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…
So we had a BIG weekend around these parts. The weather is now HOT, our patio looks ahh-mazing thanks to Mike’s hard work, and we are ready for fun in the sun! This weekend was also delightful because we had the right balance of planned activities and free time to enable a few spontaneous plans to take shape. One of those spur-of-the-moment events just so happened to be going to the Emergency Room. I have to say, this is our…
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,…
So Mike and I ended 2018 with two very important firsts for Caroline: her first haircut and her first rock concert. In that order! Vivienne came along for both, in true little sister style. Caroline’s hair had started looking a bit unkempt and I got a referral for Salam, a toddler girl hair stylist from a friend of a friend who has little girls in the area. So after nap time, off we went! Salam was busy so we kindly…
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…
We have enjoyed a fabulous fall. Both Mike and I are acutely aware that our time as a family of three is going to come to a close quickly. So we were determined to do as many fun things with Caroline as possible. We have had beautiful weather for the most part, and (fairly) free weekends since we aren’t traveling. We’ve had home visitors and weekends of just the three of us. I know we will always look back on…
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…
Well, here we are with FIVE weeks until my due date (December 5th)! On October 22nd, Mike and I went to one of my regular check ups and then to a growth ultrasound. We learned that the baby is measuring 2 weeks ahead. At the ultrasound, the technician told us the baby was approximately 6 lbs, 6 oz. Whoa! That was with six more weeks still to go. I said, “Well, these estimates can be wildly off, right?” To which…
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…