Summer Update - Mega Post!

This has been such a fun summer, I haven't had much time to keep up with our blog! I have been off work this past week, enjoying time with our friends Edd & Paulette from Alabama. I will do a separate post about our visit with them, but thought I'd put some of the other summer highlights on here first.

Memorial Day

We got together with our friends the Z's and the Skog's - all of us are college friends and it's always fun to reconnect. We had a great time playing ladder ball, bocci ball and slip-n-slide!
(We really missed you Martys!!)

Matching bathing suits - not planned!

Visit with Brian & Cristina

The weekend after Memorial Day, we went down to visit Brian & Cristina. Cristina was my college roommate for a year and Jon and Brian were also really good friends - Brian & Cristina were both in our wedding and we are so glad we've stayed in touch over the years - there were a few years in there that we got too busy and didn't see each other, but we reconnected a couple of years ago and have really enjoyed getting together again. They are amazing hosts and always make us feel so welcome - Cristina always does amazing things for my kids and they never want to leave!

Anthony on their giant couch on the porch

Sophia on same couch :-)

"Backyard Extravaganza" - Cristina created a fun competition for Sophia, Anthony and her niece and nephew.

breakfast on the porch

Beach - Fenwick Island, DE

We went to Fenwick Island with our friends Tom, Shelby and Thomas. This was the 2nd year they invited us down to their beach house for a weekend. We always have a great time hanging out together and this was a really fun, relaxing weekend! Unfortunately, I didn't take many pics and I don't even have one with Jon in it!











4th of July - Visit to Rhode Island!

We headed up to Rhode Island for the long 4th of July weekend. Our friends Seth & Donna invited us up to visit them at their summer home. Seth & Jon work together and although we've been friends for a couple of years, we really got to know each other on the trip to Italy this past spring. Donna's sister Dionne and her husband Mike also came on the Italy trip and the 6 of us really had a great time together. Dionne & Mike came to RI the same weekend and we had a reunion - it was so much fun! Our kids get along so great with Seth & Donna's kids - Graham, Sadie & Gracie. It was a great weekend of going to the beach, grilling out and just catching up!

Our hosts - Seth, Donna, Graham, Sadie & Gracie

Mike & Dionne

Anthony & Graham - good buddies

Sophia & Gracie

Sophia & Sadie

All the kids

All the adults (& Gracie) - we were at a bluegrass concert on the town square

VVCC Party

We had a get-together with a bunch of our friends that we've met at our church over the years. Many of them no longer go to church with us and we hadn't been able to reconnect with some of them in years. It was so much fun to get everyone together for a fun evening (without kids!) and catch up on life.



Family Time

We've also had several chances this summer to get together with Jon's family - the cousins are becoming better friends all the time and it's so much fun to watch these friendships develop. These pics are from when we got together for Lizzie's birthday.

Lily & Anthony with their matching hats

Sophia & Georgia

sweet Gordy

The birthday girl and Shan

Jer & Erin (ready for baby Wil!)

Daddy & PopPop

Gordy with Uncle Jonny

Uncle Joel making smores

5 years old!

My baby is now 5! How did that happen?!

Anthony was SO sick for his birthday this year! 2 days before his birthday, he came down with some sort of virus and didn't feel better until 3 or 4 days after his birthday. So, we had to cancel his birthday party! This was how Anthony spent his birthday:



Notice the chocolate frosting around his mouth - even a virus can't stop a kid from enjoying his birthday cake! My parents were in town and were planning on being at his birthday party, but even after it was canceled, my mom couldn't bear the thought of Anthony not having cake on his birthday - so she made him a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (from scratch - yum!). I should have gotten a picture of Grandma holding him, because that is actually how he spent most of his day.

He did perk up (with the help of ibuprofen) long enough to eat some cake and open a couple of presents.




We did reschedule his birthday party for this past weekend - unfortunately some of our family and friends that would've been with us on his birthday couldn't make this weekend. However, he had a great time hanging at the pool with his sister and cousins! Then we went back to our house for a cookout with Jon's (side of the) family.







I'll leave you with a short video of something Anthony was very proud to learn before he even turned 5! (listen carefully)

Ella Grace!

On April 13th, my baby sister had her first baby! Jeff and Darla welcomed Ella Grace into their (and our!) family.



I had the privilege of meeting my new niece when she was 1 month old.



It was so much fun to meet her, and extra special because my other sister Deann came for a visit at the same time.



My sisters and I realized that the three of us had never really had the opportunity to hang out together as adults. I mean, of course, we're at family events together, but because of our age difference, as well as being in different parts of the country, we've never had the chance to just shop, go out to eat, talk...you know, sister stuff! A sad realization, but we were happy that we finally got to do that! I love these girls! If only we didn't have to live so far apart!



It was so much fun to see Jeff and Darla as a new mommy & daddy - so sweet and so natural!



I love you little Ella! Can't wait to see you again this summer - and Uncle Jon and cousins Sophia & Anthony can't wait to meet you!!! Love - Auntie Dawnie

Finished!

We are finally done with our house project(s) which included opening up the wall between the kitchen and dining room, getting the kitchen and dining room repainted, redoing the lighting in the kitchen and putting in a 1/2 bath downstairs, which also meant we had to reconfigure our mudroom entrance. It's been a long time (we started in September) and it's so wonderful to finally be living without dust on a daily basis! Yeah Jon for doing such an awesome job!

The Opening/Kitchen/Dining Room:









I also already posted some pics of this earlier. Click here if you want to see those again.


The Bathroom/Mudroom:

Sophia's Birthday

Okay, so it's over a month ago, but I thought I would attempt to get caught up on my blog! Here are some pictures from Sophia's 7th birthday parties...yes, I said parties! I swore that this year we were just going to do a family event, but then I told Sophia she could invite a couple of friends to go to the movies....well, a couple of friends turned into a couple more...and then of course her brother had to come...and then he had to bring a friend! Anyway, I could NOT have pulled this off without the help of my good friend Tricia! Not only did she let me use her mini van to pick all the girls up, she also was a lifesaver when a couple of them had to go to the bathroom during the movie!!!





We went to see Monsters vs. Aliens (3D) - it was okay...the kids liked it, but it was not one of my favs.









In addition to going to the movie, Sophia had her special friend Lexie over for their first sleepover!



Then the next day, which also happened to be Easter, we had Jon's family over for dinner and a party. The cousins had a great time together! It's so much fun to watch them grow to be friends. Here are some of the favorite pics of that day.













It's so hard to believe that Sophia is already 7! She is a great girl and it's so much fun to watch her grow. This was the first birthday since Sophia's 3rd birthday that we did not have the Martys with us to celebrate - we missed you guys! Sophia was especially sad to not have Eden with her on her special day!

Happy Birthday to my baby girl!

Big Day for Sophia!

A couple of weeks ago, Auntie Lizzie and Sophia got their ears pierced together! For a couple of years Lizzie has been talking to Sophia about getting her ears pierced and said that when she was ready that they would do it together (Liz would get a 2nd piercing). Well, the day finally came that Sophia was ready and Auntie Lizzie didn't quite remember that she had agreed to get hers done too! But she was true to her word even if she didn't know what her word was! This was an early birthday present for Sophia as she will be turning 7 at the end of this week.

Mommy & Grammy went along for the big event as well. After the first ear, Sophia did not really want to get the other one done, but overall she was pretty brave!

Sophia & Lizzie before the big event

Lizzie's turn - not even a flinch!

Sophia's turn - a few tears!

Lollipops help!

Thanks Auntie Lizzie!