Playing Catchup- Spring Photos!

I've been meaning to post these for some time- all from the Spring:

Leslie was in a race here in Lexington... She won first place! Yay for Leslie!

The very next weekend, Jeremy and Michael did the Lexington Road and River Relay together. Go Jeremy! :)

Here's Michael at the bike/kayak exchange.

These are my parent's friends Alan and Cinda. Cinda's been like an aunt to me since I was little. She just retired from Washington and Lee as the head women's coach. She and Alan decided to sell the house, pack up their belongings into storage, and head off to Thailand for a year or two. For Mother's Day, we took my parents to Peaks of Otter for lunch and a walk around. It was really fun!What a tree hugger :)My cousin Julie's hubby (Mason) graduated from UVA and we spent the day with family in Charlottesville... My parents with my aunt Libby and uncle PatBrother and Sister!
My cousin Julie and I
and this is Keyes, her son!

Some photos of our "foster" dog Buster-- pre-haircut!

And finally, some projects from Spring:

A butter dish for my mom... this is the third of this design that I've done for her.

And for me, a new pincushion. I wanted something sturdy for when I'm quilting. I like to put a little bag under the pincushion for cut threads and other trash, so this flowerpot works really well to weigh it down.

10 Reasons We Had A Great Summer! (Part 2)

Finally, I have the chance to finish my "Top Ten"...

Reason #4: Ohiopyle, PA

My parents invited us to go with them to Ohiopyle State Park (outside of Pittsburgh). My brother and his girlfriend Pam also came with. My dad found a great little house for us all to stay, and it was right near the river and biking trails. While they biked, I read books or wandered around the little old town. I don't think we've taken a trip as a family since I've been married, so that was cool. My brother is also starting a new coaching job this fall, so it was good to spend time with him and Pam before he left town. My favorite part of the trip was probably going to Fallingwater with my mom and Pam. I'd read about the house in so many of my Art History books, but to see it in person was just amazing. I don't think Wright's designs were always very practical, very liveable-- but he certainly was able to incorporate Nature into each and every room. I wished that I could wander the house without a tour guide, because they breeze right through every room. I'd highly recommend visiting.

****(I'll have to add my photos later-- I used my brother's camera and he's got to forward them to me!)

Another day, we all visited a different Frank Lloyd Wright house-- called Kentuck Knob. Everything is based on the shape of a hexagon. What I really found interesting after touring both homes was that Wright seldomly visited the homes he designed. He visited Kentuck Knob only once-- and that was because of a disagreement with the builder.

Anyway, it was a really fun trip. We ate well and had a great time. I know we'll go there again next summer. Another excuse to go to Fallingwater!

Reason #3: Bumming Around Town

Since we didn't travel very much, we pretty much hung out around Lexington. For most of the summer, we both worked odd jobs here and there. Some tutoring, some house painting for Jeremy; for me, some tutoring, some training, and some subbing at school (trying to earn extra maternity leave!). It was weird at first because we both felt guilty for not working, but after a few weeks of having the luxury of sleeping in, napping, hanging out in the AC-- we were well-adjusted!

A few doggie baths... Buster is so cute!
And here's the extent of my gardening this summer: There were a few fun days in town-- Fourth of July's Balloon Rally-- we went friends and family to watch the fireworks after a great BBQ dinner. The balloons were all over town for a few days:

Reason #2: Mother Hens! :)

We've never felt more loved! :) It's just been amazing how kind and generous our co-workers, friends and family have been... whether they're sharing advice or goodies for the baby, or even just sharing in their excitement with us... it's made this such a wonderful experience! This kid is already so lucky!

I wish I could post photos of all the adorable outfits and toys and goodies he's recieved, but I would like to post some of the handmade goodies:

Gown and hat from The Felt Mouse! It's just too cute-- she's so crafty! She's having a boy of her own-- due a few weeks after our little one. It's been fun to see experience this at the same time.

Needlepoint by my cousin, Becca. These pictures do it no justice-- it's so well done! She even made the frame-- including painting the blocks! Seriously! This girl needs to start an etsy shop at the very least! Will be perfect in the nursery.

Reason #1: Nesting! and Counting Down to the Arrival!

We've taken the preparations for the baby's arrival in stride. We've taken our own little baby steps-- everything we're supposed to do can be a little overwhelming, so it's been a slow process but I think we're almost ready! We spent some time over the summer getting ready-- us, the house, the car, work, etc.

(oh, the MINI sold in 2 days-- the buyer took 10 minutes to decide! We ended up getting a VW Jetta. Miss the MINI but love having more room!)

I've done a major cleaning of the house, oh, 3 or 4 times-- usually after we get a bunch of baby stuff I realize that we don't have room... so I get rid of even more stuff. The Goodwill folks have seen me a lot! It's been good, though, to simplify. We've also been recycling more and more-- also, paying closer attention to the chemicals we use for cleaning or what's in our food.

