Christmas in North Carolina

Being pregnant and all, I was totally against traveling anywhere for the holidays this year. So, my whole family decided to make the trek to our house for Christmas. Luckily, my Aunt and Uncle aren't moving back to Ohio until after New Year's Day, so they were able to house a few of our guests. The boys and their girlfriends stayed with Dini & Bill. My parents, Kathleen and nephew Noah stayed with us.

As tradition would have it, Dylan and I both ended up being sick the entire week everyone was here. Lucky for us all, Dylan was in pretty good spirits. Although, we did make a trip to Urgent Care on Christmas Eve. The child has been sick with a cold/cough for about two months and it seemed to get worse last week. Turns out he had ear infections in both ears. No wonder he'd been such a crab and sleeping like crap! We got him on some amoxicillin and hoped he would start to feel better. Unfortunately, that made him break out in hives. So, we called the Dr back up and got him on something else. Me? I just had a fun cold that made me miserable. We tried hard to not let our illness ruin the holiday, but I really didn't sleep good most of the time everyone was here.

My family's tradition is to celebrate on Christmas Eve. We had a yummy dinner (fried rice, several dips, chips, desserts, etc...we're into finger foods in this house), then my Dad gave a talk about the birth of the Savior and the reason why we celebrate this season, followed by some serious unwrapping of presents. The gift part can get a bit overwhelming and we were worried that Dylan would need to save some for the next morning. The kid, however, surprised us and just tore through his gifts. I feel like this was his first 'real' Christmas because he finally understood what was going on, so it was a lot of fun to watch him and hear all his little expressions as he opened each gift.

Christmas morning, my Mom made her amazing Caramel Rolls and Hot Chocolate. We spent the rest of the morning cooking a nice traditional dinner (ham, turkey, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, pumpkin roll, etc). The rest of the day was spent watching football, lounging and just chatting. All in, we had a nice couple of days and everyone made out well with gifts.

No, my kid does not like to wear clothes. This was Dylan before all the festivities on Christmas Eve. He was totally ready to get started.

With 11 stockings to hang, the fireplace mantle was a little too small.

Just a glimpse of the amount of gifts. I had to take about 8 pictures to get them all.

Sweet cousins getting ready to open their presents. These two had a lot of fun together.

One of Dylan's favorite gifts is his new train table from Gram and Pa.

This was my mantle. Turned out pretty cute, thanks to my Mom. I started doing 'Elf on the Shelf' with Dylan this year. He had a great time finding 'Red' each day. I really do think it helped him behave himself the past few weeks.

I really wish I had taken some more pictures, but with being sick I just wasn't in the mood. The memories, however, will stay with me. Now I just have to figure out how to get Dylan to understand that it's going to be a long time before he gets to open presents again.

So Humbled

Dylan has been sick and in toddler mode the past 4 days. I have been on the verge of completely losing my mind; trying my hardest not to give his rear end a nice swat. Luckily Mike did not have to work this weekend and I was able to get away and shop with my Aunt for a few hours one day.

This morning, as I sat here in Mommy time out trying not to scream at Dylan for being annoying, I decided to catch up on my friend's little baby girl. I am not super close with this girl, but she is a super sweet, kind, and beautiful person. In September 2008, her 6 month old baby boy died of SIDS. I did not know her when this happened, but heard the story shortly after we moved into our house in January. I met her in February. In May, I found out that she was pregnant again. In July, I found out that her 20 week ultrasound showed some physical deformities. Her baby was born premature in October and they discovered that her situation was much worse than any ultrasound could have showed. This poor little baby has been a fighter and has already endured surgery. They were hoping to be able to bring her home by Christmas, but her situation has gotten worse. At this point in time, they are hoping for a miracle.

Upon finishing reading more about the baby this morning, I was truly humbled. I do not know why some people have to endure such trials in this life, but it surely made my current frustrations with my toddler seem inconsequential. Every time I think about my friend, my eyes well up with tears and I run to hug my perfect little Dylan. Then I take a moment to just sit and talk to my belly. I have been counting my blessings today. Any time a complaint starts to cross my mind, I remind myself that my life is awesome.

