Moving Day, Part I

Since we are downsizing considerably from a house in the 'burbs to one in the city, we loaded up a U-haul with about 75% of our stuff to store in South Carolina.

So, some of you may remember last summer when I said that moving with an eight month old was extremely difficult . . . well that was a cakewalk compared to moving with a toddler. Who insisted on "helping" with every box and piece of furniture. He must have walked up and down the ramp onto the truck 100 times. And when that got old, he drove his car up and down the ramp. Obviously, it took us a little longer to get the truck packed. But we did it, with time to spare.

Then my wonderfully brave husband agreed to take our son with him in the U-haul on a 10+ hour drive down to South Carolina. Did I say brave? Maybe I meant insane? They were quite the pair sitting up in the front cab of the massive truck. But it was necessary, because I needed to start packing the rest of our stuff. And I got a lot done. Thanks, Mark! Finn wants to know when the next boys trip will be?

"Helping" 

The Pilot and Co-Pilot (hint, pilot is not the one behind the wheel)

On the road again

Washington, DC Here We Come!

Our future DC residence. Toddler included. CD player, not included.

Five Years Together . . . Already?

On June 12, Mark and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. As I learned from People magazine, we share our anniversary date with Jon and Kate Gosselin  of Jon and Kate +8 fame. Thank goodness we have fared better than they have. Then again, we don't have the paparazzi or two sets of multiples to deal with. 

I really can't believe it has already been five years. It seems like yesterday we were loading up a U-haul preparing for our first move together to Philadelphia. Five years later, we're still loading U-hauls, but we have come a long way baby! I love you, Mark.

I was trying to find a recent picture of just the two of us . . .  but I can't seem to find any. But I managed to find a couple of pictures, pre-Finn. Which explains my makeup and semi-fixed hair. 

Brotherly Love

Before we headed to the beach, we were able to sneak in a quick side trip to Atlanta to visit our friends Kriya and Wade. Kriya graciously kept Finn while I spent a much-needed afternoon at the salon (hey, blondes do have more fun!). Then we all went to the park for a concert and lots of playing in the dirt, and mud since it had just rained. Now that the boys are older, it is so much fun watching them run around a play together. Finn can even say "Waaaaade!" After the park, we put the boys to bed and Kriya and I had a fun mom's night out. The next morning, we cheered Wade on at his swimming lesson and then headed to the pool to celebrate. It was a short trip, but we had a blast. We love you guys--thanks for having us. I swiped these pictures from Kriya's blog. 

Finn goes for a spin in Wade's convertible

The bromance continues

Disclaimer: If you are a regular reader, you know we have a tendency to dress the boys in matching outfits and take lots of pictures (exhibit A, exhibit B). 

At first, it was by accident, now it is just one big running joke. For example:

**Matching PJs:  Accident

Matching monogrammed ponchos: not so much

Wade loves the pool!

Here are more pictures from our visit. PS, don't be afraid of Beau's spandex . . . he's training for a triathlon.

Making a Splash at the Beach

We went on the first, of what I hope will be many, family vacations to the beach at Seaside, FL. We had a wonderful time. Finn loved splashing in the ocean, catching waves, going on bicycle rides, digging in the sand, eating the sand, rolling in the sand, rubbing sand on anyone in sight . . . you get the idea, pretty much anything to do with sand. This was our first trip to the beach where he was old enough to really enjoy it and it was so incredible getting to experience his excitement. I had forgotten how much fun it could be to actually play at the beach--since I usually read books and work on my tan.  Seaside was a great place to visit too--very family-oriented, which means when Finn was being extremely loud or throwing a fit on the sidewalk, there were many other kids also being loud and throwing fits. We fit right in! 

It was great being with my family, not just because of the extra babysitters, although that was nice, but because we enjoyed spending time together. Here are some photos from our trip. Now when are we going back?