We've also been taking a childbirthing class-- that's taken away some of my anxieties and offered some strategies I hadn't known about. Although Jeremy hated the live birth videos, for some reason, I feel more motivated to meet him and less scared to go through it all.

Anyway, in less than 50 days, we'll get to meet our little man! This last month is one I have mixed feelings about-- I don't want it to go by too quickly (I'm not sure I'm ready!) but then again, I can't wait to meet him and I feel like a cow! I'm just glad we had the summer to relax together and get ready.

I hope everyone had a great summer!

10 Reasons We Had A Great Summer! (Part 1)

This might be a long post, but I haven't blogged in so long and I wanted to post about this summer. I don't have very many photos, and I think I'll have to keep it to a "Top Ten" format-- for time's sake. :) Our summer officially ended last Wednesday when school began again. I think today was the first day it really sunk in for us-- our summer really is over?!? It went by so quickly and we had a blast. The best part about summer ending is that fall's around the corner, and with that... we finally get to meet Junior! :)

Reason #10: I Finally Finished The Quilt!

Earlier this summer I may have mentioned that I was almost finished... yeah, that was before I realized just how long it would take me to hand quilt it. I'm loving the finished quilt (sorry the pictures are so dark-- it's been so cloudy all week):

In about 2 days, we'll be handing it over to our friends-- those Newlyweds-- who deserve their wedding gift sometime this year! It also should count as a housewarming gift since they just purchased their new house. Hope they love it! I would recommend D. Schmidt's pattern, although I followed it to the "T" and at one point, things werent' matching up correctly. I improvised by changing the shape of the circle. I don't think it's very noticeable and looks pretty close to the original design. Not perfect, but something I'm satisfied with :) !

I started my friend's baby quilt yesterday, but it shouldn't take half as long. Her baby is due soon after ours, so I gotta get on the ball! Once I finish hers, I'll be working on one for our little Junior-- probably will be the same D. Schmidt quilt pattern, but 4 rings (vs. the 12 with this gifted quilt).

Reason #9: Good Reads

For the first summer in a long time, I had the time to curl up on the sofa with a good book. That was really nice. Of course, I've been reading What To Expect but I also read all the Shopaholic books. Those were fun! This was my favorite of Sophie Kinsella's books:I read a few other "Chick Lit" books, but I can't remember the titles. I am reading Eat Pray Love right now, and I'm not breezing through it like some of my other summer reads, but I enjoy her writing. I've just started her visit to India...

Has anyone read Petite Anglaise?

What about this new Amy Butler book? It's killing me not to buy this. I have promised myself that if I can make it to the end of September... it just looks like it's got some great projects. Reason #8: Chessie Walks and Spoiled Doggies

Jeremy and I tried to go out on the trails nearby every couple of days. We'd take Buster (our "foster" dog) and Lulu. The trail is part of Rails to Trails-- old railbed trails. It all runs along the river and I love that it's just minutes away. Another perk of Lex Vegas! :)

We have seen so much wildlife each time-- there's even a little beaver den that I like to stop and watch. I've only seen them active very early in the morning.

We took the dogs everywhere this summer-- walks and to the river, on trails, etc. Buster even has his own little seat in the truck!

Reason #7: Summer Swimming

We swam all the time this summer! It felt great to get out a few days a week. We went to Lake Douthat a few times, Goshen (Indian Pool), a pool in town (Thanks, Sam!), and even out on the James (a great kayaking trip with my parents). Always refreshing and something I already miss. The weather's already a little too chilly for river swimming.

Reason #6: Soccer Camp

Soccer camp is a fun tradition in my family. When I was growing up, my dad ran the camp and all my cousins would come in for the week. Being "creative" rather than "athletic" I usually watched from the sidelines, and eventually my cousin Becca joined me on the sidelines. We spent lots of time checking out the camp counselors and shopping!

Now my brother runs the camp. We had Becca's kids in for soccer camp-- I think this might be their 3rd year. It was fun getting the spend time with everyeone, but being pregnant, I have to say I was completely, utterly, COMPLETELY worn out after they left... Dont' get me wrong, they're great kids but I definetely think being a mom is going to wear me out! At the end of the week, Becca came in for the weekend and we all hit the lake. Fun,fun!

More photos from our Lake Douthat outing:

Reason #5: Ocean CityJeremy and I had planned to take 2 trips to the shore this summer, but our second trip had to be cancelled when we sold the MINI. (We'd be broke if we'd driven the truck 7 hours with these gas prices!) We did make it in June and it was WONDERFUL!

It was still pretty early in the season, so the beaches weren't crowded. The boardwalk wasn't, either, so it was just nice to chill out. We played lots of putt-putt, ate lots of yummy food and candy, and stayed out on the beach for most of the day. I can't wait to take the baby there next summer!