Something blue
Beautiful bouquet!
Love this one
Man and wife!
A beautiful July day!
The bride-to-be!
How precious
Friday, September 17, 2010
To Have And To Hold
Saying farewell to M for the day
With my 26 week old date for the evening. In husband's absence, he does provide me with the sweetest company.
I was able to snap this with the bride moments before she slipped into her gown!
Beautiful bouquet!
Darling little face in the corner
All ready
Love this one
Man and wife!
A beautiful July day!
Over the summer, I saw my sweet D three times~ each time at a wedding :)
A beauty with an engineering brain
The bride-to-be!
How precious
I love bustles~ the look~the process~ and all the helping hands
And she is a married woman! After 3 years of marriage, don't you think I should know how to wear wedding rings in the correct order? I love the look of my four dollar "sticker" manicure.
First dance
Playing around with the huge sunflowers
Two of my favorite aunties
Beautiful bouquet!
Love this one
Man and wife!
A beautiful July day!
The bride-to-be!
How precious
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Celebrating
This summer has been wonderfully full of weddings. How delightful to see a dear childhood friend get married! I also felt particularly blessed to be able to enjoy the prewedding festivities with her. We spent one evening together with her fiance and his family folding the wedding programs. Living far from her, I was deeply grateful for this opportunity to get to know the family she was joining; having never met them before, I was particularly gladdened to see how much they all cared for her.
The next day, I was able to get a lovely one on one outing with the bride. I took her into the city to treat her to lunch and pick out her wedding present.
We enjoyed lunch at Max Brenner. The restaurant is unique in its preponderance of chocolate. They make amazing crepes, the best hot chocolate, and delicious cocoa free burgers.
Two days before the wedding, her sister threw her a days long party. We began the day at the shore.
It was a rare treat to be with so many of my girl friends at once (although we greatly missed you, DH!).
The hand shot
All ready to enjoy dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy in family style.
These 2 girls are ready to eat :)
The restaurant was beautiful, and thoughts of the food is getting me hungry.
The next day, I was able to get a lovely one on one outing with the bride. I took her into the city to treat her to lunch and pick out her wedding present.
We enjoyed lunch at Max Brenner. The restaurant is unique in its preponderance of chocolate. They make amazing crepes, the best hot chocolate, and delicious cocoa free burgers.
Two days before the wedding, her sister threw her a days long party. We began the day at the shore.
It was a rare treat to be with so many of my girl friends at once (although we greatly missed you, DH!).
The hand shot
All ready to enjoy dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy in family style.
These 2 girls are ready to eat :)
The restaurant was beautiful, and thoughts of the food is getting me hungry.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
By Plane, Train, and Automobile
{Alternative Title: By 3 Cars, a Taxi, a Bus, and a Train}
Instead of driving back home, I ventured to take the train for the first time in years with my two little girls in tow. We started the day with smiles while driving our car to husband's place of work so that it would be there for him when his ship pulled into dock. Baby girl loves her big girl car seat. We love that she is a rear facing sweetie, and that she sleeps in it!
Enjoying the naval view while we waited for our taxi to get off the base. As Momom would say, "But where's your bow?"
There it is
Still all smiles...
Mommy and lil sis getting a wee bit hot in the one hundred degree weather and less than patient for a "Be there in ten" that turned into thirty. Did you notice my lounge wear (aka pj's)? Comfy is the only way to travel.
When the taxi came, I threw her in and then attended to folding the stroller and my luggage (one backpack for the three of us :) You are surely safe to travel lite when you are going to stay with your own mommy. They have everything you need. While I was in the midst of heaving her and her infant carrier into the taxi, she proceeded to scream unprecedentedly. Once I got in the back with her, I thought she would cheer up, but this baby would have none of this taxi ride and hollered louder when the driver dared to utter a word. As M rarely ever cries, whenever she does I am most amused by the occasion.Why does this picture make me laugh so?
