Liddy Cakes

Weekend in Williamsburg

2012-02-01T09:16:00.000-05:00

With weather forecasted to be in the high 50's this past weekend, we decided to take advantage of our new "vacation home on wheels" and headed down to Williamsburg for a night. We found a great campground that was open through the winter and with an early morning departure we arrived and had our site set up by 10:30, just in time to head into town for lunch at our favorite spot.

I think we mostly drive the 90+ minutes to Williamsburg, just for The Cheese Shop. I mean, it really is the best sandwich place (aside from Macados of course) and you can't beat the huge wine cellar and tasting room. Adam loves it too, as evidenced by his devouring of his smoked salmon and bagel.

After lunch we walked around for a bit before heading back for nap time. Adam took a great nap while Andy and Liddy played outside and I did some shopping. Then it was time to hit up the great playground they had. Adam had so much fun climbing up the little rock wall and going down the twisty slide about a gazillion times. It was the perfect afternoon.

The day got even better as we headed back to our site to get started on dinner. Andy and Poppy installed our new stereo last weekend which meant we were able to pump some great Nat King Cole through our outdoor speakers. I have to say, as I sat there slicing potatoes for dinner, sipping on a glass of wine, listening to that amazing music while Adam and Andy played catch, I couldn't help but feel completely happy. I might not have ever pictured myself owning a camper, but if it means nights like this, then I'm not sure I ever want to be without one.

Great weekend, great family, and yes, a great camper!

Winter wreath...

2012-01-13T18:00:00.000-05:00

I hate saying goodbye to my Christmas decorations. It's just about my least favorite day of year. My house always feels so empty and dull once the lights and garland are down. Luckily this year I had Pinterest to help pull me out of the post-Christmas doldrums!

I had seen this wreath and knew it would be a fun activity and a great wintry wreath for January. Making the yarn balls was actually so fun and almost therapeutic. I simply bought different sizes of styrofoam balls and wrapped them in various styles and colors of yarn.
For the wreath I just bought a cheap wooden wreath from Michaels then wrapped it in yarn. That was probably the most tedious part, but I'm glad I did it. Then I just used A LOT of hot glue and finished it off with some glittery picks that I got on major post-holiday sale.

I think I'm going to add some additional balls to it to thicken it up, but for now I'm loving how it looks hanging in our morning room.

Thank you Pinterest and Two Junk Chix! :)

A Camper Warming...

2012-01-13T15:01:00.001-05:00

We spent our first night in our new vacation home at Bull Run Regional Park and we couldn't have asked for better weather. Adam stayed with Ommy and Poppy the first night so we could get everything set up and make a big trip to Target for supplies. It was great having a relaxing morning and breakfast in the woods.

We then spent the rest of the day getting ready for our "Camper Warming" party with our families. We smoked sausage, built a great fire, and had the s'mores stuff ready to go.

We then had our families join us for a party in the woods. It was great to have everyone spending time together though I have to say the highlight was seeing my parents whittling sticks to roast marshmallows on. Those who know my parents know why this part stands out in my mind. :)

Thanks to everyone for coming out, I'd say our camper was nicely warmed!

I forgot to mention...

2012-01-12T08:22:00.000-05:00

...that Adam did get what he wanted for Christmas. Santa was so good to Adam and he remembered to bring him "Legos, puzzles, a camper, and trains." Ok, I know you're thinking, "Wait? Santa brought Adam a camper?" Well yeah, in the form of Legos.

He even brought Andy a camper...in the form of Legos.

Surprisingly, Santa even brought me a camper! No really, like a real camper! I like to think of it as a vacation home...

Thanks Santa! I'd say we will get years worth of vacations and adventures out of this present!

Ringing in the New Year...

2012-01-10T12:28:00.000-05:00

We had a fabulous New Year's Eve with our very fabulous friends, Greg, Erica and Blake. We invited them to spend the night which meant we could spend some time playing with the kids but then put them to bed and spend the rest of the evening eating, drinking and doing all we could to actually stay awake past midnight! :)

Erica and I planned a four course meal and split up the cooking duties. For appetizers we enjoyed bacon wrapped chorizo stuffed dates and a crab and artichoke dip.

Next up was Andy's mushroom soup with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Erica then made an amazing arugula salad topped with orange and grapefruit segments that had been heated in a balsamic and honey reduction then topped with a slice of prosciutto.

For dinner Andy grilled steaks and shrimp, Greg sliced up "saddleback" potatoes, and Erica made dijon braised brussel sprouts with shallots.

Meanwhile I was in charge of decor, and I couldn't have been happier with my table settings and floral arrangements.

We had the wine and martinis flowing and of course a champagne toast at midnight. Mostly I think we were just celebrating the fact that we were still awake to witness the start of 2012!

I hope everyone had a great start to the New Year. We are so lucky to have such amazing friends to celebrate with and we can't imagine kicking off the New Year with anyone else!
(and why do I take more pictures of food than of people? Resolution for 2012...more people pictures!!!)

Christmas at the beach...

2012-01-09T10:48:00.000-05:00

The day after Christmas we decided to hit the road and head for sunshine, palm trees, sand, and best of all, Don and Rosemary! With a week off from work, why not take advantage and get out of town for a bit!?

I'm certain there is no place quite as relaxing as Don and Rosemary's which made it the perfect destination after the holidays.

We had a great visit which included a trip to the beach. The weather was gorgeous that day and Andy even put his feet in the water. After our failed attempt at a beach trip this summer, it was nice to at least get in 30 minutes of beach time before the year ended.

The nice weather also meant we got a lot of good walks in and some park time for Adam. He loved "driving" this car and said he was on his way to see "BePa!"