The Big '3'

Dylan celebrated his 3rd Birthday on November 30th. I still cannot believe how quickly the time has flown by. I feel like he was just a beautiful, colicky newborn who didn't sleep more than an hour at a time. No one could have prepared us for what a joy Dylan would be in our lives. We have our issues with him; he is a toddler and they all come with issues. But, this kid is so fun to have around. If you don't feel loved having a 3 year old in your house, the problem is most likely with you...not them. I can go from being so angry I can't see straight, to laughing hysterically in a split second.

Mike and I both love this little guy more than words can say. We look forward to what is going to come out of his mouth each day. We love his hugs and kisses. We enjoy seeing the pure delight on his face when we agree to play a game with him. Life truly does not get better than this.

My happy boy, ready to tackle the presents at his little party.

We decided to just do a big birthday bash every other year. This year, we were just going to have Aunt Dini and Uncle Bill over for dinner and presents, but Dylan insisted that his best friend David and his favorite Mommy "Nae Nae" (Renee) be there as well. Who am I to refuse my child his wishes?

David and his Daddy, David waited patiently for Dylan to open his presents.

Aunt Dini and Uncle Bill look on as Dylan opens the awesome game they got him.

Dylan opening his favorite new toy (ahem, his obsession).

His new red vaccuum! YAY! This gift was as much for me as it is for Dylan. Although I love my little cleaning helper, it is much easier to vaccuum when he has his own to push around.

Dylan also received his kitchen, some pj's, and some pieces to go with his Thomas the Train set. Now we just need to get him to understand that his Birthday only comes once a year!

Thanksgiving '09

I'm trying to play catch up a little this week. Things have been a little crazy around our house and I just haven't had as much time for the 'fun' stuff, like updating my blog.

We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Elkington's. Because of the pregnancy, I just was not up for traveling this year. We told our families that we would be more than happy to have them come to us if they wanted to spend the holidays with us. So, the Elkington's made the trip from Delaware for Thanksgiving. My family will be making the trip for Christmas.

Our dinner was yummy, the company was good, we did a little shopping and had a little Christmas/Birthday celebration. I think Dylan especially enjoyed the last part because he loves 'pwesents'.
I just love this picture of Grandma and Dylan. He absolutely adores Grandma K because she will play with him non-stop. It is always a difficult adjustment back to reality once the company leaves and Dylan isn't getting that all day attention.

Grandpa and Grandma K got Dylan this awesome Pottery Barn Kids kitchen for his Birthday/Christmas present. It has already received hours and hours of playtime. Dylan loves helping me cook and bake, so I knew this would be the perfect gift for him. He loves to make pizza and serve it to us.

Grandpa and Aunt Ashley watching Dylan open his gifts.

Uncle Brett looks a little haggard after carrying in the big kitchen boxes.

Dylan is really into games now. Board games, puzzles, etc. You name it, he loves it and wants to play it ALL THE TIME! His favorite game right now is 'Kerplunk'. He calls it the 'plunk game'. I hear about this game at least 10 times each day. Aunt Jamie and Ashley were such good sports to sit and play it Dylan's way for a couple hours.

Thankful Thoughts

I am well aware that I still have two days before Thanksgiving Day, but I'm not sure if I'll get the opportunity to post my annual thankful list that day. So, I thought I'd get a little bit of a headstart. I have so much to be thankful for in my life. God has truly blessed me the past year and I would be ungreatful if I didn't acknowledge those blessings.

1. I am thankful for my wonderful husband. Our marriage is not without disagreements, but I have to say that I still feel that I married the best person for ME. Mike and I seem to balance each other out perfectly. He is an awesome Dad, a great husband, and a good provider.

2. My awesome husband helped to create this awesome little guy who runs around keeping me busy and making me go crazy. Dylan is the hardest job I've ever had, but I love this kid so much it can't even be put into words. The thought of him turning 3 next week just makes me bawl. The time is passing way too quickly. I'm greatful for the opportunity I have to stay home with him and watch every moment of his life.

