18 months and proud of it

Addy is now an 18-month-old, which means she is sassier, funnier, naughtier, yet easier at church (today was her first day in our nursery... hooray!).



We love that girl to pieces.

da cubs

I'm back in town, and ready to have a blog again.

Doug was born a Cubs fan (thanks to his dad). So on his birthday, he went up to DC with Andrew to see the Cubs play the Nationals.

The weather was perfect and apparently it was a great night.

I'm proud of them for taking pictures, and I'm proud of Doug for loving his Cubbies even though they lost. Again.

the 4th... still

I guess this holiday just won't quit! Here are a few more pics.

Cute kids at the BBQ

Addy the bully (or the unsuccessful flirt?)

Band at the fireworks show at Dogwood Dell in Byrd Park

Hot and sweaty but surviving

Blurry, but I love this one (she had a love-hate relationship with the fireworks)

the birthday boy! 2011 edition

Happy birthday to Doug!

Today is the big day, but we celebrated last night because he'll hopefully be going to a Cubs-Nationals game tonight (assuming it's not rained out... ugh).

After his birthday dinner and dessert, we pulled a few strings and arranged a fireworks show at Byrd Park (the rain the night before may have helped with the planning).

We love your guts, babe! Thanks for being born.

the 4th

We made our Independence Day celebrations last all weekend. Allow me to summarize:

- We went to THE smallest small-town parade of my life. We kept wondering if we were in the right place.

We were eventually joined by a few more people, but then the whole parade lasted a whopping 17 minutes. No music, no bands, too little candy, and a lot of funny stuff.

- We had a heck of a pool day on Saturday.

Addy and Kara... friends or foe? They don't seem sure.

- On Monday the botanical gardens had free admission. Such a lovely place.

... and it even had a stick sculpture. (?)

The botanical gardens had a splash pad that Addy disliked. Well, despised. A lot.

- We then BBQed with some folks, enduring the heat and humidity. We celebrated our country AND the fact that we got ribbons to stay in her pigtails.

The food was delicious and patriotic... we made the faux trifle on the right.

- Our fireworks plans got rained out, so we improvised and made a blanket fort and played games. We're hoping to see some explosions tonight instead.

So overall... a good weekend. Thanks, America!

a gift 11 years in the making

When I was 18 or so, my mom forced me to deal with my t-shirt hoarding. As a teenager I had acquired approximately one zillion t-shirts from school, sports, church stuff, yada, yada, yada, and as I headed off to college she wanted me to man up and let some go.

To ease my pain, she offered to make me a quilt using some of my most beloved shirts as patches. I meticulously selected the shirts, we cut them into patches, and then we bought all the other fabric and supplies she would need. I helped her start it, but then I went to BYU, life got busy, and the quilt got placed in a bag.

My mom said that bag plagued her every time she looked in her craft closet. Apparently it became her Mt. Everest, and she just never got around to finishing it.

Until now.

So, behold, the t-shirt quilt I received in the mail this week, 11+ years in the making:

Fun, eh? I've already broken it in with a nap, and it's really quite cozy. I love looking at the patches and realizing what was important to me at 18. Such good memories, and such a clever way to calm a troubling addiction.

My mom rocks!

daddy?

Addy found this card in Doug's stash, pointed at it and said, "Daddy?"

In her defense, Doug has the same exact hat. But besides that, I'm afraid she doesn't know what her father looks like.