We also just enjoyed spending time with Don and Rosemary and I know they enjoyed having a little one around during the holidays. They both had fun building legos and playing trains with Adam. He loves his Don and Mae Mae and is already asking when we can go back! I say, how about April? :)

Christmas dinner...

2012-01-07T17:30:00.000-05:00

Christmas is one of the greatest days of they year, so why not pack as much family and cheer into it as possible right?! Well that's exactly what we did. So after a great afternoon with my family we loaded up our sleigh again and headed out to Auntie Amy and Uncle John's house.

It was great to spend time with Andy's family (though we missed seeing Auntie Heidi and Uncle Shawn) and Adam loved getting to play with all his big boy cousins.

Amy put out a great spread with braised short ribs, Swedish meatballs, roasted brussel sprouts and super creamy mashed potatoes. It was just what we needed after a day of opening presents and playing with new toys--we'd earned it (or that's what I told myself) :)

We were charged with bringing the desert so I decided to make a pink champagne and strawberry cake I'd seen on Pinterest and not only was it gorgeous it was oh so tasty! I'll have to post the recipe sometime soon as it would be a great desert for Valentine's day.

So with full bellys, even more new toys, and an exhausted little elf, we finally said goodbye to Christmas Day, and what a great day it was!

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's...

2012-01-07T15:00:00.000-05:00

After a nice Christmas morning at our house, which included a wonderful breakfast casserole and a much needed power nap for Adam, we loaded up our sleigh and headed out for Grandma and Grandpa's house.

The grandkids were spoiled with so many great gifts and they loved playing with their new toys and did a great job of sharing and playing together. Adam and Olivia are so lucky to be so close in age and to be able to spend so much time together.

As for the big kids, we all drew names this year which cut the present opening time by about five hours! Ha! But we all got great things that we wanted and best of all we were able to have more time to spend chatting, nibbling on snacks and watching the kids test out their new toys.

It was a great Christmas afternoon!

(PS: Wish I'd taken more pictures but my camera was tired after snapping so many that morning! Thankfully Lee snapped these for us!)

PS...

2012-01-07T12:22:00.003-05:00

Mommy, Daddy and Liddy were good this year too!

We even got a nice handmade gift from our little elf, Adam!

A great Christmas morning for sure!

Santa came...

2012-01-07T08:33:00.000-05:00

Dear Adam,

What a good boy you've been this year. You've been very helpful to your mom and dad, picking up your toys when asked, helping to empty the dishwasher, and keeping up with your daily chore of feeding Liddy. I've watched you make new friends at school and I love how well you play with them, taking them on imaginary train rides to visit me at the North Pole-ho ho-I just love those visits! You have been a very good grandson to your Ommy, Poppy, Grandma and Grandpa and I see how their faces light up when you go to visit them. You have been a great big cousin and a good sport at being the younger cousin. When checking my list over, twice, I just couldn't imagine marking you down as anything but nice. So enjoy these presents Adam, you deserve them!

Ho Ho Ho!

Santa

Christmas Eve...

2012-01-06T23:34:00.000-05:00

Oh Christmas Eve, how quickly you arrive. We did have a great day though. Andy and Adam shopped, I did my traditional wrapping whilst viewing "It's a Wonderful life." (Side note, can I just say how much I adore that movie. So moving, so lovely, so wonderful.)
Our typical Christmas Eve traditions include hosting Ommy and Poppy for a holiday feast (see here, here and here), though sadly due to illness we had to postpone those festivities.

After Christmas Eve mass we headed home and attempted some family photos, I suppose the "M&M method" was just not quite working that night. We then enjoyed a great dinner of stuffed shells, salad and fresh garlic bread.

Before long it was time for a bath and Christmas PJ's (a Christmas Eve gift tradition!) Adam was all aflutter, asking that we be sure to say "Thank you Santa!" (How adorable is that!?) We were sure to give Santa that message along with a few additional cookies, just to be sure he knew that Andy, Liddy and I were thankful as well! :)

What a magical day Christmas Eve is. I can still remember the anticipation and butterflies (the good kind) I'd have in my stomach the night before Christmas. I'm certain it is one of the best days of the year!

A Christmas dinner party...

2012-01-06T22:13:00.001-05:00

It's amazing how every year, without fail, I enter the holiday season with grandiose aspirations of hosting multiple dinner parties, a cocktail party or two, and perhaps even a cookie swap or brunch just to round it all out. And alas, every year, the days go flying by and before I know it I'm scrambling to get even one dinner party together. Of course, I do always find a way to make at least one party occur, and this year we were able to host my family for a Christmas Eve, Eve, dinner party. Phew! :)

This year's December issue of my bible, I mean, "Martha Stewart Living," was probably the best issue yet with tons of great recipes and ideas, add to that my new obsession with Pinterest, and I had all the inspiration I needed to throw a festive and delicious holiday feast!

I love, love, loved my table scape. I found these adorable yarn wrapped trees on Pinterest and just had to make some for myself. So easy and so inexpensive--bonus!

For dinner we served a roasted pork with a cranberry apple chutney, roasted autumn vegetables, smashed red potatoes, and an arugula salad with a balsamic Dijon dressing. The chutney was an experiment, and while it is a gorgeous accompaniment, it was a bit on the sour side, must work on that for the next rendition.

Of course the highlight (aside from my table scape...did I mention my table scape!?!?!) was the time spent with my family. Adam and Olivia chased each other around and while they weren't doing that they were spending time with Uncle Mark who so graciously entertained them with train videos. My mom wrapped the presents that Andy bought for me (an annual tradition) and my dad just enjoyed having a night off from cooking. ;)

I love the holidays and I love my family...a match made in heaven? I think so!

Christmas play date with Reid & Ava...