In the presence of a lil gentleman, a little lady is prim, proper, and pleasant. On the way to the bus, we enjoyed a little visit with friends. I find the juxtaposition of their car seats entertaining. She is over a year older than he, yet he is in his big car seat and she is in her infant carrier (Yay for a thirty pound limit).
On the bus, the same thought travels through our minds. "Are we there yet?"
Once on the train, a little rest is in order.
And of course eating would quickly follow.
And a "baba" too
And then she slept happily ever after...
Not so much... I was very pleased with her behavior. She did very well for all that she could control. She is usually the most delightful traveling baby. We past the time by walking the aisles, going to the snack car, and walking outside when the train stopped for its breaks. We then settled down for the evening. She was falling asleep and I was enjoying sips from my frappuccino and a game of Sudoku, when the serenity broke loose initially by faint whimpers and whines. I was less than pleased but understanding that after so many hours of travel, one hits a breaking point. And a breaking point she did reach when a few moments later she proceeded to toss up everything! I unstrapped her as quickly as possible and assisted her to go all over me. (Pj's are washable; train seats not so much). I then cleaned us up as well as could be with baby wipes and napkins from our kind aisle neighbor. Baby quieted down, and I placed her back into her seat. She fell asleep for a while and then started to go again while still asleep. This poor sweet one. I decided to lay her out on the seat with me hoping that might help and to be able to assist her more quickly. She then had two more bouts. After the fourth and final bout, we were covered and there was only so much baby wipes and napkins could do. Twelve "tossings up" can produce a surprisingly large quantity even coming from such a little one. I was concerned for the state of my own stomach because the smell was so horrible. At this point, you would have noticed a smile on my face. The situation was just too ridiculous to not see the humor in it.Then over the intercom the conductor announces that we are going to be stopping at DC and please move over in your seats because every seat will be taken. I looked over at the unoccupied seat next to us and smiled knowing that there was no reason for us to move over as our empty seat would not be wanted.
This experience reminded me of the true and unique nature of motherhood. Scenes of motherhood are often painted with a beautiful peaceful woman looking adoringly down upon her spotless child amidst the ethereally white nursery, and yes I have been blessed with a plethora of such serene moments and the pictures that go with them. Yet, it is the mothers that rush to their children when the situation is awry and all others are fleeing their presence. Here was my little girl projectilely tossing up, and of course I rushed to her aid without a seconds thought. When a child (and the couch next to them) has become sticky, grimy, snotty, bloody, pooy, and tossed up upon, there you will find a mother. When most others go "ewww," a mother says, "here I am". And there she is ready at the front battle lines for whatever God has decided to throw her way :)
Instead of driving back home, I ventured to take the train for the first time in years with my two little girls in tow. We started the day with smiles while driving our car to husband's place of work so that it would be there for him when his ship pulled into dock. Baby girl loves her big girl car seat. We love that she is a rear facing sweetie, and that she sleeps in it!
Enjoying the naval view while we waited for our taxi to get off the base. As Momom would say, "But where's your bow?"
There it is
Still all smiles...
Mommy and lil sis getting a wee bit hot in the one hundred degree weather and less than patient for a "Be there in ten" that turned into thirty. Did you notice my lounge wear (aka pj's)? Comfy is the only way to travel.
When the taxi came, I threw her in and then attended to folding the stroller and my luggage (one backpack for the three of us :) You are surely safe to travel lite when you are going to stay with your own mommy. They have everything you need. While I was in the midst of heaving her and her infant carrier into the taxi, she proceeded to scream unprecedentedly. Once I got in the back with her, I thought she would cheer up, but this baby would have none of this taxi ride and hollered louder when the driver dared to utter a word. As M rarely ever cries, whenever she does I am most amused by the occasion.Why does this picture make me laugh so?
In the presence of a lil gentleman, a little lady is prim, proper, and pleasant. On the way to the bus, we enjoyed a little visit with friends. I find the juxtaposition of their car seats entertaining. She is over a year older than he, yet he is in his big car seat and she is in her infant carrier (Yay for a thirty pound limit).
