4th of July festivities

This year we didn't do a whole lot for the 4th. Matt had started night float and had a three day weekend off-which was really nice! So we kind of just took it easy.

In the morning we went to the church for a ward breakfast.

And in the evening we drove out to watch some fireworks with some friends.
It was a great firework show, that Luke was pretty terrified of and they were selling snow cones and cotton candy for 50 cents...which made my night!

I wanted Luke to wear something festive...but only had the outfit that he wore last year. It was a little small, but good enough for one day. His belly only showed a few times. Haha.

Hope everyone had a great fourth of July!

Help

I'm now 31 weeks and am all the sudden feeling like it is crunch time around here! I know that if I keep putting things off, this little guy will be here before I know it and then it will be too late. 

We need to buy a double stroller and I have NO IDEA where to even begin looking.

What brands are good, what models, what you like about certain ones and what you don't like...please any help would be very much appreciated! 

Thank you!!!!!!

Little things around here that I am thankful for.

We are so blessed to be living comfortably in our new house that we love! The longer we are here the more and more we love it and are so thankful for the little things, that normally people might not even think of. So, I just wanted to make a little list.

• Outlets in the bathroom. Seriously. Our old apt didn't have any, I had to do my hair/makeup in the hallway for over three years. I kept all my hair stuff in the hall closet. It was fine, but it's so nice to be able to do my hair and makeup in our bathroom!
• A built-in dishwasher, right next to the sink. Our first year of marriage we didn't have a dishwasher, but after Luke was born I knew it was impossible for me to be doing all the dishes by hand, so we got a portable one, or whatever. It was so nice to have, but we had to walk across the kitchen to load it and then wheel it over to our sink to run it. It's also really nice to be able to run the kitchen sink while the dishwasher is running.
• Three-pronged outlets! Or whatever you call them, ya know, the ones that have the grounded, third plug in them. Everyone who has never been to Cleveland is probably thinking that there is no such thing as only a two-prong outlet (unless that's common in other countries-which I have yet to travel to). Well we've always had to use adapters and while it's not very safe, it's also again city code, but what are we supposed to do? Anyway, Matt and Bryce (thank you) just installed a bunch in our house.
• Carpet. While I love hardwood, because it's pretty and sanitary, I have really missed carpet. It's only in three places in our house, but it is just SO nice to have a place for my feet to get some relief. These hardwood floors are beating up my poor feet.
• A big cabinet/mirror in the bathroom. Again, our apt had a tiny, grungy, old, rusty, mirror that was disgusting and squeaked so loud when you opened it. I didn't dare keep anything in it for two years, it just was ancient. They ripped out the ugly old one, that all these old houses have, and installed a much bigger one with a lot of storage space. I just love it.
• Access to the front/side door and working door bells. Again, the old place, only our front doorbell worked, but it was always such a pain to have people come by because they almost always had to get through our neighbors to reach us. We'd hear old Ethel yell "Mista Claak!!!" (she eventually started saying our first names) and we'd have to hustle down the stairs to find someone waiting outside, because she wouldn't let them in, she'd only yell at them through the window.
• A backyard and garage that isn't full of dangerous junk. The old couple that we shared our house with before had lived there for like 7 years when we moved in, they also lived during the Depression and collected everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. (I once found an old jewelry box that my friend gave me when we were in the 3rd grade, that was a wooden box with bubbly, girly stickers all over it that I had finally thrown out (aren't I a good friend? jk) in our neighbors side of the garage and it was all dirty, because it had been sitting the garbage, but they had pulled it out and kept it). We always had to watch Luke like a hawk so he wouldn't drink some kind of car fluid or get into dangerous tools, or old garbage that was piled up in the backyard. 

These are just a few of the little things I love about our new house. 

More catching up, Amish Country

Matt's parents flew in for a few days for Matt's graduation. We had so much fun having them visit. We went shopping, ate yummy food, took a day trip to Amish Country and spent the rest of the time with graduation festivities.

Here are some of our pictures from beautiful Amish County in Holmes County, Ohio. And we were surprised to learn that it is the biggest Amish Country in the U.S.

We went to a little flee market where all of these buggies were lined up and some were full of children. They were so cute.

Breaking the rules, but I had to get this cute picture.

We ate lunch at a yummy Amish restaurant.

Luke LOVES his "dama and dampa(s)."

We also went and toured an Amish house (a very old one and a modern one), an Amish barn, an Amish school and went for a ride in a buggy with a very friendly, old, Amish man.

The school was very cute and interesting.

Notice the scripture written on the whiteboard?

At the Amish place we toured there was a fun playground that Luke played on with his grandma and grandpa and I got this funny picture.

Thanks again to Anne and Rob for visiting. Please come again soon!

We love and miss you guys!

Catch up from Williamsburg, Virginia

I finally grabbed a few pictures off the hard drive from our trip to Williamsburg, Virginia. 

Back in May we took a week long trip to VA as a graduation vacation.

We went to Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. We were so happy that Dave, Meg and McKelle could join us for a few days, as well as Bryce, Maddy and Britton. The more the merrier!
We had so much fun. 

It was my first time there, and Matt's second. I highly recommend it, especially for any history buffs out there (i.e. Matt).

Here are a few pictures from the trip.

After touring around Colonial Williamsburg, where everyone is dressed up and acts as if they are living in the late 1700's, we headed over to the first mental hospital in the US. It was really sad and quite creepy, but very interesting. I don't know why we all wanted pictures in front of the building...but we did.

Little McKelle on the bus. She's so cute.

On a different day, before the rest of the gang showed up, Matt and I toured Jamestown (where the Pocahontas and John Smith story happened) and Yorktown. This is Matt (looking goofy) with Captain John Smith.

We visited a battle field in Yorktown and Matt stuffed Luke in a cannon.

The rest of the trip was posted previously, of us at Virgina Beach, playing at the pool and celebrating Mother's Day. Here's just one last picture from the pool, that I thought was worth posting.
Don't you love his hair? Haha.

My little knight in shining armor

Now that Matt has started the real part of residency (easy-going orientation is over. sniff, sniff), I have a new little man in my life. We decided to finally give the boy a hair cut and he's like a new person. Matt gave him a good talking to and he is now the newest protector of our home.

 Seriously though, he has been so much happier, obedient and nice this past week then he has been in weeks. I think it's because we are finally getting into a consistent routine. 

Luke got eight stickers on his potty chart and every time he earns eight of them he gets a toy. The first toy he chose from the pile was a sword.

After giving him the sword I regretted my purchase, because of the numerous whips across my legs and blows to my head. He's gaining better control of it and is improving on his fencing skills.

The past few days have been wonderful 70 degree days. Before the heat and humidity returns, we've been taking advantage of parks and being outside. 

Allow me to introduce Sir Luke.

Yes, that's his sword. This was his idea.

He also took this picture himself.

Boys are so fun. This boy is definitely all boy through and through.

 He also found his new favorite "room" in the house. Our tiny entry way. 

After I got off the phone today I couldn't find Luke.

I thought this was so cute. 

He had his favorite Pixar books, favorite puzzle, sword, blue blankey, milk and his half eaten sandwich (on his spider-man plate).

Garage sale season is at it's peak and we have been scoring left and right the past few weeks.

We got this super fun swing for Luke a few weeks ago for $5. We put it up in our tree today and spent a lot of time out there.  
Just ignore our over-grown backyard. That's a next summer's project
.

It's so fun.

He's my little buddy.