2012-01-06T17:00:00.000-05:00

We had a great Christmas play date with Adam's little buddies, Reid and Ava. If you look up the word "compatible" in the dictionary, that's this group of kiddos. The best part is, when you look up the word "compatible" in the dictionary, you also see a picture of the four parents. Yep, that's just about as good as it gets! The kids spend hours playing nicely with one another and the parents enjoy hours of good conversation and wine! :)

Since it was the holiday season we had to do something fun and festive so cookie decorating it was! The bonus, was being able to use our new fireplace to keep the kiddos warm while they did their decorating (and mess making!) outside! I honestly could not have planned it any better.

Six years...

2012-01-06T14:46:00.002-05:00

Andy and I celebrated our sixth anniversary on December 17. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa we had the entire day to ourselves. We did some Christmas shopping, had a nice lunch out, and did some relaxing and Christmas card writing.

Over the years we've done our best to stick to the traditional anniversary gifts:

Year 1-Paper: I framed the sheet music to our first dance song
Year 2-Cotton: Flannel sheets, oh so romantic! ha
Year 3-Leather: New wallet for Andy, Uggs for me
Year 4-Fruit: Nothing says "I love you babe" like a box of oranges and grapefruits
Year 5-Wood: Cedar wood planks for the grill

And...Year 6- Iron: New cookie sheets and a new outdoor fireplace! So after a great dinner of roast lamb we snuggled up outside by the fire and found ourselves doing what we do best, talking about the best gift we've given each other...Adam.

Happy anniversary bub!

PS: Year 7 is Wool or Cotton...hmm, good thing I have 11 months left to figure that one out! :)

Christmas Pageant...

2012-01-06T11:28:00.001-05:00

After a typical Sunday lunch at our local Bone Fish, we headed out for our typical post lunch walk around the Kingstowne shopping area only to find that right in the middle of the square a Christmas pageant was taking place. (Score!)

So we stood and watched as a large group of kids, ranging in ages from probably 5 to 16 danced and sang to a medley of Christmas carols. It was adorable to say the least.

Adam was loving every second of it and even found himself dancing along. I'm not sure who was more entertaining, the kids or Adam getting jiggy with it! :)

Visiting Santa...

2012-01-05T08:35:00.000-05:00

Adam was soooooo excited to go see Santa. The whole car ride he was telling us what he was going to say to Santa and giggling as he'd blurt out random "Ho Ho Ho's!" It was entertaining and heart warming all at the same time.

Thanks to my sister we were able to attend the annual children's party at her office (we did this last year too) which is a perfect venue for meeting with Santa. No long lines, no expensive photo packages, just lots of free cookies, candy, hot chocolate and the ability to snap your own photos! Or in our case, the ability to have uncle Lee snap photos! :)

As we waited in line you see the excitement on Adam's face, though once it was his turn he froze. No freak outs, but no real smiles either. Funny part was, after his turn was over he was all excited again telling us over and over about how he sat on Santa's lap and how he told Santa he wanted "legos, puzzles, a camper, and trains." Perhaps he did, perhaps Santa doesn't need to hear the words to know what Adam's asking for. Perhaps.

Tree hunting...

2012-01-04T12:12:00.001-05:00

Our living room has a tree, our bedroom has a tree, Adam's bedroom has a tree, so it's only fitting that the basement have a tree as well, and a REAL tree at that! With the mild weather we had in December we were able to enjoy wandering around the tree lot looking for the perfect Frasier Fur to "spruce" up Adam's play area and with Adam's help we found it! Not too tall, not too short, not too fat, not too skinny...it was just right!

Adam even got to help decorate this tree. He might have clumped all of his ornaments in one spot, but I didn't mind (too much) and it gave our spunky, colorful, awesome smelling tree the character it needed.

I love having Christmas cheer in every corner of our home and even though he won't admit it, so does Andy! :)

Letter to Santa...

2012-01-04T08:51:00.000-05:00

Adam was all about Santa this year. He would wave to him when he'd see him on commercials, he'd wave and say "Hi Santa!" when he'd see an inflatable version in someone's front lawn, and he'd walk around the house singing, "better not cry...Santa Claus is coming to town." It was more than slightly adorable.

So we absolutely had to write a letter to Santa to make sure he knew what Adam wanted as a reward for being a good boy (which we were sure to remind him was a stipulation on an almost hourly basis throughout December).

I found a template online (thanks again Martha!) and we sat down together to fill it out. On Adam's wish list this year, "legos, puzzles, a camper, and trains."

Now don't tell Adam, but I never mailed it, I rather like the idea of hanging on to them to give to Adam at a future point in time, perhaps the night before he leaves for college? We'll see, for now I'm just loving every minute of the magic of Christmas through the eyes of my sweet boy.

Happy birthday Andy!

2012-01-03T15:53:00.000-05:00

I'd say that Andy had a pretty great birthday. It started off with a round of golf. Just Andy, his clubs, and the course to himself (not many people golfing on a Monday morning in December.) From what I heard he played very well and while there weren't any witnesses, I'm happy to take his word for it.

He then picked up Adam a little early from school, and being the awesome dad that he is, he took him to the park.

We then had his parents over for his birthday dinner. I was pretty excited about his cake. He requested chocolate cake and chocolate frosting, and while I hate to admit it, he even made his own cake. However I did make the frosting and of course did the decorating. I rather liked the drummer boy cake and considering he spent the night walking around saying, "want to eat drum?" I'd say that Adam was quite fond of it as well.

Happy birthday bub we love you!!

Christmas concert at Wolf Trap

2012-01-03T12:32:00.000-05:00

This event was probably one of the highlights of the holiday season for me. The weather was perfect, not too cold, but just enough briskness to make you feel festive. I can't believe I'd never heard about this before, but was happy to learn that every year the Marine Corps band puts on a FREE holiday sing-along concert, they simply ask that you bring a "Toy for Tots," jingle bells, a candle, and your singing voice!

