A 4 Foot Addition

Yesterday we added a little something extra to our home. To be more precise...it's not exactly a 4 "foot" addition as the title of this post suggests...he's more like a 4 paw addition.

Meet Biscuit!



He's positively precious...



Lily's in love...



Tony's in denial...



and I'm in need of a glass of wine!

Let the craziness ensue.

One Degree Hotter Than Hell

I can't believe that July is half over...or...for that matter...that the summer is almost half over!

Oh no!

Wait.

Please, don't get me started! I honestly can't stand the thought of Lily being in school for a full day come September!!

Hmmm...I wonder if any schools have half day 1st grade?

Don't worry, I'm not going to homeschool Lily. I won't lie, there is a HUGE part of me that would love to homeschool. But, I am fully aware that that is not only NOT my gift...but it's also not the right thing for our family. Besides, Lily LOVES going to school. It's just me that needs to get over it!

Okay, enough about school. We've got 51 days left (not that I'm counting) until school starts and I plan to make the most of each one of them!!

With trips to Deep Creek, Richmond, and Nags Head June flew right by! We don't have any plans to travel in July, but that doesn't mean we've been staying at home enjoying the air conditioning.

Of course we have had a few lazy days, but we've also been spending time at the pool and completing several more Park Quests.

In fact, today we completed 3 Quests. At one of the Quests someone recorded in the log book that they had talked to the Devil and that today at the park it was, in fact, one degree hotter than hell! I don't know why that struck me as so funny...must have been all the sweat pouring down my back...but I'm still giggling about it.

I know I've mentioned Park Quest before, but I can't say enough good things about this program. Seriously. It's a wonderful program run by the Department of Natural Resources. This year there are 23 different Maryland State Parks participating. Each park you visit offers a different "Quest". You may spend your time letterboxing, or kayaking, or hiking, or orienteering, or you get the idea.

When you successfully complete your Quest you get a stamp in your "Passport". Lily LOVES that part. She can tell you exactly how many stamps we've accumulated, which ones are her favorites, and what stamp she wants to get next.

This is our third year participating in Park Quest and all three of us really enjoy it! Oh, and did I mention it's free?? If you live in Maryland, and have children under the age of 18, I strongly recommend looking into this program next year. Thanks to Park Quest we have visited numerous Maryland State Parks we never even knew existed and will definitely be visiting them again.



Last week Lily stayed cool by attending art camp with a friend. Not only did Lily beat the heat and have a wonderful time...she also created some beautiful art! I think we're going to need a bigger house to display all of Lily's masterpieces!!





Oh, I know this is a little late, but I don't think I mentioned that we had a great 4th of July. We went to the local highschool in the morning for the annual 4th of July games, went to the parade, and then to a friends house for a cookout. This year for the first time we actually ended the night attending the fireworks and not just admiring them from a VERY safe distance!



I know I will blink and not only will Lily be in 1st grade, but it will also be "sweater weather". For now, I'm just going to try and savor the next 51 days no matter how hot it gets!

The Boy And The Girl

Years and years ago when Robert and I first started dating he introduced me to his best friends, Rich and Laura.  To say I was nervous to meet them would be a major understatement!  Robert loved Rich and Laura and I wanted them to love me, too.  As fate would have it, close to 30 years later, my relationship with Laura and Rich is still going strong!

When I first introduced Rich and Laura to my parents Dad liked them immediately and affectionately referred to them as "The Boy and The Girl."  You know, "Have you seen The Boy and The Girl lately?",  "Are The Boy and The Girl coming over tonight?" 

Eighteen years ago, we were all surprised to learn that The Boy and The Girl would be adding a boy...



and a boy...



and a boy...



...to their family....all at the same time! 



And each one of these beautiful boys...or should I say...men...is my Godson! How lucky can one girl be???? Pretty darn lucky I'd say!!!

Several weekends ago, on the same weekend as Dad's annual family picnic, The Boy and The Girl invited us to Virginia to celebrate Adam, Ben, and Sam's high school graduations.  Although I was very sad to miss Dad's family picnic, I know without a doubt I was right where Dad would have expected me to be!





We had a wonderful weekend celebrating these three truly wonderful young men, visiting with Laura and Rich and their families, and Lily loved getting to spend time with her Godparents, too!!!

Consistently Inconsistent

Okay, so in my last post I wrote that I would be posting more often and then I disappear for two weeks.  That's me...consistently inconsistent!

But, I have a good excuse for being incommunicado.  Really.  I do. 

We spent last week in the Outer Banks for our annual family vacation.  Oh sure, I could have posted while we were away, but that would have probably involved staying awake past 9 pm!

We had a wonderful week.  Almost all of the family was together, the weather was beautiful, the house was wonderful, and did I mention our baby turned 6 while we were way?????  Can you believe it?  I know I can't!

Obviously, this was our first trip to the Outer Banks in more than 20 years without Dad...and you know what?  We did okay.  Of course, we all missed Dad terribly. I know I wasn't the only one who half expected to find Dad standing near the coffee pot when I walked into the kitchen each morning.  Even though Dad wasn't there with us...in many ways...he was.

In fact, both he and Mom were there - evidenced by the love of family they instilled in each of us and the traditions we continue to keep that love alive.

Uncle Ed making Dad's traditional first night of vacation spaghetti and meatball dinner...and even wearing Dad's shirt!

Lily turned 6 on our second day of vacation.  At this point, Lily thinks her birthday is synonymous with vacation.  I don't know what the poor thing will do if she has to spend her birthday at home one year!

Again, this year we went to Lily's "favorite restaurant" for her birthday.  Of course, the title of "favorite restaurant" rest solely on the fact that up until this year Lily *LOVED* their strawberry smoothie.  This year - not so much.  Should be interesting to find out where Lily wants to have dinner next year.

Although very much was different about this year's vacation so much was the same. We ate great food, drank yummy drinks, laughed until our sides hurt, and enjoyed just being together.

Lily loved and was loved on by her big cousins all week. Sadie is spending the summer in Montana and Charlie was at Boy Scout camp so, unfortunately, they weren't able to join us. We hope to have all the cousins under one roof next year!

I could go on and on about our wonderful week, but what's that expression about a picture being worth a thousand words???

So, how much are a thousand pictures worth??? You decide.

If you're still with me I imagine you have more than reached photo overload!! So, I'll end with one last picture of our sassy six year old modeling her Aunt Baba's hat.