Jamaica comes to an end...

Ahh, well it's back to reality now and our trip has come to an end--but it was so refreshing to take some time for just the two of us--even though it was a lot of work to get there...it was definitely worth it and we hope to do it again, someday!

More From Jamaica, Mon!

Jamaica was just as beautiful as we remembered it, and while we did a lot of familiar things that we had done on our honeymoon, we also took up a few new adventures--such as water skiing and wake boarding in the ocean! I honestly was surprised at how fun that would be...the water was as smooth as the lake (and the boat didn't die!)

Jamaica 2009

Words just can't describe what a wonderful trip we had to Jamaica last week--it was a perfect anniversary trip full of relaxation and a little bit of Jamaican adventure sprinkled in! Here are just a few pictures from the trip--the amazing sunset, and the view of the beach from our room--more to come soon!

E&Y Summer Outing

Here are some pictures from Brian's softball outing for work this weekend. Chloe could have jumped in the Moonbounce for hours...and Drew was trying his best to hit the ball like Daddy. I realized that whoever created the concept of party favors must have surely had a daughter like Chloe--her eyes totally lit up when she opened her goody bag of sunglasses, bouncy ball and yo-yo---in fact, she has them all tucked in with her tonight in bed!

Drew's First Birthday

Drew's first birthday party over the weekend was such fun! The Harves' clan from Indiana joined our usual cast of characters and made the day super special--Chloe was in heaven because there were so many people she could show off to, and Drew was in heaven because he could walk from person to person, eating food off their plate. Oh yeah, Chloe was also in heaven because she could take her piggy bank around to person after person and ask for spare change! (We're so proud!) You can see that Drew enjoyed his cake--the chocolate icing was absolutely everywhere, but it was totally worth it! It is so bittersweet that our baby is now 1 and not really a baby anymore...it was sort of surreal for me as we were singing to him and watching him dive into his birthday cake--as excited as I was for him to be reaching such a milestone, I was sad to see my baby get so big!

Drew is Walking!

It's official! We are in trouble now! Drew is still crawling as his primary "speed" method of transportation, but he is quickly figuring out this walking thing! Especially when Daddy teases him with the remote--that kid can't resist it! (I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree....)

More Norris Pics

There were just too many pictures to choose from, so here are a few more. You can see that Chloe was most proud of learning how to use the squirt gun--our favorite was hearing her say..."you better hurry before I fill it up!" And she meant it, too. And Drew is already learning how to ham it up for the camera....such a ladies man already!

Norris Lake Pictures

Here are some pictures from our trip to Norris Lake--it was such a fun and relaxing week! Chloe had a great time on her skiis, despite all her protests! We never actually got her to jump in the water from the dock or the boat, but the fact that she had fun on her skiis was worth all the effort in trying to convince her! Poor Drew was working on a tooth all week, but it finally paid off as it broke through on the last day...and he was so happy to get home on dry land that he took his first steps when we got home! We had a great time with Tom and Cheryl and Julie and Adam...definitely could not have had such a fun trip without them all!

Chloe Skiing on Norris Lake

We had a wonderful time on vacation this past week...we are still recovering from all the unpacking and being off our schedule, but here is a quick video of one of the highlights of the trip--Chloe skiing! I'll post more pics this week as I get caught up, so stay tuned!

Chloe's 3rd Birthday

What a weekend! Chloe's "Dora" birthday party was a ton of fun, despite the fact that we were worried since she hadn't napped at all before the party! But she of course put on a great show as she opened her gifts, and she surprised us all at how well she could ride her new bike! It was awesome to see her on it...she is officially a big girl now, there's no going back! And yes, there are 2 pieces of cake on her plate...she was the birthday girl after all! :) And she only eats the icing...apparently she is a girl after Ma-ma's heart!

Coney Island

My company's picnic was at Coney Island this year, and we had a great afternoon--Chloe and Drew absolutely loved it. Chloe rode almost every single ride that she was tall enough for--yes, even the Scrambler! And you can see the change in her facial expression from the first trip down the giant slide with Brian to the end of day when I took her down--she was having way too much fun to leave! And Drew loved it when she got out of the wagon so he could swipe her drink...we could barely keep him contained, as evidenced by the fact that he climbed completely out of the wagon when we weren't watching!

Ball Popper

Here is new video of Drew squealing at the start of the ball popper. He has the same reaction every single time, it absolutely cracks us up.  And this is the same shrill squealing noise that he is famous for at dinner time--unfortunately for us he only has one volume level so far!

May pictures

Here are a couple  pictures of the kids from this month...Chloe is showing off the balloon that she got me for Mother's Day (but let's face it, it was her balloon!), Drew is sporting his Reds gear, and he is showing off his new skill of smashing food all over his highchair, tray, and oh yes, his hair.  I wonder if this is his way of "signing" back to me--so much for trying new ways to communicate! 

Dinning room project - complete!

I wanted to share some pictures of the recently completed renovation of the dinning room.  It has taken several weekends to complete, but the finished project is definitely worth it.  Jenny did a fabulous job of decorating it (despite the change in color incident).  A huge thanks to Pa Pa for all his help (and to MaMa for giving him up) and also to "Mr. Ed" the carpenter.  The furniture is being delivered on Friday and Jenny can't hardly stand it she is so excited.  

"Make Me a Deal"

Some recent pictures of the kids...Drew is having fun with golf balls (you should see him crawl with them in his hands!), and Chloe is making sure that her baby is fed and that there are no monsters in the basement. Chloe had the quote from the weekend....when she asked for her standard "special treat" after going number 2 in the potty, I tried to get out of it since she already had cookies for dessert. Well, you can imagine how that went over. But instead of totally throwing a fit, she pouted, crossed her arms, and said, "Well, then, make me a deal". So I did. A special treat in return for cleaning up her toys. Now that is compromise at its best!