Happy 1st Birthday, Quinn!

July 28, 2011

Matt and Christi’s beautiful son Quinn turned 1 several weeks ago and we were so grateful to be able to attend the party—November was the last time our children and Quinn played together and everyone has changed so much.

Owen, Sophie, Quinn and James, crawling up and down, up and down, up and down two steps.

Happy birthday, buddy! We’re so happy you live (a little) closer now (Michigan vs. North Carolina) and we can’t wait to celebrate many future birthdays with you.

“May you live all the days of your life.” —Jonathan Swift

Ashley & Mark’s Wedding

July 28, 2011

We finished our drive home from vacation on a Saturday and that night a sitter arrived at our house to watch the boys (yes, it was a bit crazy). We decided Sophie was old enough to stay up late for a wedding, and she was invited, and she loves to dance, so we got her all dressed up for Ashley and Mark’s beautiful reception at the Oscar Event Center (oh, how Jungle Jim’s has changed!). Those who are looking for barn wedding venues Southwest Virginia may contact Bailey’s Wick Farm Wedding & Event Venue. Many couples also consider portable bathroom hire when planning larger or outdoor receptions to keep facilities convenient and accessible for guests.

You may also book a black and white Photo Booth so your guests can take fun and artistic pictures at the reception. Family photography is especially popular for capturing important life stages and milestones, such as maternity sessions, newborn portraits, birthdays, holidays, and annual family updates. These images often become cherished keepsakes displayed in homes, photo albums, and holiday cards, passed down through generations. A professional family photographer helps guide the entire experience, from choosing outfits and coordinating colors to selecting locations and the best lighting conditions. Nicole Boudreau Photography has experienced family photographers. Soft natural light—often during early morning or sunset—tends to create warm, flattering tones that enhance the emotional quality of the images.

And if you need exceptional local bands, musicians, and entertainers for your event, make sure to check out professional entertainment services like South East Entertainment Co. Couples planning destination celebrations may also want to hire a wedding photographer New Orleans trusts to capture every candid, joy-filled moment in a timeless way. For couples who want their rings and other special jewelry to shine in every photo, a jewelry retouching service can make those details sparkle perfectly in the final images. For those considering a mountain or desert-inspired celebration, exploring event venues in Flagstaff can provide stunning backdrops and unique spaces that make every wedding moment unforgettable.

Heather and Jimmy

Corie and John

the beautiful bride

Matt and Christi

Our dancing queen—she was shy at first, but late into the evening she taught all our friends “Daisy’s Dance” and everyone was doing it on the dance floor. “Jump forward. Jump backward. March, march, march. Clap, clap, clap. S.l.i.d.e to the one side. S.l.i.d.e to the other side.” Again and again and again.

Danielle and Corie

Joe, David and John

I think he’s convincing her to smile.

Dancing is hard work. Especially when it’s past your bedtime.

Congratulations, Ashley and Mark! We had a wonderful time at your reception.

“There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company
than a good marriage.” —Martin Luther

Sunrise Shell Hunting

July 26, 2011

“One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach; one can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.” —Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Sophie’s Trip with Nini and Pop Pop to Buy Shrimp

July 26, 2011

Each family made dinner for everyone one night of the trip. While my sister and I simply went to the grocery, my parents managed to find a place where they could buy fresh shrimp for their meal, directly from the men who caught it. I didn’t go with them to purchase the shrimp, but Sophie did, and these are my parents’ pictures from the outing.

“No life is so happy and so pleasant as the life of the well-govern’d angler.” —Izaak Walton

An Afternoon Walk to the Beach

July 26, 2011

When the cold sets in in only a few months’ time, and I long for the sun, I will remember this walk—this perfect, perfect walk.

“To see the Summer Sky
Is Poetry, though never in a Book it lie—
True Poems flee.” —Emily Dickinson

A Day Trip to Wilmington

July 26, 2011

We took advantage of a rainy day to visit Wilmington, NC, where we had lunch at The Oceanic.

After, we explored the town—and had ice cream.