3. This blessing, well, I can't even express my gratitude without emotions getting in the way. I am SO thankful to get the opportunity to have another child. I was beyond excited to have Dylan, but my feelings for this little girl are a lot more tender. Perhaps because I had to go through so much heartache to get her. Even though I've been more sick this pregnancy, I am taking the time to enjoy it. I cannot wait until April to hold my little angel.

4. I am thankful for each and every one of my amazing friends. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful support group.

5. I am thankful for my family, near and far. I miss being able to see them on a regular basis, but I suppose that is part of growing up. We all have our own lives to live. But, I think about them every single day and pray for their well being.

6. I am thankful for Skanska and that they have seen something valuable in my husband's work. I feel very fortunate that we have not had to endure the financial hardships that have befallen many recently.

7. I am greatful for this lovely house that we live in and for all the things in it that help me to feel at home.

8. I am thankful that it is finally Fall! I am so not a fan of of the Summer months. I hate to be hot and when exposed too much, the sun gives me headaches. So, while many of you will think I'm crazy, I love this cooler, cloudy weather!

9. I am thankful for people who are willing to share their talents with me. For example, my friend Gina, who recently took some pictures of Dylan for his 3rd Birthday. I will cherish them always and she was able to perfectly capture who Dylan is at this point in his life.

10. I am thankful for a Heavenly Father who loves me and guides me through this life. I know I couldn't make it on my own.

Poop Tales

Dylan is one funny kid. We're doing lots of shopping and eating out this week because my mom is town doing some Christmas shopping. (I've been to her best mall in SC and it ain't pretty. No wonder she comes to Raleigh to do her shopping.) Normally, Dylan is not the best shopper, but he has been a trooper this week and has kept us laughing. Just thought I'd share a couple of his recent stories. And yes, they both deal with his rear end. He is a boy, ya know.

Story #1...I'm in Victoria's Secret shopping for a gift. As I'm busy smelling all their new lotions (seriously, check them out...yummy!), Dylan looks at me and says "Mom, I pooping. I need to hide." Me, "Well, here's a corner. You stand in the corner and I'll hide you with the stroller." So, the kid gets in the corner and tells me "Mommy, no look at me." So, I turn my head and continue to smell the lotions. Next thing I know, a sales lady is walking around the wall by Dylan. He looks at her and says in all seriousness, "I'm pooping." I'm sure my face turned a couple shades of red and then I commented to Dylan "Well, I'm glad everyone knows your business now." The sales lady started laughing and said she has two kids of her own, so she knows all about that stuff.

Story #2...We had just finished up a very tasty lunch at P.F. Chang's with my Mom and Aunt. Aunt was leading the way out, weaving through the tables filled with patrons. My Mom was next in line and Dylan was holding her hand. I was bringing up the rear. Dylan turns to me and shouts "Mommy, you farted." I said, "No. No I didn't." Because, honestly...I didn't! But, Dylan can't leave things alone, so he says in the same loud voice, "Well, someone farted." I started laughing so hard I couldn't see straight and then my kid said "Someone farted" about three more times as we're weaving through tables of people trying to down their lunch.

See...my kid is a comedian.

Trick or Treat 2009

I have to be honest, Halloween is probably my least favorite holiday of the year. It would not hurt my feelings one bit if the nation decided to just forego Halloween from here on out. But, watching Dylan have so much fun Trick or Treating truly put a smile on my face.

We spent the evening with our good friends, the Fox family. We met at their house for pizza and goodies and had a great time eating and socializing. After dinner, we got the kids ready and hit the road a little early. With toddlers, it is nice to get out before all the big kids come out for the night. Of course, we had to take pictures before we got going.

I had a really difficult time getting a costume for Dylan this year. I tried on several different occasions to buy him a costume. The two he had told me he wanted to be were a Bumblebee or a Pumpkin. Each time I tried to buy one of these, he would quite literally take the costume out of the shopping cart, scream 'NO' and throw it across the store. So, I gave up. Luckily I have an awesome Mother in Law who sends Halloween packages each year. This year she included a pair of skeleton pajamas from Gymboree. They were the perfect solution to Dylan's costume predicament! Plus, it ended up being 80 degrees and really humid Halloween night. So, I was glad that Dylan wasn't in some big pouffy costume, sweating to death. David, however, was not so lucky. His costume ended up getting taken off halfway through trick or treating. He sure was a cute Micky Mouse though.