Grandma, Adam and I had a great time. We clapped, we danced, we sang. We also learned that people go all out for this event, bringing picnics and drinks, just like any other Wolf Trap event. We've already noted that hot chocolate and cookies are a must for next year's concert!

Old Town Christmas Parade

2012-01-03T12:16:00.002-05:00

Like his mom, Adam loves a good parade, so when we heard there was a Christmas parade in Old Town, we had to check it out. To be fair, it was really more of a Scottish bagpipe parade, but we enjoyed it just the same.

Adam loved hearing the bagpipes and I loved walking around Old Town before the parade started. It's just such a festive place during the holidays, the highlight being the restaurant with the hanging Christmas trees and the Christmas store that turned it's outside wall and windows into a ginormous Advent Calendar, how clever!

Christmas card...

2012-01-03T12:03:00.000-05:00

Here are some outtakes from this year's Christmas card. We learned a valuable lesson in the process---Adam will smile for M&M's (or rocks as he calls them.) We may have gone through a bag or two...

And for those that we were unable to get a card to this year, here was the finished product...

Now, time to start weaning Adam off of M&M's!

Decking the halls...

2011-12-09T08:23:00.001-05:00

The day after Thanksgiving is always reserved for decorating and Andy is always a trooper! Grandpa and Grandma watched Adam while we got the house all decked out. I was really looking forward to Adam seeing all the decorations and his reactions did not disappoint!

I knew from the minute he walked in and exclaimed "hiiiiiiiiiiii Christmas tree!" that this was going to be our best holiday season yet!

A very Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-12-08T08:32:00.000-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving with lots of family, lots of great food, a festive parade, and unbelievably sunny and mild weather!

We woke up nice and early at Ommy and Poppy's and geared up for the parade. Adam was very excited (or maybe I was the one that was excited and it just rubbed off on him). It was great getting to share this with my little turkey. The marching bands always caught his attention and he was introduced to Spiderman! All in all, it was a great parade and I still plan on running that thing some day.

We spent a good part of the day making turkeys (Andy did his on the smoker, mine was nice and cozy in the oven), setting the tables, and watching a little football.

Family began showing up around 5:00 and we then spent the rest of the evening chatting, eating, drinking, and watching the cousins play. We even had a turkey carving demonstration for Drew...and then for me.

It was the perfect Thanksgiving (except for the fact that my dad was sick and couldn't come) and we are so thankful and blessed to be able to enjoy such a feast with such a wonderful family (whom we apparently preferred to spend time with than to bother taking pictures of...oops!)

Thanksgiving lunch at Adam's school...

2011-12-07T08:06:00.000-05:00

We experienced yet another rite of passage as parents, Thanksgiving lunch at school. I don't think there's anything more fun that showing up and surprising your child in the middle of the day and then getting to eat lunch with him as he shows you off to all his friends. "This is MY mommy." "That's MY daddy."

I loved every minute of it. I loved watching Adam pass the plates out to everyone (that was his duty for the day). I loved watching Adam place heaping spoonfuls of stuffing and collard greens on his plate (who knew they could serve themselves?) I loved watching Adam politely pass the food on to Lilly who was sitting next to him. I loved seeing him gobble up all of his turkey and then ask for more. I loved watching him clear his plate and wash his hands...all on his own. And I loved the food...it was really good!

I'm so thankful for the great school that Adam goes to. I'm thankful for his amazing teachers whom he loves and trusts. I'm thankful for his great friends. Mostly I'm just thankful to be Adams' mom.

Happy birthday Liddy!

2011-12-03T09:07:00.000-05:00

Our sweet little Liddy Poppins turned 6 last month and we just had to celebrate. Andy whipped up a batch of blueberry banana cupcakes and iced one with peanut butter just for the birthday girl.

Adam was so excited to celebrate another birthday in the house and spent the day and night chasing Liddy around so he could give her birthday hugs.

After we serenaded Liddy with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday to You" it was time for her to make a wish, then Adam helped her blow out her candle and open her presents.

We don't know what you wished for Liddy, but we hope it comes true!

XOXOXO

Family feast in the woods...

2011-11-28T12:30:00.000-05:00

Our final night in the camper we headed back up north and spent the evening camping at Bull Run Regional Park. It made for the perfect central location to invite Andy's family to join us for an outdoor feast around the fire.

Adam was excited to see his cousins and had fun playing in the leaves and watching them climb trees. We had a great dinner of hamburgers and brats and finished the night with s'mores.

It was a great way to end our fun camping weekend!

Trip to Jamestown

2011-11-22T09:39:00.000-05:00

I remember as a kid LOVING Jamestown so I was excited to take Andy (who had never been) and Adam knowing they'd love it too. It is really so well done, and the new museum was great with lots to keep Adam's attention.

Once outside we had fun walking through the Indian village and then up to the Fort where we walked through the masonry, the Church of England, and got to see the Governor's mansion.

Then we made our way to the water and got to not only see the ships but got to go onto them. I'm not sure I recall being able to board the ships as a kid, so this was an added bonus for sure. The tour guides, dressed to the times, were great and encouraged us to explore and even lay down in the beds. Adam was mesmerized!

After exploring the ships we walked back through the Indian village and let Adam run around. He was very well behaved and seemed to really be taking it all in. Looking forward to exploring more places like Jamestown with Adam in the future.

Pre-Thanksgiving...in the woods

2011-11-20T19:32:00.000-05:00

I'd have to say that Pre-Thanksgiving is definitely my third favorite holiday of the year...behind of course the real Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year marked the 8th annual Pre-Thanksgiving and while we had a minor hiccup (originally we were slated to celebrate at Wintergreen but mold and leaking walls got in the way..sorry Dad) we didn't let that get us down and instead we invited our wonderful friends, Chris and Aimee and their son Ryan to the woods for "Pre-Thanksgiving on a stick!"

