And We're Off!

Today Normy, Georgie, and I are flying to my ancestral home of Ripley, NY. I am jubilantly happy to be headed to one of a few places I truly call home. I can't wait to introduce Georgie to her Great Grandparents and Great Aunts and Uncles... as well as Aunt Kate, Aunt Sara, Uncle Ryan, and cousin Trenton. 

Though I will be able to get on line with my trusty iPhone I probably won't much. I am envisioning this trip as something as a retreat. I want to disconnect from my busy life, return to my roots; do some soul searching; and rekindle of my inner flame. Sound a little hoaky? Oh well. It's the truth. I plan on taking Normy out in to the fields and down to the crick where my siblings, cousins, and I used to play "Little House on the Prairie." I want to drink my morning coffee on the deck of my grandparents house and enjoy the view of Lake Erie on the horizon without thinking about my to-do list. 

Ooops... I've got to go.  Like now. Here's a few pictures for the road. 

Georgia making out with her kitty.

16.5 lbs at her 4 month check up!

Yes, he's nursing!

We're All in Recovery

After a week of crazy... two birthdays, Father's Day, and one major production of a BBQ we are all wiped out and feeling a little stir crazy. The dust is starting to settle. However, not quite enough for me to feel like blogging. Hang in there. I'll post pictures of the birthday extravaganza soon.

Happy 29th Birthday, Smoochy!

Just think, today marks the 5th anniversary of our first um... date. ;-) I drove out to the boonies in Georgia for a birthday barbeque. I had no idea what I was in for when I pulled into your driveway behind that big navy diesel truck. After a night of grilled steaks and Coronas "miles away from nowhere" I was hopelessly in love. Even meeting your crazy neighbors didn't deter me that night. (We miss you Charlie and Sharon!) So here we are, another year older and another more in love.

(Smoochy's second birthday... the same age Norm will be in 3 days!)

Missing Aunt B... Again!

After enjoying Aunt B's company for nearly a week, the house now seems lonely with her gone. It was so nice having her around. She has this shiny happy personality that brightens everyone's mood. Betsy is fun to laugh with and lovely to converse with. She is very sensitive and tuned in to the people around her, so it was super easy to fit her in to our days. Having her here was a big help with the kiddies... but mostly it was just awesome to enjoy her company. She's growing up so fast. It's been FIVE years now since she first visited her brother and I during her summer break. I hope we have many more such visits in the future. Here's what I wrote the last two times she came. WOW! I love you Betsy... come back soon!  

 

Who Needs Air Conditioning?

OSHA stopped by...

They were concerned about the toddler supervised demolition underway. Norm, frustrated by their demands, was eventually forced to comply with regs.

How Norm and I get stuff done around the (play)house...