On the bus, the same thought travels through our minds. "Are we there yet?"
Once on the train, a little rest is in order.
And of course eating would quickly follow.
And a "baba" too
And then she slept happily ever after...
Not so much... I was very pleased with her behavior. She did very well for all that she could control. She is usually the most delightful traveling baby. We past the time by walking the aisles, going to the snack car, and walking outside when the train stopped for its breaks. We then settled down for the evening. She was falling asleep and I was enjoying sips from my frappuccino and a game of Sudoku, when the serenity broke loose initially by faint whimpers and whines. I was less than pleased but understanding that after so many hours of travel, one hits a breaking point. And a breaking point she did reach when a few moments later she proceeded to toss up everything! I unstrapped her as quickly as possible and assisted her to go all over me. (Pj's are washable; train seats not so much). I then cleaned us up as well as could be with baby wipes and napkins from our kind aisle neighbor. Baby quieted down, and I placed her back into her seat. She fell asleep for a while and then started to go again while still asleep. This poor sweet one. I decided to lay her out on the seat with me hoping that might help and to be able to assist her more quickly. She then had two more bouts. After the fourth and final bout, we were covered and there was only so much baby wipes and napkins could do. Twelve "tossings up" can produce a surprisingly large quantity even coming from such a little one. I was concerned for the state of my own stomach because the smell was so horrible. At this point, you would have noticed a smile on my face. The situation was just too ridiculous to not see the humor in it.Then over the intercom the conductor announces that we are going to be stopping at DC and please move over in your seats because every seat will be taken. I looked over at the unoccupied seat next to us and smiled knowing that there was no reason for us to move over as our empty seat would not be wanted.
This experience reminded me of the true and unique nature of motherhood. Scenes of motherhood are often painted with a beautiful peaceful woman looking adoringly down upon her spotless child amidst the ethereally white nursery, and yes I have been blessed with a plethora of such serene moments and the pictures that go with them. Yet, it is the mothers that rush to their children when the situation is awry and all others are fleeing their presence. Here was my little girl projectilely tossing up, and of course I rushed to her aid without a seconds thought. When a child (and the couch next to them) has become sticky, grimy, snotty, bloody, pooy, and tossed up upon, there you will find a mother. When most others go "ewww," a mother says, "here I am". And there she is ready at the front battle lines for whatever God has decided to throw her way :)
Friday, July 16, 2010
To Love and to Cherish
The radiant bride and groom
Her gown was breath taking
Dearest friends since grade school
How sweet it was to be with my dear girls once again and show them my 17th week bump
After five pictures, we got a great one together
Me and my date for the evening
Beautiful women from the inside out
I love this one
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Opening New Doors
We bought a home! We started our search for a home in the spring of 2007 once we were given orders to this area. While in the realtor's office, we got news that N was deploying that summer. This halted our hunt as I wanted to move back in with my parents, keep my dream job, and be surrounded by those that love my while he was away. When we returned back in January 2008, we stayed in a Navy hotel for two months and then moved into our cousin's beautiful condo to learn more about the area and save towards the down payment. In the spring of 2009, we were told that N was stationed here for another two years prompting us to renew our search for a home. In August, we sign a contract on this home; exactly nine months later in May, I armed with my trusty power of attorney signed on the dotted line.
There is so much I love about our place. I am sure I could also come up with an equally long list of all the things I desire to change or tweak eventually, yet I am very thankful to be here and will focus on its more desirable attributes. (You will eventually see plenty of tweaking in our before 1, before 2, before 3, and after pictures.)