Ok, so the only sticks used were those we threw to Liddy, but I think that saying has a nice ring to it. I have to say though, I was very impressed with the feast we were able to put together in the middle of the woods, and while we did have an oven in our camper, it didn't work. So, we had to get creative and found that the smoker was the perfect device for cooking mashed potatoes, stuffing, and of course the turkey!

It was so great spending time with our friends and Adam and Ryan had fun playing in the woods together. The fire was the perfect backdrop and we were once again reminded of how thankful we are for our family that isn't blood related.

Happy Pre-Thanksgiving to all our friends!

Playing catch...

2011-11-20T08:31:00.000-05:00

There aren't a whole lot of things that are better than sitting back on a brisk fall day and watching your husband throw a football with your son. Throw in a pumpkin ale and it's autumnal heaven.

Jump!

2011-11-19T17:00:00.000-05:00

It just so happens that right behind our camp site was a HUGE jumping pillow. Think trampoline dressed up as a giant pillow. So while Adam napped...we jumped.

Santa?!

2011-11-19T08:11:00.001-05:00

After a tasty breakfast of sausage and pumpkin pancakes we hopped in the car for an early morning visit to the Yankee Candle store. This isn't just any Yankee Candle store, this is a mammoth candle wonderland with an entire section devoted to Christmas, 365 days of the year. So yes, this was on my list of "must do's" during our camping trip. Little did I know we were about to find ourselves in the middle of an all out Christmas block party!

The Christmas carols were blasting over loud speakers, everyone was wearing Santa hats or the lovely foam antler ear hats that they were passing out, and I felt like I was right where I belonged! Adam and I danced and sang "Jingle Bells" and before we knew it, Santa and Mrs. Claus were riding down the street in their horse drawn sleigh. AH-MAZING!

I'm certain I didn't stop smiling all day...

The Family and the Camper...

2011-11-18T20:20:00.001-05:00

I must say when Andy rents a camper...he really rents a camper. This was truly a house on wheels and with my personal touches (pumpkins, scented candles and sweet cinnamon pumpkin hand soap) it was the perfect place to spend a weekend in the multi-colored woods.

To say that Adam was excited about the prospect of spending a weekend in a camper was an understatement. In fact, the word ecstatic wouldn't even come close to describing it. Have I mentioned the brain washing that's been taking place since Adam was likely only the size of pea?? Adam was all about investigating every inch of the camper and when it came time to helping Daddy, he was right there willing to lend a hand.

Liddy on the other hand was all about the fresh air, and of course the sticks. For those of you that don't camp (I'm talking to you Mom and Dad) there are a lot of sticks in the woods. This makes for a very happy Liddy.

We sat by the fire and told campfire stories...did you hear the one about the baby that came out of the womb chanting "camper camper camper!?"

We made hand print turkeys and played with stamps and stickers (you didn't think I'd leave my Martha side at home did you?)

To be honest, I think I could get used to this...

The Princess (ha) and the Camper...

2011-11-18T19:56:00.000-05:00

It's no surprise to those that know us that one of Andy's goals in life is to one day own a camper. He grew up with a camper and has wonderful memories of camping trips and Christmases spent amidst the woods. Meanwhile, those that know me well know that I'm still learning how to spell the word "camper" having learned at an early age how to quickly spell the words "hotel reservation."

Alas, our two worlds have collided and I'm nothing if not open to new things (ok...my family can stop laughing now) so I've recently become more open to the discussion of bringing a camper into our lives. It's important to note that Andy deserves major props for having planted the seed early with Adam, to the point that my sweet two year old is now pointing out, and with glee I might add, campers on the road every time he sees them (well played Andy, well played.)

We've had two great camper experiences with our trips to Blacksburg, but Andy was ready for Adam and I to experience a real camping trip so with the (again, well played) bribe of a trip to Williamsburg (one of my favorite places) I was on board and thus our family camping trip commenced.

(Did I mention Andy is very persuasive?) ;)

Our little train conductor...

2011-11-16T14:22:00.000-05:00

We were missing a hat and train whistle, but I think he was still the cutest little train conductor...

He even got to trick-or-treat for the first time, getting candy from our neighbors to the left and our neighbors to the right.

He then spent the rest of the evening stealing all of our candy.

A Happy Halloween indeed!

Halloween Party

2011-11-09T09:26:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure anyone does Halloween as well as Greg and Erica, so when we got the invite to come over for a little Halloween party we quickly said YES!

Even though Erica had an amazing menu lined up, I felt I needed to provide something, so I experimented with my bundt pan (only used once since our wedding) and made a pumpkin spice bundt cake with pumpkin buttercream frosting. Inspiration found here: http://sugarcrafter.net/2009/10/27/pumpkin-bundt-cake/

(I was so happy that the cake came OUT of my intricate bundt pan and look forward to using it more often now that I know the secret---use cake recipes that call for butter!)

As per usual, Greg and Erica had the house decked out in Halloween swag. Their best decoration was of course their sweet pumpkin Blake. She was certainly the cutest pumpkin I've ever seen!

As an activity, Erica had a mini-caramel apple making station set up. This was a HUGE hit with Adam. He loved dipping the apples in caramel, and then adding chocolate chips. Such a clever idea!

It was a great party and our little train conductor couldn't stop talking about Blake the pumpkin! :)

Our beautiful campus...

2011-11-08T11:08:00.000-05:00

After the game, Andy and I couldn't help but take a walk around the campus. I know I've said this before, but Tech really has such an amazing campus.