A cute little story about David...we couldn't get Dylan to eat dinner that night, so he was off playing in the toy room while we all ate. When David was finished eating, we asked him if he wanted to go play with Dylan. His response was "Yes, he's my best friend." This answer was totally unprovoked and completely sweet!

David, Little David, and Renee. I love this family so much. They are my adopted family here in North Carolina. I really don't know what I'd do without them around.

Someone did not want to look at the camera. Dylan had a rough start to the evening and was pretty uncooperative for pictures. Luckily, he lightened up once he got his first candies.

It was all about racing to ring the doorbell first. It was so cute watching these two run their fastest to get to the door.

SO happy with the outcome...a pumpkin full of candy. I love his little pumpkin so much. Unfortunately it had to be retired (aka thrown away) this year. Dylan decided to smear melted chocolate all over it and I just could not get it clean.

Now next year, I might get a little more excited about Halloween. With a boy and a girl, you all know I will be all about the matching costumes...think Peter Pan and Tinkerbell or Raggedy Andy and Raggedy Ann! I'm excited just thinking about the possibilities.

What a Week

This week has been full of surprises for me.

First, after swearing up and down I wasn't going to do it, I took Dylan to the pediatrician and he got both the seasonal and H1N1 flu mists. I'm typically against any unnecessary vaccines and up until this year, Dylan has not received a flu shot. But, I got scared. Luckily, he has had no side effects...yet.

Second, we are potty training this week. And shock of all shocks, it is going WAY better than I expected. I guess it helps that my expectations were set extremely low and I fully intended to give up and wait a few more weeks if Dylan wasn't quite ready. But, this kid continues to surprise me. He has only had a handful of accidents in the past three days and they were mostly my fault for not paying attention to him. The other thing that has surprised me is that Pull-Ups are what has worked the best for him. Glad I had actually purchased a pack! I think the independence of them coupled with the security is good for my boy.

Third, I opted to do the nuchal translucency scan with this baby. It's the test they do between 12-14 weeks that screens for down's syndrome. I thought nothing of this when I was pregnant with Dylan, but I'm a lot more cautious and paranoid this time around. Plus, an extra ultrasound...who wouldn't want one of those? Anyway, the ultrasound was scheduled for this afternoon. Luckily Mike was able to get off work early and meet me at the Dr's office. I was supposed to be 14 weeks today and thus was on the tip of the timeline for the scan, so it was automatically iffy whether or not they'd be able to get the proper measurements. When the U/S tech got the baby on the monitor, she immediately knew baby is too big. In fact, baby is measuring over a week bigger. So, my due date has been moved up to April 20th! 15 weeks 2 days sounds so much further along than 14 weeks to me. The tech was awesome and went ahead and took body measurements anyway. I drank a Coke right before my appointment, so the baby was moving all over the place...totally fun to see. I don't think ultrasounds will ever get old. At one point, the tech asked me if we were interested in knowing the gender. My response "Can you tell?! We definitely want to know if you can tell." Said with such enthusiasm I thought she might laugh at me. She froze the screen and there it was, clear as can be...a GIRL! Mike and I have both had pretty strong girl vibes from the beginning, but hearing the tech confirm that...well, it's now 2 am and I'm still smiling about it. I am so excited to go all pink and frills (no purple..I hate purple!). It was totally unexpected (although, totally hoped for) to find out what we're having today. The other bonus...I will get another ultrasound in 2-3 weeks for the 2nd trimester measurements! Heavenly Father must know I need extra reassurance this time around.

So, like I said, it's been an exciting week so far. And Trick or Treat is still two days away! As soon as I can get my scanner or camera to cooperate, I'll post a couple of the ultrasound pictures.

Nothing like a Fall vacation

First of all, I know I have several Mommy friends who have never taken a getaway with a girlfriend since their kid(s) were born. I must strongly encourage you all to take a yearly Mommy vacay...it is a lifesaver. This trip could not have come at a better time. Between the 1st trimester of pregnancy, the never ending heat of NC summer, an almost 3 year old, and a puking dog...I was at my wits end. Someone was about to lose their life in our house.

