Fiftyish years + poor masonry + extreme drought + flash flood storm = first test of homeowners insurance

fun with meredith!

meredith is my dear sweet friend from college. We met during pre-season our freshman year when we were both on athletic teams - she a volleyball player, myself a cross-country runner. i introduced myself rather excitedly during a day at the lake, and scared her away. she slowly realized i meant well, and decided to put up with me. We lived next door to each other in the dorms, and graduated early together. She was my maid of honor, and then moved all of our stuff into our first house while Evelyn & Floyd were honeymooning. She has been a constant friend through the best and worst of times for the last eight years. The first one to find out we were expecting (when i was still in shock over the news!), she has also willingly given of her time to spend a day with RM every-other week since my maternity leave ended. Nancy sometimes says, "Does Meredith know she doesn't have to be your 'maid-of-honor' for the rest of her life?" Mer has a huge servant's heart, the most generous spirit, and is an amazing listener. Simply put - she's a devoted and loyal friend.

Pictured above are shots from Mer & RM's day together today. The funny thing is, she really was hesitant around babies before. You wouldn't know it though - RM thinks she is the most fun, and as you can tell from these photos, totally hams it up with her.

i know good mischief lies just beyond the rim of this 'saucer...

RM has learned that his new found freedom and mobility doesn't just mean seeing the top of the couch or hoisting himself up on the vacuum cleaner, or crawling over Jim Hargate, etc. He has also found ambition - what poisonous cleaning products lie behind the kitchen sink curtain? How about eating potting soil from the peace lily's container... that sounds fun. I can't just set him down on the floor of the nursery while I get his pj's and diaper from the drawer... He is gone in the flashest of flashes down the hall, through the living room, into the dining room and around the table BACK towards the dog water bowl in hopes of splashing about again. Here's to the world through a ten month old's eyes... who's momma sometimes has to confine him to the 'saucer while she works from home. these were also taken by my friend Rebekah the day she was here.

and PS - anyone have advice for a kid who has no interest in a sippy cup? I even put the sweet stuff (apple juice) in it to lure him... no takers. Turns it upside down and knaws on the bottom, or tosses it off the tray. But good news - has taken formula TWICE in the last week! We may be on our way to weaning soon, woo hoo!

My Family Photography

An old friend of mine from Virginia came through town a few weeks ago. She has started this really cool concept with her freelance photography work with the idea of catching families as they are, over and over at different phases of their life and hopefully creating some really cool visual memories over the next several years when she comes to visit us! We were glad to have a few moments with her, and LOVE what she captured in a short visit, when I hadn't seen her in YEARS! Hopefully, this is the first of many. (ps - She's good! and she travels! So lemmino if you need a reference!)

men and their strollers

we had a downtown stroll and dinner date with Brad & Lauren this evening. This image of the guys in walking ahead of us gals on Main Street gave us a laugh. Our pizza at Bellacinos was tasty, and the people watching provided more than enough entertainment.

i did it...

I did it.

i splurged for the stroller i wanted. and it's all that i'd hoped for.

it's shallow of me to lust and to 'hem' and to 'haw' over a stroller i know. but the push is like butter - better butter - and it can turn into a two seater with four different position options.

While i recognize that planning for more children when we only have one is silly, the fact remains that RM currently has six other cousins under the age of three... so it is somewhat logical in this family to plan for giving another kid a lift. Besides, have i mentioned i'm in love with this stroller? (If you'd like to see some of the fabulous features, this image details a few of those. Ours is in charcoal/black.)

Just to add to my self-justification-saga for paying more-than-i-care-to-admit for A STROLLER, i will also report that it was divinely provided for me at a discount of more than 40% off! VICTORY.

ps - You can all chastise me as needed in the comments section. I will not be shaken. I am firmly rooted in this stroller-obsession, and have no buyers remorse whatsoever.

WALL-E the movie!

Ummm... So Evelyn & Floyd went to see this movie over the weekend as a mini fifth-anniversary celebration (the real party will be a week away in Seattle this August, woo hoo!) Anyway, i hereby report that it is the cutest cartoon i have seen in a long time. It probably helped that my nickname for Floyd is "Wall-E" already, and that Wall-E's friend in the movie is named "Eve" (hint, Evelyn similarity). But we really enjoyed it and think yall would too. Post a comment if you have seen it and liked it too. :)

9 months...

RM is 9 months old. He hasn't gained any weight in the last couple of months because he is moving too fast! The stats are 20lbs 9oz (50th percentile) and 29in tall (75th percentile). He loves crawling everywhere, playing hide and seek around corners with his daddy, pulling up to stand wherever he can find an angle, and rockin' out in his crib whenever sleep doesn't appeal to him. He has mastered Cheerios, Gerber Puffs, and black beans. We're still working on the other finger foods - banana pieces still seem to slip through his pincher or get stuck in his palm... but he's loving trying new things... except the sippy cup. And he's still got no interest in formula whatsoever... we're tricking him by adding a tiny bit to his b'milk bottle... hopefully soon we can make the switch - i'm getting antsy for a little more freedom in that arena!