4th Anniversary....

our favorite swing

at the wine tasting

David swinging

sunset at the vineyard

For our 4th Anniversary we celebrated by going to Arrington Vineyards. After all the hustle and bustle of moving twice in 4 months and building a home, we needed a night away to just sit, talk, and sip wine. AV was the perfect place to do all of the above. We had a great time just swinging and talking. We had a slight rain that brought heat lightening that made for a great show. We went to a wine tasting and I found an amazing raspberry wine that you serve with chocolate. We were impressed with the wine and the atmosphere. I can't wait to go back!

barefoot on the beach....

I can't help but to blog about this horrendous oil spill that doesn't seem to stop. My first instinct is to pack a suitcase with nothing other than a camera, swimsuit, and cover up and head south. I wish we could go and soak up the beautiful coast lines, clear water, and atmosphere before the oil reaches it. Everyone who knows me, knows how much I love the beach. Everyone who knows David, knows how much he loves the ocean. So much so that we were married barefoot on the very beach I spent my summers growing up. It breaks my heart that beaches we know and love may not be the same beaches Ethan can grow to love because of the oil. What is going on in the gulf is horrible. David reminds every time we watch the media coverage that they haven't even touched the surface of the fish, ecosystems, and effects of the spill. How can anyone call this a natural disaster, when it is clearly man made? Hopefully, something good will emerge from this disaster. Maybe Ethan's generation will do a better job at protecting and respecting our amazing environment. In my college Animal Biology class, I had a professor that claimed they had found musical notes on the wings of butterflies. What an amazing artist God is.....

Father's Day...

Whitney gave David this book after Ethan was born called "1001 Things It Means to be a Dad." A few of my favorite lines are....

Being a dad means marveling at how something so tiny can wake the dead.

Being a dad means falling asleep while your baby sleeps on your chest. This magic lasts a couple years. (David was so excited to have Ethan do this when I was pregnant)

Being a dad means putting away your golf clubs for a while. Your nights and weekends are now booked.

Being a dad means realizing moms can often stop a baby's crying faster than dads can. Don't take it personally.

Being a dad means you may be the first adult your wife has talked to in ten hours.

Being a dad means encouraging big dreams.

Happy Father's Day Love! Ethan is one lucky little boy to have you as a Daddy.

12 Months....

Ethan at 12 Months.....

always wants me to kiss his lovie when he wakes up

so sweet after a nap

those chair photos get harder each month

loves to swing his golf club at anything....tv's included...fore!

checks out everything

like to listen to mommy's ipod...

got his first official hair cut

was confused the entire time

loves meal times...

needed to go up a size to 5.5 shoes!

Weight 24 pounds

Length: 30.5 inches

first birthday....part II

Ethan's first birthday party was so much fun! We had close family and friends over for a backyard celebration. We had a pirate ship splash table, sprinkler, kiddie pool, and playhouse set up for the toddlers to play in. It was one of the hottest days of the summer, so the lemonade and sweet tea went quickly!

The cupcakes spelled out "Happy Birthday Ethan" and his smash cake was decorated with a whale. Of course my favorite moment was singing "happy birthday" and watching his face as everyone sang. It was at that moment I felt Ethan crossed into the toddler world. He was a little unsure of eating his smash cake, but with a little encouragement he "smashed" and then had a taste!

We said our thank you and goodbye's to friends and family and handed out sidewalk chalk as party favors. We then tucked our worn out one year old into his crib. His eyes were soooo tired, but his body was full of energy from his first sugar rush. I've never seen such a sleepy boy move so much with his eyes closed.

The morning after the party Ethan woke up ready to tackle his birthday gifts from friends and family! It worked out great waiting to open the gifts when he wasn't so busy playing with his friends at the party. He had the best time playing with all the balls, golf clubs, puzzles, blocks, and of course riding in his wagon. What a fun birthday!