“In my mind I’m goin’ to Carolina
Can’t you see the sunshine
Can’t you just feel the moonshine
Ain’t it just like a friend of mine
It hit me from behind
Yes I’m gone to Carolina in my mind.” —James Taylor

Ocean Isle Beach (Picture Overload)

July 26, 2011

Ocean Isle Beach, NC

Our little bumblebee spent hours digging in the sand.

Pop Pop and James

sweet Colleen, always with her thumb in her mouth

My mom made beautiful (reversible!) sun bonnets for each grandchild.

I absolutely love this picture. Drunk on cold milk, napping on the beautiful beach quilt my mom made, listening to the sound of waves crashing, seagulls calling and Sophie laughing.

My parents watched all four children while Katy, Tom, Andy and I enjoyed the water.

the Rees family

Sophie, thrilled to be spending an entire week with Daddy.

Our brave Sophie—it took a lot of encouraging words to get her to venture into the water some days, and even then, we often had to hold her. “Swing me! Dip me! Swing me! Dip me!” Tired arms followed.

I love Sophie in pigtails. She hates them.

I could have spent hours, every day, at the beach with Sophie.

Sophie also loved making, what she called, mud puddles. Every day, we dug these for her. She’s quite particular in how they’re made, however—and how fast her construction workers worked.

My idea of beach heaven.

Sophie’s idea of beach heaven.

James tolerated sitting in the sand. Owen did not.

sunset

playground fun

We celebrated a belated Father’s Day with my dad.

Katy makes the best cards.

He’s excited about his Paul McCartney tickets.

The boys doing the thing they love most—standing on a couch and looking out a window.

The boys doing the second thing they love most—drinking milk.

a sweet nap

cousins conversing

beautiful Colleen

Andy “watching” the boys.

I love when a day simply requires a blanket, some towels, a chair, flip-flops and a kite.

Sophie

The kite flying was a bit anti-climatic—perhaps Sophie will enjoy it more when she’s older.

sandy shoes

Somehow Sophie always got the beach chair—and I always got the sand.

One hot afternoon, while the boys napped, Sophie and I went shopping and stopped for ice cream (this is her second scoop—there was an unfortunate mishap with the first).

We came back to find Katy and Colleen relaxing in the hammock.

Sophie fell asleep snuggled up with me—I can’t remember the last time this happened.

This was the view from our back deck.

Strawberry shortcake for dessert, which Sophie loved.

Sophie staying up late …

playing hide-and-go-seek with Dad.

This was the boys’ first time in a pool. Thank goodness for grandparents as we certainly needed an extra set of arms.

It was Colleen’s first time in a pool, too!

a Sophie-sized beach towel

James enjoying the pool deck more so than the pool.

Out of all the toys we brought, the kids loved the “pillow pile” the best.

Uncle Tom made a pretty cool fort for the kids—that was popular, too.

my dad

my mom

cousins and siblings

grandparents and grandchildren

Katy, Tom and Colleen

Mom and Dad

my kids

my family

“Find what brings you joy and go there.” —Jan Phillips

Ocean Isle Beach—The Trip There

July 24, 2011

James has no idea he has a 12-hour car ride ahead of him. (Andy is tying the gate to the top of the van, after we ran out of room inside of the van.)

I’m pretty sure I packed most everything baby-related in the house.

We listened to Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations,” and the boys laugh and cry, and Sophie laugh and ask how much longer (over and over and over) throughout the drive. We also managed to drive through tar, which Andy had to scrape off with a tire iron (he didn’t want to use the tire iron, but resorted to it after stepping in a mound of fire ants and through poison ivy while trying to find a suitable stick, instead). Somehow, stuff like this always happens to us on car trips.

Sometimes, the beach seemed very far away. To all of us. But all in all, Sophie did as well as can be expected considering she’s 3. Especially because she refused to play with any of her toys (including a new one, gifted to her from us specifically for the trip) or watch any of her DVDs on the portable DVD player because, as she said, she wanted to “save them all for the beach.” So, for the most part, she sat in her seat and looked out the window the entire drive, despite our repeated attempts to convince her that it was OK to play with her toys and watch her shows during the drive and at the beach. Andy claims this personality trait, unreasonable stubbornness, is my fault. Stubbornness, maybe. Unreasonable, no. I’m sure, in her mind, her patience was entirely reasonable. But oh did it make for a long trip for her. I still don’t know how she did it.

