Fourth of July Fireworks

The best view in the house.... is in front of our house! All the neighbors with kids gathered on the sidewalk in front of our house with lawn chairs and sparklers to view the big production being blasted from McIntire Park (right down the road from us)! And the best part was that we could bring the baby monitor outside with us and Sophie slept through the whole thing!

Father's Day Fun

Lucas picked this outing to a county fair for Laith's Father's Day celebration. Namely for the surprise gift both of us knew he would love... no, it's not a carousel ride...
Or a wild gator coaster ride...
It's a helicopter ride!!!

For a really reasonable price, all 3 of us were flown around beautiful Albemarle county for about 5 minutes. LOVED it!!




Happy Father's Day, Laith, to the kindest, most patient, and most fun Daddy!

Happy Father's Day!

Me and Dad "feeding the ducks" Father's Day 1976

Easter Look-Alikes

Easter with the Fairfax Vincents

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day, 35 years ago:

Our First Little Christmas

This is the first Christmas since Laith and I started dating in 2001 that we got a tree, decorated our house with more than a front-door wreath, and stayed in our own home for the holiday. It was quiet but also exciting to be starting our own family traditions and reveling in Lucas' participation in the Christmas season for the first time as well. He decorated the tree himself- well at least the bottom half of the tree. And you can see in the photos that he wanted the gold bead garland front and center! With Sophie still being a newborn, we weren't able to do all the things we want Christmas to be, but we got a good start on it. This year we watched Polar Express projected large at the local library after-hours with pillows and popcorn and 10-12 other young families, Lucas and Laith went to Janeen's cookie party, and we roasted marshmallows in our fireplace. Next year we'd like to chop down our own tree, do some sort of Angel Tree/Adopt a Family for Christmas presents, make pinecone bird feeders, and do an advent calendar and wreath. It's been a whirlwind last-3-months-of-the-year for us with a new house, new job, new state, new preschool, new baby, all 4 of our birthdays, and all the big holidays (halloween, thanksgiving and christmas) and we couldn't be happier. Merry Christmas everyone!

Thanksgiving