Loving the Lake

We just got home from a wonderful trip to Lake Hartwell. We had such a great time and are ready to go back.

The house we rented was lovely and had everything we could ask for,
including a spectacular view.

Seth fit right in with his traditional vacation attire.

We loved blowing giant bubbles,

relaxing in the hammock,

building a bonfire (even though the temperature was way too hot for it),

drawing on the rocks,
jumping on the trampoline, posing like a superstar, and taking in the view.
But mostly we loved the lake!

Mark got Seth his very own boy-sized fishing pole and taught him how to fish. He caught his very first bass - almost. It got off the line before we could get it in, but it was very exciting. It's amazing that anything got on the line at all because he wouldn't let the line say in the water. He kept reeling it in. We did lots of swimming and Seth jumped in off the dock into the DEEP water two times. He wanted to jump more but we got a little nervous and went back to the more shallow side. The dock was a double decker and I jumped off the top deck into the lake. I can't believe I did it - it looked sooo high once you were up top! The trip was very relaxing and we had a a great time with family. We are already planning our next adventure!

Thursday Thirteen

1- Quiet - Something I don't come across very much anymore. It's nice every once and a while.

2 - Quarter - My Papa used to tell me that he was going to work to ear a big fat quarter.

3 - Quilt - I think it would be neat to learn how to quilt, but I don't think I have the patience.

4 - Quirky - My favorite kind of people.

5 - Q-Bert - Old school Atari at it's finest.

6/7 - Quality vs. Quantity - I'll take a little bit of something special over a big pile of nothing any day.

8 - Quiche - Yum! My favorite is with mushrooms and broccoli.

9 - Quaint - What a nice word. How relaxing would life be if you could use this word to describe everything around you.

10 - Quesadillas - Double Yum. With sour cream and guacamole.

11 - Quit - Quitting smoking is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I really cannot believe I ever started. It was so not me!

12 - Quarry - There is a quarry close to our house and sometimes you can hear the dynamite blasts.

13 - Quota - I don't think I'd deal well with having a quota. Pressure!

Wordless Wednesday: Silly Goose Edition

Kissin' Kissin'

Seth really makes me laugh sometimes. He has decided to change our dog's name from Pup-Pup to Kissin' Kissin'. He says, "I see Kissin' Kissin' " or "That's not Pup-Pup. That's Kissin' Kissin' " I guess it's no sillier than her actual name!

Summer Fun!

This past weekend, Seth and I went swimming at Emily's. Melissa, Elliott and Olivia were there along with Margaret - Melissa's sweet little niece and the rest of her family. I also got to see Jason - a great friend who I hadn't seen in about eight years! He was a hit with the two year-old set!It has been great reconnecting with old friends and watching Seth make new ones!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

We love you more every day!

Hey Seth...

Incase I ever forget to tell you:

• I think your smile is a thousand times brighter than the sun.
• I don't remember what life was like before you were born and I don't want to.
• You are amazing and you can do anything.
• I love you in the morning and in the afternoon. I love you in the evening and underneath the moon.
  

Thursday Thirteen

1 - Papa - My Papa passed away about a year and a half ago. It is still hard to believe he is gone. Seth has three Papas.

2 - Pup-Pup - Our little dachshund. It's a silly name but it still fits her even though she is five.

3 - Published - I would love to one day be a published author. Of what I'm still not sure.

4 - Pink - Mark recently bought two Pink CD's. Now when we get in the car, Seth says, "I want to hear Pink!"

5 - Pottery - I have always wanted to learn how to make pottery.

6 - Power of Two - The song Mark and I had our first dance to at our wedding.

7 - P-Zip With the Wee Zip - A silly nickname for our silly-named silly dog. Sometimes Seth says that he wants P-zip without the wee zip.

8 - Potty Trained - Something we are not! If he would just take time out of his busy schedule...

9 - Playgroup - We joined a great playgroup this past winter and are having so much fun with all of the activities they offer!

10/11 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - My hometown.

12 - Porch - It is relaxing to sit outside in the evenings and enjoy the fresh air.

13 - Pictures - I love taking pictures just about everyday. What did we ever do before digital cameras?

Happy Birthday Papa!

We love you so much and miss you everyday we cannot see you!

Rock n Roll Toddler

Today Seth went to his first indie rock concert. Well - sort of. We went to the library to see an amazing children's music group, Lunch Money. They are a nationally recognized group, but Columbia is their hometown. We got a bit lost on the way since it was at a branch across town that we had never been to and the show had just started when we arrived. I think Seth was a bit overwhelmed at first because there was a ton of kids dancing and singing to loud music when we went into the room. At first he clammed up and buried his head in my shirt. I kept asking him if he wanted to leave and if he liked it. He wanted to stay - just was being shy. By the end of the show he had warmed up and didn't want it to end. The music was great for parents and kids. The had lots of fun songs like "Cookie as Big as My Head" and "I Want A Dog". We can't wait to get their CD.

Sad News

Today we learned that Mimi and Papa George's sweet little dog Princess had passed away. She was quite young and it was unexpected. She was a great dog and we will all miss her very much.

Celebrate!

This weekend we went to Charlotte to celebrate Dad and Dana's birthdays, along with Father's Day. We had a great time and cannot wait to visit again.

Flower Child

Seth brought me flowers. He came running in from playing yesterday, calling "Mom, I brought you lilies." He is so sweet. I think they are the prettiest lilies I have ever seen!

Dirty, Dirty, Aunt Dana is Thirty!

Welcome to the club! We love you!!

Love Ya Award

Brooke at Keeping Up With Hunter gave me this sweet award. The description of this award is:
These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

Thanks Brooke! I love your blog too!

Thursday Thirteen

1- Oprah - I love Oprah and used to watch her all of the time. It has probably been a year since I have seen her show though.

2 - Oscar - A sweet little wiener dog that we kept for about a year.

3 - Olivia - Our new little friend.

4 - Optimist - I always try to look on the bright side of things.

5 - Obama - I'm the only one from my "original" family that voted for him. I stand by my decision 100%.

6 - Owl - I have developed a bit of an owl fetish lately. There are so many cute little owl trinkets out there.

7 - OCD - I know a few people with a touch of OCD.

8 - October - One of my favorite times of the year. I welcome the break from the heat.

9 - Oh My - Seth has started saying this lately. I'm not sure where it came from.

10 - Old - I feel like life is flying by and I'm not ready to get old yet!

11 - Ontario - I have had fantasies of moving to Canada. Everything always looks so peaceful and pretty there. In reality it is way too far away from family and so cold!

12 - Octuplets - I cannot even fathom.

13 - OMG - I never thought I would get through O!

Wordless Wednesday

A Fun Day Trip

Yesterday Seth and I took a day trip to see Melissa, Emily and Elliott - some of my college friends that I hadn't seen in around ten years! Melissa and Elliott have a little girl, Olivia, who is just a few weeks younger than Seth. Seth had his first boat ride and loved swimming in the lake, playing in the rice pit, having lunch and getting to know everyone. It was so nice to see everyone again and catch up. It was just like we hadn't missed a beat and we can't wait to see everyone again. When we got home, Seth kept asking what my favorite part of the trip was and then he would say, "My favorite part was seeing 'livia."