We walked around a reminisced about study dates in the "bridge,"

...we joked about Chris Neck's Intro to Management course and other classes we took in McBryde 100,

we thought about the millions of times we trapsed across the drill field,

and the walks we took around the duck pond,

and of course the many hours and nights spent in Pamplin with the fraternity.

What a great campus that was the back drop for what has now becomming a wonderful marriage.

XOXOXO Va. Tech!

Tailgating and Hokie Football...

2011-11-04T16:00:00.000-04:00

We had such a great time tailgating before the Homecoming game. We smoked chicken wings (something we learned about at the golf course on Friday--hello? How did we never think to smoke wings before?!), played corn hole, and just enjoyed being surrounded by so much orange and maroon!

While we think we did a pretty good job with our tailgate, we are definitely amateures compared to some of the tailgates we saw. Just next door to us we had balloons and lights, across the way there were grills going and some new sort of full contact beer pong game taking place, but the most hard core tailgate we saw had a life sized version of "Angry Birds." The enemies in this version were the mascots of our competitors in the ACC and the "Angry Bird" was non other than the Hokie Bird! Having never met the Hokie Bird as a student, I was just slightly excited.

After we were fully "tailgated" we made the trek over to the stadium and were even able to find some cheap tickets along the way. While our seats were up pretty high, we didn't mind, it just felt good to be back in Lane Stadium cheering on our Hokies (who, by the way, won.) ;)

Kick-off to Homecoming in Blacksburg...

2011-10-29T14:13:00.000-04:00

After my conference ended I hit the road and made the trip from Greensboro to Blacksburg to meet up with Andy and to check out our home away from home for the weekend...our RV. This is the second time we've visited Blacksburg in an RV (remember this?) and we were looking forward to enjoying another fun football weekend at Tech.

They switched the parking around a bit so this time we were parked on what used to be the first hole at Tech's golf course. It was a pretty appropriate parking spot considering our relationship started 10 years ago on that very golf course.

After getting settled in we quickly changed into our golf clothes and headed to Tech's new golf course, The River Course, but not without a quick lunch break at Macadoos and a shopping spree at the bookstore. :)

This was our first time playing The River Course and we were definitely impressed, to say the least. Of course it helped that the trees were decked out in Hokie orange and maroon! It really is a gorgeous course and while our golf games weren't quite as pretty, it was still a great afternoon on the links.

After golf we headed back to the RV, changed into some more "downtown" appropriate attire and made our way through campus to some of our favorite night time spots in Blacksburg. We started at Sharkeys and once we fought our way through the muuuuuuch younger crowd (ugh) we ordered some "Strong" Island Iced Teas (the long time Friday special) and found a somewhat quiet spot in the corner. Shortly after, our great friends Chris and Aimee joined us and we spent the next 30 or so minutes discussing how cheap the drinks were, how short the skirts were, and how old we felt! Ha! :)

After a quick stop at Champs and some super yummy and equally unhealthy chicken dippers, we all agreed it was past our bed times and we all called it a night, opting to save our energy for a day of tailgating and football watching.

Did I mention it was only 10?

Conference in Greensboro

2011-10-29T13:15:00.000-04:00

Last week I headed to Greensboro, NC for my organization's 19th Annual Conference. While not the most glamorous of locations, it really was the perfect spot for my crew of engineers to gather for a week of education, networking, and a lot of beer!

This was my 6th conference with this group and have to brag and say it was definitely our best one yet. We had a champagne toast to celebrate 10 years of the certification program that I oversee. We also had Jeff Hammond (a famous NASCAR pit crew chief, so I'm told) as our keynote so we used that to theme the conference with lots of NASCAR and racing decor. We even got a race car with our logo on it and had some of our exhibitors sponsor logos on it at as well. It was pretty cool, I must say.

For one of the evening receptions we brought in a simulator car and our attendees got to take a five minute race around the Charlotte race track. I took a spin in it as well, but lasted about 30 seconds before I had crashed and burned...I blame my heels...and chardonnay (see, you really shouldn't drink and drive!)

While it was a long and hectic week and I missed my family like crazy the satisfaction of knowing we put on one heck of a conference made up for it.

Next year, we head to Orlando and we're already getting excited about it...

Train to the Clifton Fair

2011-10-26T13:09:00.000-04:00

We discovered the Clifton Fair last year and had so much fun we made a point to put it on our calendar for this year as well.

This year we discovered that the train runs from Burke to Clifton and the ride is free! We were so excited to take Adam on the train and he loved every minute of it. Andy dropped us off and drove to Clifton so we wouldn't be tied to the train schedule for our return home, and Adam and I headed off for our big rail adventure!

Adam's eyes were so big just taking everything in as we waited on the platform. Then his ears perked up as he heard the train coming towards us and started shouting, "train coming! train coming!"

The ride wasn't too long but we did get the added bonus of having another train come up right beside us! Adam was in train heaven!

The fair was also very fun, but the train ride was certainly the highlight! Can't wait until next year!

Someone get this kid an agent...

2011-10-13T21:46:00.000-04:00

Is he a natural or what? And I promise none of this was staged...except of course the part where I forced him to wear a vest in 70 degree weather....

I hope...

2011-10-12T20:37:00.000-04:00

I am in L.O.V.E. with this little boy...

I hope he'll always let me hold his hand and let me show him new things...

I hope we'll always be able to have little chats and tell each other secrets...

I hope he'll always be my little buddy...even when he's my big buddy...

I hope...

Incase you were wondering...

2011-10-12T20:20:00.002-04:00

Adam's eyes are blue...

Like, really blue...

Speaking of blogworthy...

2011-10-12T20:08:00.000-04:00

I'd say these awesome photos Uncle Lee took on Saturday evening count...

There are no words...

500...

