Reunion in Florida

Last week I traveled to Florida with Jonas to see two of my dear friends from Harding. (Thanks David for letting me go and a special thanks to Nana and Angie for taking care of Asher during the day while I was away.) Julie was my maid of honor and Melanie was my matron of honor. I think the last time we all were together was four years ago at Julie's wedding. So, when I caught word that Julie was going to be in Orlando for a conference (she now lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband Paul where they are starting house churches.), I cleared my schedule and booked a flight. This was my first time to fly with one of the kids. I was very nervous but Jonas did GREAT!

Since Julie and Paul were at a conference during the day and Melanie and I had the responsibilities of moms to nap our children, we mainly hung out at the house. It was fun just to layout in Mel's backyard. Jonas took some incredible naps while we were there but when he was awake, he cooperated by playing on a blanket in the shade (thanks Daisy, Mel's little girl, for letting Jonas play under her Dora tent).

This is Melanie's sweet boy, Isaac. He loved being near Jonas and would sometimes want to crawl into my lap. It felt like I was holding Asher at times, which helped me from missing him so much.

We hung out one afternoon at the YMCA. The backyard wasn't going to do it for me anymore...it was in the high 80s and I needed WATER and somewhere snake free (yes, I saw a fast, long black snack in Mel's backyard)!! Above, Jules and I are checking out the Y's water slide.

The Red Rocket...

Jonas hanging out in the carseat, while his mom is sliding down the Red Racer?, Red Rocket? (Don't worry Melanie was watching him.)

Melanie was kind to get us a babysitter one night so that we all could go out for dinner and have uninterrupted conversations. We headed out in the minivan that Julie and Paul had rented for the week. (Our waiter gave us a hard time when he found out we were traveling in a minivan...he's right, we should have rented a Hummer limo...what were we thinking!)

Night on the town without the kiddos! Good times! Good times!

We had an incredible dinner at Taverna Opa. It's a Greek restaurant, which included hummus made fresh at your table (I could not get enough), flaming cheese appetizer, napkins being thrown in the air, occassional "opa"s being shouted out, and belly dancers (???, I don't recall seeing any of these in My Big Fat Greek Wedding so not sure where they fit in the whole Greek mix).

After dinner, we all held out for dessert. Dan and Mel said they knew of an incredible bread pudding. So we ordered one "to go" and Daniel put it together for us. Above is the final product. It was good but not as good as the Nutella gelato I found for my dessert choice. (Sorry, Dan and Mel...but Jules agrees with me. :))

As Melanie drove Jonas and me to the airport for our departure, I had the sad sick feeling in my stomach like I did the day I left Harding. It stinks when your best friends (besides you Dave) are spread out all across the US and now even in Canada! We used to look forward to the next wedding where we would all meet up but those days seem to have come to an end. I am going to hope for the best that we can meet up again (including those who were not able to be with us...Schepp, Amber, Christy, Lorina) and hopefully in less than 4 YEARS! Vancouver Winter Olympics here we come!

Belmont Reunion

The past two weeks have been filled with reunions. I had my five year reunion from physical therapy school two weekends ago. It was so great to meet the children that have all been born since we have graduated and the new spouses. We had a family picnic at the park for lunch and for dinner we all left the kiddos at home and went to Amerigo's. It was a great evening to reminisce our days in school, see some of our old professors and hear what everyone is doing now. I was the ONLY one who is not currently practicing. Although, I wouldn't trade my current job of staying home with my kids for anything. The picture above is of my closest friends in school. We were lab partners in gross anatomy (yes, we had our own human cadaver to dissect)and were called the "fearsome foursome." Good times!

Easter Day

I am getting these pictures out late but didn't want to leave out our Easter festivities. We had lunch with David's family at Nana and Pops' house (although Pops had to work...which none of us were too happy about).

Our try for a family shot.

Thank goodness...the Easter bunny did arrive! (My friend Shawn, from our neighborhood playgroup, gave us the bunny ears. Thanks, Shawn!)

We had another Easter egg hunt in Nana and Pops' backyard, although the eggs didn't have candy in them. :) We can get away with that for the time being. This was the only shot I could get of the three hunters. We could not get them to stay still and all look at the camera at the same time. (Jonas was napping...he'll be in the mix next year.)

First Easter Egg Hunt

Asher participated in his first Easter Egg hunt at our church this past weekend. We "practiced" a bit at home before we left so that he would understand he was supposed to put eggs in his basket. As you can see from his dress atire, the weather did not cooperate. We were freezing but he smiled through it all and didn't want to leave when the 5 minute egg hunt was over. (Don't worry we left Jonas at home with David.)

The egg hunt in action...not so much a hunt since they were just laying out in the open in a grassy area.

You Gotta See This

Grazie Susan Boyle! from seb fil on Vimeo.

I can't stop watching this video and each time I find myself in tears....sweet tears!

Blueberry Plants

We are now in a house with somewhat of a yard and so I thought I would try and tackle blueberry plants this summer. Here are a few reasons why: 1. Asher loves blueberries (as do I). 2. They make great shrubs with the benefit of fruit. 3. Even if I do not eat all of the blueberries, the birds can feast off of them as well. 4. They are easy to maintain (or at least this is what I have read).

If you are considering planting your own blueberry plants, here are a few tips that I have found in my research:
-Plant in full sun and in moist, well-drained acid soil with organic matter such as peat, chopped leaves, and composted manure.
-You will want to the plant it slightly high in the hole allowing your root-ball to sit 1/2 inch above the soil.
-You also need to plant two different types of plants for cross-pollination, otherwise you will not bear fruit.
Research and picture from here.

Mary Morris Award

These are our dear friends Andrew and Lindsey. This Tuesday they are being awarded the Mary Morris Award, which is the highest award for service to the community at Lipscomb University. Andrew and Lindsey exemplify what it truly means to love your neighbor, especially your homeless neighbor. They serve the homeless of Nashville in so many ways and you can read more about their work in this article (picture from this article).

Spring has arrived!

We spent the afternoon at the park. I have been wanting to make it in time before the tulips were all gone. It was hard to get Asher to stand still so most are actions shots.

I was able to capture Jonas for a few quick shots, although he kept wanting to roll over. He was fascinated by the grass and kept trying to pick it up and put it in his mouth. Thankfully none made it in.

This was the best shot I got of Asher looking at the camera. I kept trying to have him stand still and say "cheese" but to no avail.

Thanks to my friend, Melanie, I was able to capture some good shots without too many shadows. She had given the advice to use your flash even when it's sunny out.

This is probably my favorite shot of the day. I was able to get Asher to stop briefly and smell the flowers. :)

6 months and solids

We can't believe that Jonas is 6 months old! He is such a joy to our family. He began eating solids this week and seems to enjoy them.

He is already showing his independence. He kept trying to grab the spoon and the bowl to feed himself. I have started him on rice cereal and plan to make my own baby food for him like I did with Asher. I highly recommend the book Super Baby Food if you are thinking of making baby food. It is a GREAT reference! I'll be updating on his likes and dislikes.