I was instantly drawn to the exterior of this two story house as it is white with black shutters, has a red door, and is mostly symmetrical with a hidden garage on the side (I have always loved hidden garages.) It is classic with a touch of glamor. When you see it, I am sure you will think, "yes, that's L." While looking through the home listing handouts, we nicknamed the different homes to be able to quickly recall and compare them. I referred laughingly to this one as 'the most beautiful home in the world' which was in comparison to a close enough contender we called the 'barn' home. Architecture is my favorite form of art (excluding photography of my loved ones). Some get a thrill out of the perfect piece of music, some from a beautiful dress, others from a painting- I get it by seeing beautiful buildings. I cannot tell you how many times I have been thrilled at the idea that our brand new bank has a classic brick exterior with black torch lamps instead of our former bank with its ' O, so 2009' modern styling. Although the look of a home doesn't impact ones quality of daily living, I get the same joy in seeing our home as I would going to the museum and seeing a favorite piece of art.
The home is just a baby at eleven years old. We are nestled in a neatly wooded neighborhood. It was important to us that the homes not be in the middle of a cleared away field but that we have trees around us. The neighborhood is built with many cul-de-sacs and most of the homes are backed up to the woods. Generally, the front yards have a little tree with well taken care of lawns, and the backyards have several tall ones or are completely backed up to the woods. We are on a quarter acre lot. There are times I would love more land and then there are other times that I am sure this is plenty for us to take care of by ourselves or by myself when needed. The outside landscaping needs much work as the lawn is in great disrepair, a few sickly trees need removal, and our overgrown nest of front bushes are being hacked one by one by yours truly.
It has four bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a 2 car garage, and a small deck. I really enjoy its nine foot ceilings, its double sinks in the guest and master, second floor laundry room, and its convenience of parking in the garage. Its main selling point for me was that the kitchen and the living room are open to each other. I have noticed so often in daily living and entertaining that the wife is sequestered by herself in the kitchen while her family and guests are in the living room. I specifically LOVE that my sink faces out towards the living room instead of out a window or on the far wall of the kitchen. That may sound funny to you, and I am sure a noncooking man would not understand me~ but really that was the main selling point and part I love the most about my home. As far as I can remember no other homes were built with the same layout. On a ship N has a battle station, and in my life that sink and counter is often my battle station when N comes home or when we are entertaining whether I am peeling potatoes, cutting strawberries, cleaning pots, or loading the dishwasher. While I am on subject, I LOVE my disposal too :) It wasn't working at first, but no fear I can be handy like that.
In my back story, I brushed over why it took just as long to grow a baby as to buy this home. It was a short sale home which means that the buyers are working with both sellers and the bank that really owns the home. Short sale homes usually take a few months because of all the extra paperwork and bank issues. We were ready for four months, and nine months really took our breaths away. We were able to afford this home because it cosmetically was not in selling shape, I believe because it was wasn't updated to be listed under it new and more desirable school district, and because many people don't have the time to wait on a short sale home.
Through the process of buying, moving into, and owning a home, I was prepared to grow in maturity and independence, yet I immediately learned much in the opposite veins. This moving process has taught me more about love, humility, and dependence than I ever thought. We are blessed to be in a place to be able to depend on our families, friends, and church family. Help is the hardest word for me to utter in a request, yet I knew that through this process I needed to and my littlest one really needed me to humble myself and ask for a hand. In asking for a hand, we were given 30 plus pairs that were there by our sides helping us through. Just thinking about the love that was poured out to us is getting me teary. Love... love is a woman pulling out your refrigerator and cleaning what is underneath, love is ripping down wallpaper and acting as if it is fun, love is stuffing a couch into an elevator, love is a man carrying your dryer up your stairs, and love is a child raking your yard as if it is a game. Thank you for all your help, love, and prayers!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
We are having a Daughter!
Our "It's a girl" announcements. I enjoyed telling several friends this way for M and this baby and plan to continue. 
We are delighted to be having a little girl! Our little one kicks so often and with such force that I can already tell differences in her personality compared to her big sister who had such delicate movements in the womb. Although this little one was a lot more active than M, I still felt that she was our little girl before we knew.