We ended up spending the night at Katy and Tom’s house, in Winston-Salem, NC. We arrived around 2am. Katy and Tom graciously moved Colleen to their room, and I put James in Colleen’s crib, Owen in Colleen’s pack-and-play, and then spent two hours trying to convince them that it was 2am, not morning. I ended up sleeping, in my clothes, in the nursery’s glider. We were up at 7am (why is it children never sleep in?) and on the road again.

More Dickens. More laughing. More crying. More not playing or watching anything (other than the passing scenery outside the van windows, growing more and more ocean-like the longer we drove) from Sophie.

I think car trips are most difficult for crawlers. An infant’s idea of stretching is simply being held. A toddler or child’s idea of stretching is running around (easy to do at a rest stop). But a crawler needs to crawl and clean crawling space is often difficult to come by. So stops for food often turned into outdoor picnics—here we’re eating at a school, closed up for the summer. (And here, although still many miles away, we could finally smell the ocean. I loved that.)

We made it—our beach house in Ocean Isle Beach, NC.

Owen meeting his cousin Colleen for the first time.

Owen shoving his finger in Colleen’s eye for the first time.

All four children seeing the ocean for the first time.

James eating sand for the first time.

And I cried, for the first of many times, during this trip. I spent many summer vacations as a child at the beach. And even as a little girl I knew, someday, I would take my family to the ocean. And I crave the ocean. And it had been a long time. And something about the heavy ocean-scented air; and watching Sophie, wide-eyed as she took in the enormity of it all; and seeing the small marks my sons made as they crawled through shell-littered sand for the first time; and putting the tip of my finger in my mouth so as to taste the salt (as I always do)—I was overcome. And grateful. And suddenly, the long drive and lack of sleep seemed totally, totally worth it.

“Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car.” —E.B. White

Sophie’s New Trick

July 22, 2011

Sophie to me, as I’m coming out of the bathroom: “Mom, GUESS WHAT!”

Me: “What?”

Sophie: “I can carry the boys all by myself now.”

Me: “What?”

Sophie: “I can carry the boys all by myself now.”

Me: “You picked up the boys.”

Sophie: “Yes, and I carried them all around the entryway.”

And then she showed me.

Turns out she can pick up one of her brothers and carry him all around the entryway.

(The boys, by the way, are not at all thrilled by her newly acquired skill.)

“At the end of the day, a loving family should find everything forgivable.” —Mark V. Olsen and Will Sheffer

Owen’s 1st Haircut

July 19, 2011

Someday I imagine Owen twisting his head away from me, pleading me to stop running my fingers through his hair. But he can’t talk yet. And he doesn’t twist yet. And I love his hair. (Even when sticky with cereal bar in it.) It’s thick. And shiny. And there’s now enough of it that if you put him to bed too soon after a bath, he wakes up with parts of it sticking up and out and away. I realize that, to strangers, this simply looks like bad parenting. (Doesn’t that mother own a brush?) But I find it terribly endearing.

People started saying, “Have you cut his hair?” “His hair is so long!” “He needs a haircut.” (Andy, especially.) I ignored them. In part, because I loved his hair the way that it was. Shorter meant less material to run my fingers through. But also, in part, because it took so long for Sophie to grow her hair. I wasn’t used to a baby of mine needing a haircut so early, so young (and yet, he’s 1!).

Nicholena, who cuts my hair—and Sophie’s hair—carefully trimmed Owen’s shiny hairs as he sat on Andy’s lap. I took one-handed pictures, while trying to calm a tearful James in my other arm and convince Sophie that she didn’t have to go potty just yet (it was a different experience from Sophie’s first haircut).

He was so good. And when finished, he looked so much … older. More little boy. Less baby. But he’s not twisting away. Yet.

“Why don’t you get a haircut? You look like a chrysanthemum.” —P. G. Wodehouse