2011-10-10T13:32:00.001-04:00

This post marks my 500th entry on Liddy Cakes. I started this blog on a whim with the original goal of keeping track of fun recipes we've tried and as a creative outlet for myself. I always enjoyed writing so it seemed the perfect excuse to keep those creative juices flowing. However, over the years, and the 500 posts, this blog has turned into a living journal for my family. What started out as a husband, wife and dog, has turned into a father, mother, son and seemingly attention depraved dog (but please don't let her fool you, she's as spoiled as ever.)

We've experienced the most amazing joys, found ourselves surrounded by the best friends and family anyone could ask for, enjoyed gourmet and not-so gourmet but still equally delicious meals, hosted dinner parties, and traveled the world, more than once.

All along, we've found ways to make what might seem like mundane work weeks "blogworthy" as we've ventured out to parades, wineries, new restaurants, beaches, and parks. It might sound silly, but I do believe this blog has pushed me to try new things, to turn what might be an enjoyably lazy Saturday into an adventure, all for the thrill of having some fun and (hopefully) something inspiring to post on the blog. Let's face it, when you document your life, it ought to be worth documenting. So, thank you Liddy Cakes, for pushing us to explore our surroundings, experiment in the kitchen, and record these sometimes fleeting moments in our life that we will be able to treasure always.

Here's to another 500 blogworthy moments!

Pumpkin patch...

2011-10-07T09:10:00.001-04:00

With the arrival of fall weather last weekend, we took advantage and met up with Greg, Erica and Blake at our local pumpkin patch. It was a little wet still from the rain the day before, so that made it a little messy and challenging to stage any photos, but we still had fun chasing Adam through the tunnels and picking out a few pumpkins to take home with us.

Love this time of year!

Braised Pork Shoulder...the sequel...

2011-10-05T20:36:00.001-04:00

With all that leftover pork we had to think of some way of reinventing it for another evening's meal, and I came up with what I think was a pretty creative option...we turned it into a pumpkin and pork pizza.

We have a pizza place up the street, Johnny's, that has pretty good pizza, but our favorite thing to order is their pizza dough. They sell their dough, un-cooked of course, in a small and a large and for $4.50 for a large dough it's a pretty good deal and takes a ton of the work out of making homemade pizza. :)

So with the dough rolled out and the crust pre-stuffed with mozzarella (Andy refuses to eat a pizza that doesn't have a stuffed crust) I simply used the leftover pumpkin sauce from a few nights before as the base, then topped with leftover pork, cremini mushrooms, red onion, more mozzarella and some arugula for color and extra crunch.

It was so good and a great way to use up leftovers without feeling like you were eating leftovers. Of course, I didn't mind the leftover pizza for lunch the next day. ;)

Fall veggies with cheese tortellini...so easy!

2011-10-05T20:29:00.000-04:00

Our next evening's dinner was the epitome of easy and a great use of seasonal veggies to add some much needed depth to a store bought main dish. We again used my October "Real Simple" for the inspiration for this dinner and we'll definitely be doing this one again as it is also an Adam pleaser--bonus!

Ingredients:
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes (Trader Joes always has pre-cooked, pre-peeled, pre-sliced squash and it's cheap!)
1 container of cemini mushrooms, halved (we also used a container of shitake--again, Trader Joes has great prices on mushrooms)
-While RS didn't call for it, we had asparagus on hand that needed to be used so we added that to the mix
1 pound of fresh cheese tortellini (they even sell whole grain versions so that's what we used)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 450. Toss the veggies in some olive oil and add in some salt, pepper and for added flavor some sage or rosemary. Roast the veggies for about 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, cook up the tortellini, saving a little bit of the pasta water. Once the veggies are done, toss them with the pasta and reserved cooking water in a sauce pan and grate some fresh parmesan or gruyere cheese on top. For an extra kick, I always add just a little nutmeg when using fall veggies like these, just adds that extra kick. :)

More cookin...(Tomato Soup & Paninis)

2011-10-05T20:19:00.000-04:00

We've found a new obsession---homemade paninis! We used my October "Real Simple" for this night's dinner and cooked up some super easy tomato soup with roast beef and horseradish paninis to dip into it (served with leftover green beans from the night before). It was a perfectly easy, yet satisfying meal for a Monday night.

Soup Ingredients:
2 tbs olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp dried thyme
salt & pepper to taste

Soup Directions:
Heat the oil in large saucepan, add in onions and garlic and cook until softened. Add the tomatoes and juices, broth, thyme, salt & pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slight thickened. Then blend in a blender (we skipped this step and instead used our Magic Wand we received as a wedding gift---we didn't register for it, but we've gotten a ton of use out of it in the past 6 years--thanks again Dan & Eloise!) :)

For the paninis, we used sourdough from Trader Joes, a horseradish/mayo spread that we had on hand, roast beef, fresh arugula, and gruyere cheese and our George Foreman grill (yes, Andy still has his from college) to heat them up.

They were so delicious and I think I see a panini maker in our future--there are so many fun options and they couldn't be easier on a work night.

Enjoy!

Cooking up a storm (Braised Pork Shoulder)

2011-10-05T20:08:00.000-04:00

Now that the lazy, hazy days of summer are behind us, we've reinvigorated our weekly menu planning and new recipe searching activities. Most of our inspiration came from the October issue of "Real Simple" and their month of easy meals that we have made quite a few dinners from. We're sort of circling back to the begining of the year when we made resolutions to grocery shop less and cook more healthy (for the most part), new and fun dinners.

I suppose this first recipe might not qualify for "healthy" but it did contain some greans, some protein, and on a fall Sunday, let's face it, a Braised Pork Shoulder just sounds awesome.

We adapted the recipe from Martha Stewart's October issue from 2010 (side note...I just LOVE when my October issue of Martha comes, it starts off my three favorite month's of Martha magazines!)