My 20 week ultrasound went wonderfully. I was able to ask for the same technician as M's, and she greatly added to the joy of the experience with how talkative and personable she is. It was as if she was just as excited to see our baby as we were. It was a fun experience finding out a little woman was on her way surrounded by the women in my life- mother, sister, sister il, and daughter.
I told the technician that I wanted to guess when she got the shot in focus, and sure enough I could tell that this was our daughter. I am delighted to be having a little baby soon and do love that my girls have each other! As I do come across such wonderful deals on baby clothing and have such specific taste boy or girl, when I find outfits that make me dream of a little boy I pick them up. Well, we will have to stash that box away for another day :)
We are delighted to be having a little girl! Our little one kicks so often and with such force that I can already tell differences in her personality compared to her big sister who had such delicate movements in the womb. Although this little one was a lot more active than M, I still felt that she was our little girl before we knew.
My 20 week ultrasound went wonderfully. I was able to ask for the same technician as M's, and she greatly added to the joy of the experience with how talkative and personable she is. It was as if she was just as excited to see our baby as we were. It was a fun experience finding out a little woman was on her way surrounded by the women in my life- mother, sister, sister il, and daughter.
I told the technician that I wanted to guess when she got the shot in focus, and sure enough I could tell that this was our daughter. I am delighted to be having a little baby soon and do love that my girls have each other! As I do come across such wonderful deals on baby clothing and have such specific taste boy or girl, when I find outfits that make me dream of a little boy I pick them up. Well, we will have to stash that box away for another day :)
Monday, July 12, 2010
Our Sweetie at 18 Months
All smiles
Our sweetie
Our little big girl
At 17 months, our little one decided to take her first steps. I found it apropos that she took her first steps while trying on her flower girl gown for my sister's wedding (not the dress above). Her 18th month has been delightful for us as we have seen her progress in this new milestone. We have waited a long while to see these first toddles and have cherished them greatly.
My favorite new word of hers is "ank oh" meaning thank you. She says it when I hand her something such as her sippy cup more often than not or when I pick her up. I love the politeness.
She enjoys drawing with crayon and marker. Tub crayons are a special treat as she may draw as far as her hand can reach. She also enjoys relaxing in the pool with us while in her saucer floaty.
Our sweetie
Our little big girl
At 17 months, our little one decided to take her first steps. I found it apropos that she took her first steps while trying on her flower girl gown for my sister's wedding (not the dress above). Her 18th month has been delightful for us as we have seen her progress in this new milestone. We have waited a long while to see these first toddles and have cherished them greatly.
My favorite new word of hers is "ank oh" meaning thank you. She says it when I hand her something such as her sippy cup more often than not or when I pick her up. I love the politeness.
She enjoys drawing with crayon and marker. Tub crayons are a special treat as she may draw as far as her hand can reach. She also enjoys relaxing in the pool with us while in her saucer floaty.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Our Little Lady at the Beach
Friday, May 14, 2010
And Baby Makes Four!
We are delighted to introduce the littlest member of our family due in early November. Baby will be making its arrival just in time to celebrate big sister's 2nd birthday. We are deeply thankful that our family has been blessed with this precious one.
Baby at 10 weeks
Seeing our baby through ultrasound this young was a delightful occasion for us. My first ultrasound for M was at 17 weeks, and N was unable to be present. This time I had my husband and my mom by my side to enjoy with me. We were all surprised with how much detail we could see of our 1.5 inch baby. Seeing baby's heartbeat pounding away filled me with awe. Now at 15 weeks, I am feeling better, ready to start showing, and looking forward to feeling kicks soon.
Baby at 10 weeks
Seeing our baby through ultrasound this young was a delightful occasion for us. My first ultrasound for M was at 17 weeks, and N was unable to be present. This time I had my husband and my mom by my side to enjoy with me. We were all surprised with how much detail we could see of our 1.5 inch baby. Seeing baby's heartbeat pounding away filled me with awe. Now at 15 weeks, I am feeling better, ready to start showing, and looking forward to feeling kicks soon.
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