Three

The wonderful Whimsy over at the creamery had a great idea of sharing blogs and/or specific posts from some of our favorite reads. I have a bizarre anxiety about this and I'm not quite sure why. It may be because I want to find my very favorite post from a certain blogger. And then I have a hard time picking because there are so many good blogs out there and within each blog there are so many are great posts.

Kid-isms are one of my favorite things. I can't wait until I can start a list of Nate's... you know...once he starts really talking and all. This post from Gina at my very last nerve was hysterical. I love her anyways but this one struck me as REALLy good. I love her girl. :)

Linda at All & Sundry makes me laugh too. She always knows how to put things so that I say out loud "YES! That's what I was trying to say!" every time I read her blog, especially when it comes to her little ones. This post on running is spot-on too! That expresses pretty much how I feel when I run. No wonder she's working on a book - she has such a way with words.

Ladies - if you ever need or desire to pee standing up, check out Emily's post here. Too bad I didn't post this earlier because there was a contest to win your very own "GO GIRL". I enjoy Emily's blog not that you asked in part because I can relate to her HGTV addiction and dislike for the Charmin bear commercials.

Have a great holiday weekend! Here's one last gratuitous shot of my loves.

Sneak Peek!!

You guys! We had family pictures taken last week and Fareine (from Fahrenheit Photography) posted a sneak peek over at her blog. I'm already in love with the pictures. Go check them out!

Look at that face!

I'm in love with these pictures from last weekend. I could (and have) just stare at these for hours. Glad we found that hat for $.90 at the consignment store before hitting the park. It was hot and Nate doesn't have much hair up top!

easy to please

I'm just sitting here enjoying some down time and thinking how easy I am to please. Basically, I am pretty much the polar opposite of "high-maintenance". I am giddy to pop the top of an ice cold Cherry Coke Zero. A diet orange soda makes my day. I love that the garden is blooming and the fruits (and veggies!) of Mike's labor are going to bring us a summer full of yummy family dinners.

I'm happy for the size 8 brown and blue Crocs I could only find on eBay.

I am ecstatic that Bath & Body Works brought back it's classic fragrances including my all-time favorite SEASPRAY. It transports me back to college and the first years Mike and I dated. It's funny how one scent or one song can instantly transport you back in time.

It's the fun of exploring the back yard in the drizzle - who needs pants anyways?


Love to see Mike's hard work in the (almost) completed shed. The sliding barn door was a great idea.

Lounging at the pool with Nana and PopPops over the weekend. It doesn't even matter that Nate enjoys walking around the pool and investigating the plants just as much as actually going in the water.

Finding new jammies (my weakness) at the consignment shop makes me happy too.

As does watching Nate flop on to any cushy surface and making snoring sounds. And of course, his sweet, sweet face.

The Zoo

This morning Nate and I took our very first trip to the zoo. We met up with our friends and had a good time. It was hot as all get out, even at 10 a.m. but we endured and made the rounds. I have to say - not so impressed with the size of the zoo but it's a nice walk and something to do to get out of the house. It will be more fun with Mike since there will be two of us to wrangle Nate. Today I kept him in the stroller for the most part because once he comes out, he doesn't want to go back in...which wears on my already thin nerves. He woke up early and had about 3 screeching matches before we even left the house. Thankfully he was good while we were there.

I was going to impress everyone with my animal naming skills, but yep - I've already forgotten the names of some of the animals we saw. In addition to the animals below we also saw some meerkats, mandrills, and Alfred the rhino.

Let's roll, Mom!

"Foxy"

The elephants have a mister that I wanted to hop the fence and stand under




The masked love birds are pretty (as long as they stay in cages, I'm okay with birds)

Hogs of some sort

The bongos found the shade


Wait - I think this one is called a Zebra.

Cooling off inside (chewing on the cup since the molars are coming in hard core)

The "mascot" for Norfolk is the mermaid. There are tons all over the city and they all have a different design.

Botanical Gardens

We visited the WOW Children's Garden at the Botanical Gardens last week. We enjoyed it so much we got a membership so we can come back all year long. I can't wait to have more time to walk the entire botanical garden and take pictures.

Nate looks like such a big boy. I can't get over it.


Picking up chicks (she's a triplet and all 3 girls came over while Nate was there!)

Meant to be

I came across this picture of Molly and me when I was tidying up the other day. It stopped me in my tracks.

This has always been one of my favorite pictures. It was taken on a trip to see Michelle and the girls back in March 2006. When Mike saw the picture when I got home from Oklahoma he said "We've got to get you a baby. I've never seen you smile that big ever." I chuckled and cried a little on the inside, knowing my body wasn't able to make babies.

We know the story now. Baby Nate is here and making me happy every day. But the funny/Twilight Zone-musicky/foreshadowing part of that picture?? It was taken on March 5th. Nate's birthday. Two years to the exact day that Nate came into this world. Amazing!