Visit from the Hardings

We were so excited that Shawn & Lindsey came to stay with us during their summer travels. We got a chance to catch up and play games, and most of all we got to see Riley & Baby Adrian! We had a great time watching Dora the Explorer with Riley, and taking her to the playground, and introducing her to smores (although she liked plain marshmallows better!). We also loved getting to know little Adrian. He is so cute and such a good baby! I really missed them all when they left and can't wait to see them again. :)

Visit with Brooklyne

Nick and Jess brought little Brooklyne over to visit. The boys made dinner while Jess and I got to catch up and play with her. She is such a sweet little thing! She loved sitting in the little portable swing that used to be Brody's. :)

Growing Things

Paul had a great idea to plant a tree this year so that the tree would always be the same age as the baby. He's always wanted a winesap apple tree (for making pies), so we decided to go ahead and plant one. The baby actually got a 2-for-1 deal, though, because it turns out you have to plant another kind of apple tree - a winter banana - to pollinate the winesap tree correctly. So, we now have two new apple trees growing in our side yard (while our little girl is growing in my belly).



We also planted some raspberry bushes on the other side of the house - just for fun. :) The first fruit started appearing a few weeks ago!

Around the House

Dad came over and planted some beautiful hydrangeas and a couple of other plants in our front yard under the big maple tree. Last year, we had flowers there but the deer ate all of them. We're hoping that these survive.

Paul also took out the bird bath and hose that were smack-dab in the middle of our yard (kind of an eyesore, I thought) and moved the hose to the side of the house. The bird bath now has a new home in the backyard near the flagpole. I think the front yard looks SO much nicer now!

A Little Surprise

Paul built a bird feeder last winter that we hung on the railing of our veranda so that we could feed the birds and watch them from the living room window. We fed them sunflower seeds all winter. Now, we noticed that we got a few little pop-up surprises in the backyard planter which is just below the bird feeder!

Nursery

Well, we got the nursery all setup and waiting for our precious little girl! (Or perhaps I should say that Paul got it all setup!) He painted the room a pale lavender (my third color choice - which he was very patient about!), and put in a brand new, beautiful wood floor. We couldn't be happier with the outcome. We picked out the furniture together and love the way the room looks overall. Now, we're just waiting to finish the decorating and add all the "stuff" our little baby girl will need. :)

4th of July Party

Wes, Danielle, Kim and Joe had their annual 4th of July party on the 3rd this year. It was a fun time filled with lots of family and friends. We got to see Heather & Steve and their little ones, Jack and Allison. Allison even sat with me and took a bottle for quite some time without crying!

Brody liked the fireworks at first, and he was watching them with intense concentration, but he just kept pointing at the sky and saying, "Noise!" - it was pretty funny. After a while he lost interest and fell asleep in his stroller. He didn't even wake up during the grand finale. :)

Brooklyne also made her first party appearance which was a real treat! The fireworks didn't bother her in the least - she slept through it all!