Dog Days

We are so lucky to have the job that we do here at Shorter. It's in a town we love, doing what Chad loves to do, and working for some great people. Perhaps the single biggest reason that we decided to take the job here was the athletic director whom Chad would be working under. This man is an incredibly gifted business man who also has an enormous vision for not only the athletic department but also the entire school. He's also enormously generous: for the second summer, he has offered up his beach house on beautiful Dog Island to our family to use. We just got back and had an amazing time! There is nothing on the island but a few houses, so you do all of your grocery shopping beforehand, load a water taxi, and head out for a week of seeing no one but the people you love the most: family! We had a great time relaxing, swimming, sand-castle-making, playing games, and more swimming. The weather was great, the kids were great, and we will be talking about our trip for a long time!

On the boat to the Dog

Jack's bed

Morning swim

Dock-jumping in the bay

Mama's Boy

Bathed, full, and ready for bed!

Jack "enjoying" the beach

Getting brave in the waves

Little Mermaids

Some guy time

Strawberry Fields Forever

Mmm...nothing better than fresh strawberries. After about 5 minutes, Caroline said, "I finished." She was covered with strawberry juice from the mouth down, and had about 3 berries in the bucket. She knew that at the end of the visit was strawberry ice cream. That's my girl! On the other hand, the always-obsessive Aly kept comparing buckets to see who was "winning".
We had a great time and came back with plenty of strawberries to enjoy over the weekend!

Fresh-picked sweetness

Little worker

Finally...Strawberry ice cream!

Always can find a stage

Creepin' In

It's coming...the signs are everywhere: we went for a walk a few mornings back and were greeted by the sweet scent of honeysuckle; we're making a list of what to look forward to at the beach next week; the swimsuits and sunscreen are easily-accessible; the crickets and cicadas are getting louder and louder; and a big star marks it on our kitchen calendar... SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!! And we can't wait! 3 more days of schedules and hurried mornings, 3 more days of tennis shoes, backpacks, and lunch boxes. I feel like the onset of summer is just as exciting and magical as a 32-year-old as it was as a kid. I think that the thing that gets me is the way summer break marks an ending to things: this is the last year of Aly in a mother's-morning-out type program just a few mornings a week...next year is 4-mornings a week pre-K! Caroline started the year just a week from turning 2 and know she communicates in full sentences and thoughts! And the baby who started the year just barely the size of a lime in my belly is 3 months old today! So to celebrate these milestones, we're going to spend the next 3 months in sandals and flip-flops, eating popsicles and ice cream, and trying to get into some kind of water everyday. We will enjoy a trip to the beach, 2 full weeks in New York, strawberry-picking, sprinkler-running, and firefly catching. Happy summer to all!

The new (and easier!) summer-do

My sweet 3-month-old

A Summer Treat

Baby Mine

Pictures for the grandparents!

When Aly was a baby, I sent an email out to the grandparents every week with pictures. I didn't send as many of Caroline, but definitely kept everyone well updated. My poor parents... Now that Jack is here, I am awful at more than just sending pictures, but taking them and downloading them as well! So here are the few pictures of our sweet little guy from the past month.

4.10.10

4.10.10

4.20.10

4.23.10

4.26.10

We are having such a great time with him; it's amazing how quickly a family can fall in love. He is smiling, laughing, and cooing regularly now (the above picture doesn't do justice to how precious his toothy grin is!). The girls make it their goal to get him to laugh, and recently they've taken it upon themselves to "teach" him to roll over-- he gets stuck on his side! He is so laid back and sleeps well, whether in a crib, infant carrier, or on one of the girls' beds while we are meticulously picking out what to wear every morning!

The girls really have been great with him, but also do a great job sharing him; he is the main attraction at Wednesday night dinners at church as kids wait around our table for a chance to hold him! Chad has never been big on personal space, and I think that the trait has been passed down to the girls...but he loves his sisters and lights up when he hears their voices.

A little afternoon sprinkler fun

Jack Smiling :-)

Open Wide!

Aly had her first visit to the dentist a couple of days ago. I'm not sure which was more exciting to her: the new toothbrush, the after-the-visit Frosty, or the fact that Daddy took her. All-in-all, a proud little girl!

Splish Splash!

Who doesn't love spring?! We had a 90+ degree day here, so we went downtown to the newly-built fountains for some water fun. The girls got to try out their new bathing suits from Aunt Elizabeth, which they've been begging to wear since they got them. We had a great time!

These next couple pictures just capture the girls' personalities. Caroline loved running into the fountain and screaming AT the water, while Aly... just a little more reserved.








...and sweet Jack. Just hanging out in the stroller. He'll have his day too!

Final Four and Easter Sunday

Yet again, I've let lots of time go by without putting new pictures up here! It honestly has less to do with having a newborn and has more to do with the end of basketball season...now that Chad's home, who wants to sit in front of a computer?! Speaking of basketball, each year, Chad goes to the coaches' convention which is wherever the Final Four is. This year, Jack and I went with him and had a blast. We were in the same hotel as our good friends, Bubba and Cortney, so got to spend lots of kid-free (well, except for Jack!) time together shopping, eating, and walking the streets of Indianapolis. It was such a fun atmosphere as Butler fans were swarming! Cortney is the real photographer, so I only got a couple shots and am relying on her for more! (hint, hint Cort!) Jack was such a trooper and hung with us, even as we were out until midnight each night!

One of many delicious meals out

A tired boy in the airport

Jack has finally started smiling on a regular basis...especially at his sisters!

We came home Saturday night and were greeted by two very excited little girls! When we walked into their room Sunday morning, we found Caro in Aly's bed; they both sat up and yelled, "He's alive! Happy Easter!" It's funny to think that they must've been just laying there talking about what to say! We had a wonderful day of church, brunch, an egg hunt, and just playing outside. A happy Easter, indeed!

Pre-church pose

The Kids

Ready for some CANDY!!!