I am so lucky to have two awesome parents who are always, always willing to help me out whenever I need a break. So, two weeks ago, I packed up Dylan and the dog and headed to Charleston. I spend a day there getting Dylan situated and doing some last minute shopping for my girls getaway...I was in desperate need of some maternity clothes. Then I hopped on a plane to D-town (Detroit, MI) and let all my worries slide away for an entire week. I met up with my girl Angela and we had a great time visiting our old stomping grounds.

Our first stop was Toledo, OH where we visited Ang's sister Raeanna and her family. Rae had a baby (Evan) not too long ago, so we had to stop in and soak up all his cuteness.

Ang made these little booties for Evan. Aren't they adorable?

I honestly do not think there is a prettier place than Michigan in the Fall. If you haven't been...you must put it on your places to visit list. It is absolutely GORGEOUS! And any trip to MI is not complete without a trip to one of the many Cider Mills. Mmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about the donuts and hot apple cider.

I still feel like my trip to Michigan was a whirlwind. There was so much to do and see...I haven't been back since my wedding, five years ago. We visited with Ang's family, went shopping, hit the dance club (that's right...I boogied with my baby bump), ate at some favorite restaurants, and spent a couple days simply laying on the couch and reading a book. Awesome. It was so nice to not have to worry about anyone but Me. I was also able to reconnect with an old friend from high school and it was so good to see her and catch up.

Alas, all good things must come to an end and I had to return to Charleston to pick up on my Mommy duties. I love being a Mom, but sometimes I just need a break so I can remember what it's like to be Me. There is no better person to help me do that than Angela. Every time we get the opportunity to hang out, I feel a huge void when the visit is over. I miss having her around so much and really hope that someday we are lucky enough to live close to each other.

All right...so back to Charleston and one very happy little boy!

Here's the bump I was telling y'all about. Can't believe I was only 12 weeks in this picture! I am carrying so high this time around. Fingers crossed that it's a girl.

Dylan loved playing on Gram and Pa's porch. He took his shopping cart outside and went shopping for Gram's pumpkins.

My sister, Kathleen, and my nephew, Noah, were also at my parent's house to celebrate Noah's Big #1 Birthday. It was so good to spend a few days with them. Noah was so cute eating his cake and opening his presents. I cannot believe he is already One.

Happy birthday boy, opening his presents.

My mom thought it would be fun to drive to Columbia, SC and take the boys to the zoo. So, that's what we did. Great idea, Gram. The boys were so good and we had a great time.

Totally cool...the giraffe was really this close to me. They had a little area where you could feed them and this guy did not want to miss out on some treats. He had several close calls with my camera.

Apparently it was time for the tortoises to mate. Perhaps my belly gave them some ideas, lol.

I love the flamingos. There vibrant colors are so refreshing and pretty to me.

Here we are at the end of our zoo trip. We had just gotten off the carousel and I'm pretty sure that Dylan wanted to ride the Panda again. Such a fun trip.

We are now back home, safe and sound with Mike...where we belong. But, the memories will last a lifetime.

For Reals

In case you're not quite up to speed with the Facebook world...

We Are Having a Baby!

That's right folks, come April there will be a new addition to the Elkington house. We couldn't be more happy. This was possibly a badly kept secret, but we were waiting to spill the beans publicly until after my 12 week appointment. Hit that milestone yesterday, heard a wonderful sweet heartbeat and now I'm feeling quite confident. Due date is April 29, 2010, but I'm just going straight for a C-section this time so the baby will come sometime the week before it's actual due date.

This has been a rough first trimester, but I'm trying hard not to complain because I am just happy to be pregnant. The nausea is starting to subside...Thank goodness! Just in time for my trip to Michigan!! The belly shots will come upon my return. But, take my word for it, I'm sporting quite the ball.

