride quite yet.  Her confidence is building everyday though and she challenges herself well.  I predict we'll be chasing her around this time next month.

To our Mattie Girl - You have brought such happiness to our life and we are so excited to see the AWESOME little girl that you are too quickly becoming.  We love you to pieces. 

Questioning Myself

I had to stay home today because MJ picked up conjunctivitis, likely during her first week at Belin.  She wasn't feeling bad, but had to be on an antibiotic before she could return.

So today we played.  Went to the park, strolled around the neighborhood - soaked up as much sunshine as we could.

And I gave this up because...???

Labor Day

This was the first federal holiday, other than Thanksgiving and Christmas, that Robert has had off in 15 years - so how fitting that he get to enjoy this particular holiday - poolside.  I enjoyed the day off as well - don't let my enthusiasm for Robert take away from that fact.

I don't think Labor Day is actually ever labor free, but just to spend an extra day with the fam doing what we like to do is close enough.  We're trying to cram in the last few weekends what we have left to spend at the pool.  Our ride there is always the best part.

It's Football Season

We always welcome the start of football season by drafting our Fantasy Football teams.  We are entering our seventh year as faithful members of the League of No Shame, aka LONS - a league made up of great friends who like to talk a lot of smack and have a lot of fun in the process.

We hosted a small draft party last weekend to kick off the season right.  The Santels traveled down even with Hurricane Irene quickly approaching -  did I mention how die hard we are about this league?  We played during the day, played harder at night and then finally drafted a team on Sunday we all hope will bring us a victory.

Just a few days pics after Irene decided to blow by...

 

This weekend so far has been devoted to college football - a win for the Tar Heels over James Madison and Tennessee is well on their way to a win over Montana.  Couldn't ask for a better season opener. Man, I love football season!