Pure Joy!

Oh, the pure joy of friendship, fun, summer days, the outdoors, family... being in the driver's seat of the biggest, coolest, shiniest red fire truck ever!  Does it get better than this?  Watch out world, we are large and in charge and ready for action!  We are big kids!

A Chef in the Making!

Here we are making bread.  It's an all day process, mostly spent waiting for the dough to rise.  But we enjoyed an entire (mini) loaf with dinner.  There is something very gratifying sharing this experience with Lia and then enjoying the fruits of our labor together.  I think we'll both agree that bread is one of our favorite foods!

Row, row, row your boat, speed version!

Vacation

                                                                  Fun with Family!

Here are a few pics from our recent vacation.  Lia and I went to Erie, PA to spend a week with our family on the beach.  We had such a wonderful time.  The weather was beautiful and we had the perfect balance of relaxation and fun.  It was really great spending time with family we don't see often enough and it was great for everyone to see Lia in action.  I didn't have any pictures of my mom to include here but we love you mom!  Thanks for letting us take over your house!  Lia loves having her toenails painted pink!  And it was fun to see my Aunt and Grandparents.  Thanks to everyone for a wonderful trip.  We love you and miss you already!  Who is going to come and visit us next?

Ahh, The Beach

I grew up by Lake Erie and now that I live away from it, I seem to enjoy it more and more when I visit. Lia and I had a beautiful week long vacation on the beach. We enjoyed the sun, sand, and the simple pleasure of throwing rocks in the water. It was a great way to end the summer.

The water was perfect. Clear and calm. The sun was warm. A beautiful day for a swim.

The race car was fast!

Sand was a new and fun discovery!

Ah, the water is so peaceful and relaxing!

Some Days

Some days you got it together. You have enough time for chores and fun. Things are easy, the house stays clean. Other days you're tired, busy and kinda stressed out when your child spills her cereal all over the floor. And when you ask her to help clean up, she proceeds to pick up the cereal pieces with her mouth. Yup, here she is eating her food off the floor! But this makes you laugh! Ah, children teach us important lessons all the time. Don't take life too seriously. Take time to be silly and laugh.

Actually, there was a time when I would have been mortified to have my child eating anything that touched the floor. Now, I've mellowed a bit. I know it won't kill her. As for the social ramifications of her actions, well I can just blame it on the dog.

My first quilt!

My friend Monica is having a baby in October. I'm planning a baby shower for her and I made her baby girl a quilt. It's my first quilt! It was fun but took a long time. I made many mistakes. If you know my family, you know there are many quilters in it. My mother and aunt are major quilting Divas! It's a big deal that my mom was proud of my little quilt. I wonder what I should make next. Moni, I hope you and your baby love your new doggie quilt!