Hilton Head, SC

At the end of June we headed to Hilton Head, SC for some fun in the sun with my family. We had a fantastic time exploring the town, playing at the beach, and soaking up rays. Thank you to my awesome parents for such a wonderful vacation.

Ryan had to work most of the week, but we were so happy he could join us for the weekend.

I LOVE this picture. Everett had so much fun playing in the water. The waves were very calm and he loved splashing and running through the water.

For those who know me well, you know that I HATE sand. So why am I sitting in it you ask? That would be because my dear husband wrestled me to the ground and covered me with it. In his defense, I really need to get over my sand phobia.

Staying hydrated on the beach.

Three of my sisters. Aren't they the cutest?

My grandparents. I was able to share a condo with my grandparents on this trip and it was so fun to enjoy spending a lot of quality time together. I love you guys!

My parents. Thanks for such a great trip. We enjoyed every moment.

Did someone say BBQ?

Looks like someone else has an eye for BBQ as well.

Awesome Friends in Colorado Springs

This post is long overdue, but I'm committed to catching up on blogging. At the beginning of June I flew to Colorado Springs to visit my friend Heather. Heather lives in Tokyo, but was visiting family in Colorado and I just had to take advantage of the fact that she was only a 1 hour flight away. It was so fun to see her and her cute, cute kids. We had the best time chatting, eating, chasing our kids, and did I say chatting. One of the things I love best about Heather is the conversations we have. She's hilarious and always has at least one funny story to tell. Thank you so much to the Howe family for hosting Everett and me. We miss you Heather!

Our cute, cute kids playing at the park

Everett needed a break

Ivy and Everett

No girls week is complete without a pedicure

Pool pecking order

We met an interesting friend at our apartment's pool today...



Everett and I enjoyed playing with our friend....



It turns out ducks can smell fear....



Taryn, I officially apologize to you and the rest of the world for not quickly running to your immediate aid and fending off that evil, deadly threat.

Everett on the phone

A little laughter

New Computer

I recently made Everett a baby book and since we didn't have a desktop I used Ryan's old laptop. It was painfully slow when it came to processing the software I was using for the book. After hours and hours of this painful process I finally said to Ryan, "we need a desktop". I was just venting, but my husband jumped on the opportunity. However, he didn't go to Dell or HP, he ordered each individual part and then assembled his custom, super powerful desktop. The computer is so powerful that when he plugged it in it tripped all of our GFI's.

Ryan building his perfect computer

Like Father Like Son

If you know Ryan, then you know he has two beverages of choice: Mt. Dew out of a CAN (very important) and Root Beer out of glass bottle. This little one is starting young! Sorry the pictures are a little blurry.

Rainy Day Play

The best part of rainy days are the puddles.

Absolute Joy!

Everett is still going through the exploring by taste phase.

My little Angel.

Family Photos

A cute gal from my church is a photographer and she took these fantastic family photos for us. Taking photos with a one-year old was interesting - thank you Elise for your patience and the great photos!

13 Month Post

Everett is 13 months. He runs everywhere he goes and just yesterday he got his first scrape at the playground. He didn't seem to care, but he definitely broke skin and there was blood. He loves to be outside, especially at a big park where he can run and run and run.

Everett has no fear and keeps me on my toes. If I wasn't careful he'd step off a 5 foot drop at the park, jump in the pond with the ducks, run into the road, and stick his head through our metal fence (wait, he did do that).

He now has 5 teeth, he just cut his 3rd tooth on the top of his mouth. Now that he actually has teeth, he has turned into a really good eater. Some of his favorite foods include: Mac n' cheese, spaghetti with meet sauce, cheese, and turkey. Also, he recently discovered a love for apples - yay something healthy!

A funny new thing Everett does is whenever he sees a blanket or pillow on the floor he runs over to it and then lays down and laughs. It's hilarious. He loves to give pats, but somewhere between 12 and 13 months, he decided he was too old for kisses. Sad! We miss them.

I love watching him grow and I love being his mom. How did I get so lucky to have this job?

One Year Later

I truly can't believe what happens in a year.

Everett, February 28th, 2009 - He doesn't even have a name yet.

Everett, now very aware of his name, February 28th, 2010

Everett Turns 1!

Everett turned 1 yesterday. I can't believe it. Time flies by sooo fast. Everett started the day with a #1 pancake and a long nap. After he woke up, we took him on a walk to the golf course to play and take pictures. He loved driving the golf cart with his dad and never wanted to let go of the wheel.

Before Everett's nap, we let him open one present. He was really good at unwrapping the paper and I think he enjoyed his gift...but only for a few seconds.

And he's off...

There's a happy boy!

That evening we had friends over for cake, ice cream, and more presents. We had a Fudgy the Whale Cake that said Happy Birthday Everett on it and lots of colorful cupcakes for the kids!

It's safe to say that Everett loves cake!

Everett loves books.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OUR SWEET ANGEL! We're glad you came into our life one year ago!