He Came Back

If I've talked to you on the phone or in person over the past couple weeks, you already know that Dylan disappeared. I'm really not sure what happened to him, but he was nowhere to be found. In his place was this whiney, tantrum throwing, unhappy, sleep deprived, just plain rotten almost 3 year old who looked exactly like Dylan. Crazy, I know. Mike and I were not too happy with the replacement and we were both begging for our happy, cute, funny Dylan to return. As good luck would have it, Dylan returned to us on Saturday. Still disobedient and demanding, but that's a toddler for you.

In the past couple days he has said and done some pretty funny things.

Dylan sneezed, then looked at me and said "I have a Bwess You, Mom."

"Mommy's wee wee falled off outside."

"Mooooooooom...I pooped! It's a big, green one. I have a duck tail!"

At Walmart, so upset because they don't have the little kid carts for him to push around "Mom, I need a sucker to make me happy."

And that's just a sampling...this kid can be so darn funny. I'm so glad he came back. He was deeply missed.

Random Rambling

I've been encountering people lately who keep telling me that they've been offended by this or that. It's really starting to get on my nerves. I don't think I've done the offending in any of these cases and I try really hard to always be aware of the fact that I don't know every detail about other people's lives. They may be going through some trial that they prefer to keep private. It's not my place to judge and I try hard to not take offense to things unless I know someone did or said something intentionally to hurt me.

My Dad taught me a good lesson when I was in junior high and high school. I was kind of a shy kid and often got my feelings hurt by friends or peers. He would always tell me that I was the only one who could let my feelings be hurt. Not exactly what I wanted to hear at that moment, but I never forgot those words. As a result, it is incredibly hard to offend me and I am a much happier person because of it. I don't spend my time wallowing in self pity or holding grudges against other people.

I was reminded of this life lesson today as I was reading a church publication. I really liked this quote and thought I would share it here. "...it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make. It is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else." (David A. Bednar)

My words of wisdom to anyone feeling offended? Get over it!

Funny Kid

Dylan is learning all about his body parts and the differences between boys and girls. Mike has taught him that his private boy part is called a 'wee wee.' So, that's what we call it in our house.

Last night we had some company from church...all of the male gender. They were all talking to Mike and Dylan shouts out, "Mommy doesn't have a wee wee. Dylan have a wee wee." Words cannot express the mortification. Luckily, I don't think our guests quite understood what Dylan said. Mike tried to cover it up by saying "Dylan, you don't have to pee?"

Funny kid.

They all start to come

A few months ago, my Aunt Dini and her husband, Uncle Bill, moved to North Carolina from Ohio. They ended up renting a house about 10 minutes away from us. We have had a good time being able to visit with them. Dylan and I even go let their dogs out once a day while they are at work. It's been fun for Dylan to become acquainted with some of his extended family. This is the first time that we have lived close to any family.

A couple weeks ago we got lucky and my grandparents came down to visit from Ohio. My mom was also in town for the week, so we had a good time hanging out with everyone. Most evenings we just ended up visiting at my Aunt's house. Dylan has really become the little social butterfly lately and he really opened up to my grandparents. I was glad he had that time with them because it happens so rarely.

Dylan loved riding around in Papa's wheelchair. He thought that was the most fun thing ever!

I love my Grandparents so much (my Dad's side, too) and am so lucky to still have all of them alive. The Burt's were a huge part of my childhood and I really miss getting to see them on a regular basis. It was so nice to be able to spend a little time with them and show off my cute lil' guy.

Jokester

Mike thought it would be funny to have Dylan call me 'Big Fat Mama.'

Somehow it doesn't sound so bad coming from the mouth of a 2 1/2 year old...LOL.

Today

Five years ago today, I won the battle. What battle, you ask? The battle to get Mike to realize that he NEEDED to marry me or his life would be incomplete. That's right, today we celebrate five years of wedded bliss.

Okay, it hasn't all been bliss, we have our spats like every couple. But, I can honestly say that I married the best man for me. The first five years brought lots of excitement and I'm anxious to see what the next five will bring.

Happy Anniversary. Love you, Mike!

