When Caroline was a baby, I put her in a pumpkin for her first Halloween. She was seven months old and did not enjoy the experience one bit. However, she looked adorable and I managed to get a few good pictures of her celebrating the season. So this year, even though Vivi was 11 months old and a wee bit larger than Caroline, I knew I had to do it for her, too…I can’t have Vivi thinking she is any…
We spent a wonderful Labor Day weekend in St. Pete Beach celebrating the best parents ever! Matt and Tommie are expecting a little one in mid-October and we celebrated them in style on the Saturday of Labor Day, despite the constant yo-yo threat of Hurricane Dorian. Turns out the hurricane was not an actual threat, which was nice, because we had a lot of fun things planned that we didn’t want to alter. Tommie’s sweet friends, Lee & Holly, and…
As soon as I realized the 4th of July was on a Thursday this year, Mike and I had a quick pow wow about where we should go and we both decided to head to Low Country! Our good friends Derek and Stacy had just finished a house on James Island and we were dying to see them, the house, their two sweet kids & niece, and have Vivi meet them all for the first time. We also wanted Suelen…
Memorial Day Weekend was wonderful and so much more than a weekend…we had almost a full week to celebrate the kick off of summer, enjoy time with my parents and the Betancourts, and ring in my Dad and Uncle Ed’s 70th birthdays. And celebrate we did! All week, Caroline talked about how Kay Kay and Pa were coming. Each morning she would wake up and ask, “Kay Kay Pa here?” Who could blame her? We were all excited. Here are…
We had a wonderful, beautiful Easter. Our Easter celebrations actually spanned two full, glorious weekends packed full of fun events. Spring has arrived in our area and we are loving the blooms, flowering trees, chirping birds, and perfect, 70 degree temperatures. I loved pulling out everyone’s spring clothes and stuffing (and hiding!) Easter baskets. We got to include Suelen and her friend in our Easter celebrations and then we closed out the wonderful weekend with family. The weekend before Easter,…
2018 Christmas was everything the holidays should be: magical, busy, chaotic, exciting, and full of family, love, and laughing. Vivienne was so new we’d decided to stay home for the holiday instead of heading to Florida like we normally do, and at the last minute, both of our families decided to join us in Virginia for Christmas. My parents arrived first–on my birthday! We had a wonderful dinner out at the Del Ray Cafe and we spent the rest of…
Caroline’s second Halloween was a wonderful one! First of all, the difference between this year and last was profound–having a 19-month-old vs. a seven-month-old for this huge holiday was like night and day because, mainly, WALKING. Actually, make that RUNNING. Caroline was so excited, she literally ran from house to house. Also a factor was that when it came to trick-or-treating, Caroline “got it.” Add in the fact that this year we did NOT make a middle of the night…
Over the weekend, we attended the National Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo event. This event is held only one weekend each October, and features “more than 40 trick-or-treat stations, animal demonstrations, and spooky, decorated trails.” Mike, Caroline, and I dressed up in our finest Star Wars costumes and added a few warm coats, because fall had come to stick around. We arrived at the zoo right before sunset and just before they opened the doors, letting the thousands of excited…
We had the greatest 4th of July this year–it’s amazing how much difference a year makes. This time last year, Caroline as just a tiny little thing and now she is a real little person with real friends who can have real fun! Mike and I kicked off the events with a Red Sox vs. Nationals game on July 3rd. We joined Mike’s sweet co-worker, her husband, and two young children, who were adorable and ridiculously well-behaved. We got a…
Mike and Caroline made sure to celebrate me on Mother’s Day, so I had to return the favor when Mike’s special day rolled around. Luckily I had a few tricks up my sleeve and the weather cooperated, which is always a win! Friday afternoon kicked off the weekend with a “party” at Caroline’s daycare for the dads. Moms could come too, which was wonderful, because both Mike and I got to chat with the other parents as Caroline ate allllll…