I went to Chuck E. Cheese with some friends on this yucky, rainy day here in Virginia. Oh, and I took Hunter, by the way. First of all, Hunter was enamored with all of the flashing lights and shiny games. If I never offered to put tokens in the slots, he probably would have been almost as happy as when I did put tokens in. Of course, being competitive, I had to "help" him play some of the games so we could win some tickets. (I always did love the arcade.)

His favorite thing to do was sit in a car/truck for a ride and played with things that had steering wheels. He knocked over a few ducks for tickets- I helped, of course. We ate pizza, played more games and redeemed our tickets for a prize- a small, plastic lizard for Hunter.

Once outside in the rainy yuck, my friend, Janet, overheard me tell Hunter: "If you don't stay close to me, I will take away your lizard." Janet noticed how funny it is what we say to our children. She said I should put things like that in his scrapbook. Hunter would probably get a kick out of reading that some day. (Is that why the people at Fuddruckers looked at me funny yesterday when I told Hunter to come back or I would take away his space shuttle?)

The cute part is that I did have to take the lizard away and it's still in my pocket. If only they would obey. ;)

We were fortunate enough to go away for the weekend to a lovely place called Block Island off of Rhode Island for a wonderful wedding. It's much like Martha's Vineyard, I suppose- quaint, small(er), lots of boats & bikes and very romantic. However, they're not big on AC over there- something about the cost to generate it. Oh well, we survived.


We stayed at The National Hotel (pictured below with Mark in the foreground), an historic landmark and decent (at $300 a night, it should have been amazing- oh well). You have to ferry over to the island which makes it all the more secluded, if you will, or alluring or a pain- depends on your perspective; right? Getting off the ferry, our hotel looked packed but we found out it has a nice restaurant on the (very large) front porch. It was extremely convenient for dinner that night.

We attended our friend, Teal's, wedding. It was wonderful and we had an amazing time- seeing some people we had not seen in years and meeting lots of new, very interesting people. Almost everyone we know has children and the moms stay home, so this was quite a bit different and fun to hear about people's adventures.

The wedding was in an adorable church and, with no AC, quite warm for the gents. The poor guys were, literally, melting. Teal looked like a bride out of a magazine. The reception was located on a hilltop overlooking a gorgeous, boat-packed marina with a fabulous breeze to keep us cool. Supposedly, this place is used by famous people, with helicopters landing there for weekend events.

I was asked to say the blessing. It was an honor and a little nerve-wracking but I am thankful it went well. Thank you, Lord. Then the dancing and chatting went on for hours! Did I say we had a blast?! Well done, Teal!


By the way, I didn't mention our dear friends who kept Hunter for us to attend this wonderful paradise island wedding child-less. What a great trip! Thank you, C & R!!!


On Sunday, we chartered a sail boat- a little too lazy for our taste but a fun, relaxing experience, nonetheless. Next time, it's a motor boat and swimming for us! I can't wait until Hunter can join us on these adventures and it's not stressful. Soon enough, then we'll have two of them!

One more picture of me and the bride.

Okay, I am trying to figure out why I haven't been posting lately and I've realized... I've been busy! Doing what you ask? Doing nothing! I haven't had anything to post about recently. Seriously, I go to the gym, hang out with Hunter, maybe see a friend or two and clean. What do you blog about? I guess I have been having some awesome success in the marital department, so let me start there. No, wait! I'm expecting!

I must share that, officially, we are expecting number two! I know most of you know anyway, but now it's public! Well, LL may not know since I haven't seen her in ages. ;) We are due March 8th and I am doing great! Minimal nausea, some headaches and NO tiredness! Weird.

So, back to the marital thing. Since Mark rarely reads this, I think I'm safe to share that I embarked on a 30-day Marriage Challenge, along with two other gals, of NO complaining or being negative to your husband, everyday for 30 days! Plus, everyday, you have to make an effort to do something positive toward him- it's given to you everyday (thank him for being a hard worker, being a great dad, etc.). We pray about it everyday and ask God for help. It's been great! I haven't been perfect. Traveling is the worst for us, so I had a hard time being uber-pleasant with him on Friday as we were flying out of town. We quickly made up, though. More on this after Day 30 (later this month). Please feel free to be praying for me, though. I didn't think I could do it but it's actually been enjoyable!

Now, let me post more about our weekend, hopefully, tomorrow.

Did I mention I'm taking ballet? I don't think I have and I am taking it so regularly, I guess I should mention it. As a girl, I most wanted to dance and take gymnastics but it wasn't made possible during my childhood. Now that I am an adult, I thought: why not? I'm not getting any younger.

I got a "bug" one day last summer and decided to look up local ballet classes and signed up for Ballet I for Adults, which only lasted 4 weeks. I didn't take during the fall because it didn't work with our VT football schedule. When the new year came around, I gave my teacher a call and back at it I went.

I have moved from Ballet I to Ballet III in 6 months! I must give my instructor the credit, though, to help me progress that quickly. I love it! I have learned so much and my form and technique have improved tremendously!

I really don't have anything super funny or interesting to share, just that I am taking. Well, I can share a picture from my Ballet Recital, more like a class demonstration. It was June 2nd and I had moved from Ballet Ib (adult beginner) to Ballet I (not just adults), so enjoy the picture of me and my classmates. :)

PS: Now I am in class with other adults although I miss my little buds.

In our Small Group last night, somehow kissing our kids came up. I volunteered that I love giving Hunter mouth kisses and how Mark doesn't... or, at least, he prefers to give him kisses on the forehead, head or cheek. I appreciate from where Mark is coming- he's a germ-a-phobe and rightly so. Poor guy- everytime Hunter gets a cold, Mark seems to get it 5 times worse. Again, I can appreciate the lack of desire to give Hunter kisses on the lips.

Myself, on the other hand, find the gamble of giving mouth kisses completely worth the sacrifice of catching a death-tempting toddler cold. I caught myself tearing up at that idea. Silly; aren't I? I just can't help myself and I know these kisses won't last forever. Or at least, there will be a large break in them during his teenage years.

My biggest challenge giving Hunter kisses? Making sure he keeps his mouth closed! ;) I told him to save the open-mouth kisses for his wife.

Have you kissed someone today?

I couldn't leave out my Dad's visit in early June. Hunter's proud Papa scheduled vacation time for Hunter's birthday last year and this year, several months in advance, so that he could celebrate with Hunter. It's a wonderful feeling to see your parent loving their grandchild and even more awesome to see memories being made.

My dad adores his time with Hunter, playing with cars/boats/puzzles/balls and reading to him. He enjoys getting him in and out of the car, washing his hands and pushing him in the stroller- all of those mundane tasks we parents are so over. My dad is still quite young, so he's always willing to try something athletic and he can hang pretty well. Most impressive, pops.

We took a bike ride with Hunter and a friend with her daughter into Old Town Alexandria and made a pit stop at a playground to let the kids play. My dad is working on Hunter's upper body strength, apparently... and his own. Hunter weighs about 32 pounds! Anyway, back on the trail we went to have a nice lunch at the church in Old Town where George Washington attended. The kids had a blast and, appropriately, passed out on the ride home.

The sad part is my dad having to say good-bye to his grandson. See you soon, Dad! We can't wait. Where should we go this time? ;)

Okay, it was actually June 4th. I am late posting but better late than never. The weird thing is- I dreamt a few nights ago that I had this party for Hunter and no one showed up. I have proof, though, that a good time was had!

This, of course, was probably the apex of the party for Hunter!

Hunter's FAVorite gift was, of course, the train table we bought him. He hasn't stopped playing with it since he got it!