Little Baker

Anyone who is close to me knows that I do not particularly enjoy cooking. It just isn't fun to me. I do, however, love to bake. I'm not the greatest, but I do have my specialties. I have been told that I make some pretty amazing cookies. I was on a baking kick for a couple weeks and made several different types of cookies during this time. Dylan became my right hand and helped with every aspect...beginning to end. The kid loves to be in the kitchen helping. Perhaps he'll be on the Food Network someday. Fine with me.
There always has to be some prep work. Dylan thought it was fun to pull out all the measuring cups and spoons.

Okay, seriously? What little kid doesn't like to lick the spoon?

His favorite part was spooning out the dough and 'plopping' it on the cookie sheet. He would hold the spoon up really high and then let the dough just drop onto the pan. When it landed he would yell out 'Ploop' really loud. Hilarious!

Our finished product.

I love having my little man around to help with all the fun things in life.

It's Coming

It's taken quite a while to get to this point, but I can honestly say that I am perfectly content with my life at this moment in time. I don't know that I have ever been able to say that before. I have always been depressed about something, waiting to find out if I have to move, waiting to finish school, wishing for Dylan to get to the next phase, trying to lose those last 5 lbs, worrying about some member of my family, etc. The other day, however, it occurred to me that I am happy!

I love where we are living and have recently found out that we get to stay put in this house for awhile longer. I have the most amazing friends here in North Carolina. We are always having fun and finding new things to do. I am enjoying our ward and have an easy calling. My family is safe and no major drama is going on. Mike's job is stable. Dylan is amazing. And, I have a few things going on for ME.

Growing up, my Dad used to say he prayed for learning experiences for us kids. Those learning experiences usually came in the form of trials. So, as I sit here content and happy with my life...I am well aware that I am probably about due for another learning experience. I just know something is coming my way, but have absolutely no clue what it's going to be.

I just have a feeling...you ever get those?

Quiet on the home front

This has been an incredibly fun summer. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened, but we have just had a lot of fun with family and friends. However, I think I am about ready for Fall. If I had a child in school, I would definitely be ready for Fall. I'm already tired of the heat and humidity. And, believe it or not, Dylan and I are both suffering from pool burnout. It's been over a week since the last time we visited the pool! I guess that's what happens when you go almost every day for two months. I have a few things lined up starting at the end of August that should keep us pretty busy in the coming months...Little Gym, community center class, speech therapy. I am ready for the change.

The past few weeks have been a little slow moving, but we did manage to have some fun while our friends Noelle & Riley were in town visiting. Here are just a few pictures from our adventures.

We went to this place called Hopper House. They have a bunch of those inflatable jumping aparatus as well as some other fun play areas. The kids had a great time and us moms were able to relax a little bit since they were in an enclosed area. The moon sand pit seemed to be the most popular exhibit.

Dylan and I spent one evening at Renee's house (Noelle & Riley stayed with them. It would be weird for her to stay with us since we are living in HER house.) The kids had been outside playing in the sandbox and I didn't want to put Dylan in the car all dirty. So, he and Riley took a bath together. Totally cute and appropriate at this age. After bath time, Dylan tried to put the moves on his BFF's girlfriend. He and Riley were snuggling in bed and they kept kissing each other. Again, totally cute and appropriate at this age.

These kids just make my heart melt and my mouth smile.

The Perfect Opportunity

Since the entire Daniel clan was finally together at the same time, it was the perfect opportunity to have some family pictures taken. My mom's friend enjoys photography as a hobby and she graciously agreed to herd us all around for a few hours one hot morning. The location for these photos? None other than Daniel Island...no joke!

I love my family tons, so you must endure tons of pictures.

It all began with these two.

Some may say it's corny, but I love this picture because of how Mike is looking at Dylan.

Aaron and his 'friend' Blaire

Karl and his girlfriend Jenn

Kathleen and Dave...Noah was too busy sleeping to hop in the picture.

I love these people SO much! I am blessed to have such a fun and photogenic family.

Gram, Pa and their two adorable grandboys

Good thing we let him sleep...Noah woke up all smiles.

Watching all the action from the sidelines.

Good thing we didn't show Dylan the fountains until the very end.

A little Daddy-son bonding time.

Aren't we so cute?

Another father-son bonding moment.

That's right folks, I have the next Coppertone baby! Check out that tan line.