Ingredients:
6-7 ounce pork shoulder
6 medium/thick slices pancetta
2 thinly sliced onions
1 head of garlic
2 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp coriander seeds (using mortal and pestal, crush the fennel and coriander together)
2 cups of Belgium style ale (we used a Sam Adam's fall harvest brew, can't remember which!)
1 cup of low sodium chicken stock
Olive oil, salt & pepper

Directions:
*Pre-heat oven to 300
*Finely chop pancetta and crips up in olive oil in a dutch oven then remove
*Caramelize sliced onions in dutch oven for about 20 minutes then remove
*Season the pork with some salt & pepper then add a little more oil to dutch oven and sear fat side down for about 5 minutes or until golden, flip and repeat
*Add in your combined fennel and coriander with chopped up garlic and cook about a minute or so
*Add back in the onions and pancetta as well as the beer and chicken stock and bring to a simmer
*Then cover and put in the oven for roughly 4 hours or until the pork is shredding

Our spin on it was that before we began shredding the meat we took about a cup of the liquid from the dutch oven and added to a sauce pan. We then added a small can of pumpkin puree, some nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and a little more chicken stock and let it thicken up (we probably added some additional pepper and salt).

We then boiled some pappardelle pasta and plated it up with some shredded pork on top, with some steamed green beans and then topped with the pumpkin sauce.

So delicious, so fall, and so great for leftovers (wait until you see what we did with those!) :)

Our little football fan...

2011-09-29T15:27:00.000-04:00

Now that golf season is over we've started to introduce Adam to the wonderful world of football. He has his VT jersey for Saturdays and his Redskins jersey for Sundays. We're working on teaching him the rules and explaining who he should cheer for and when, though he pretty much just seems to cheer for whomever is running with the football. Looking forward to lots of football Saturdays and Sundays to come and hopefully a lot of Hokie/Redskin victories!!

September Birthday Club

2011-09-27T08:44:00.001-04:00

I love sharing my birthday with Adam, but I also love that I get to share my birthday month with so many other great members of the family-Mom, Lee and Andrew. While it isn't always easy to get us all together at the same time (ok, who am I kidding, it's usually pretty easy to get us all together, just not when we are actually trying to celebrate something) once we settle on a date, our September Birthday Club celebrations are always fun and festive.

This year we did a BBQ luncheon with make your own sundaes for dessert (my personal fav!) We then opened presents and oohed and aahed at all the nice things everyone got. Adam was especially happy with his new clothes from Grandma and Grandpa, exclaiming "Oooh, so cute" and "Ooooh wow, pretty" it was very entertaining and oooh, so cute. ;)

Adam even found some time to read Olivia one of his new books.

So happy birthday to Mom, Adam, (me), Lee and Andrew! September rocks! :)

A very happy birthday...for me!

2011-09-16T10:12:00.002-04:00

I suppose I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the great birthday that I had. Adam was so sweet wishing me a happy birthday every chance he got. I think he thinks it's pretty cool that we Adam and Mommy share a birthday...and so do I.

Andy did a great job, as usual, to make the day special for me. He made braised short ribs and mashed potatoes for dinner and even added in extra carrots as he knows how much I love cooked carrots! He also made me an awesome ice cream cake for dessert (note to self, we need to buy birthday candles.)

I was then gifted with an iPad, which I LOVE. Though I think Adam might love it even more! He loves looking through flash cards and doing FaceTime with Grandma and Grandpa. It's adorable to see how well he knows how to use it! Meanwhile, Adam does let me use it from time to time, which is nice of him. ;)

It was a great day and I look forward to making the most of my last year as a "20-something!" (YIKES!)

All aboard!

2011-09-12T16:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we headed to Burke Lake Park and Adam got to go on his very first train ride! He was in heaven. The train even went through a tunnel, just like his Thomas the Train set does! The ride lasts about eight minutes and I don't think Adam stopped grinning the entire time. Bonus, it was only $2.50 to ride on it, what a great bargain!

After the train ride Adam got to experience another first, his first ride on a carousel. He thought that was so fun and loved waving at Daddy every time we saw him. I have to admit I was getting a little dizzy myself, but Adam was all smiles! Ticket price for that ride was $1.75, again, what a bargain!

We will definitely be going back and perhaps we'll even take Adam on the haunted train ride next month! So fun!

Adam's Birthday Party

2011-09-09T16:27:00.000-04:00

We invited family and friends over on Sunday to celebrate Adam's birthday. Adam loved having his friends Reid, Ava and Blake and cousin Olivia to play with. The kiddos had a blast running from one end of the house to the other and were thoroughly exhausted when all was said and done. Definitely the sign of a successful party!

Andy and Greg grilled up yummy and colorful kabobs and the kids enjoyed baked carrot macaroni and cheese (gotta get the veggies in them somehow!) We then topped it all off with a dark chocolate cake with butter cream frosting.

It was a great celebration of one awesome little buddy. We can't thank our families and friends enough for yet another year of babysitting, fun gatherings, vacations, picture taking and memories that have helped shape our son.

Look who turned 2...

2011-09-08T15:56:00.003-04:00

How fast a year goes by! Our little guy turned 2 on Saturday and we spent every minute of the day celebrating! We started the morning by greeting Adam with a balloon and the first of about 100 performances of "Happy Birthday!" He was kind enough to quickly reply, "happy birthday Mommy!"

We then spent the morning gearing up for the first Hokie game of the season. We cooked up some buffalo chicken dip and turkey legs and we all got our orange and maroon attire on to cheer on Virginia Tech, who provided Adam with his next birthday present, a 66-13 win over Appalachian State. Go Hokies!

After an afternoon nap, Adam awoke to his next set of presents. It was so great to see him actually open a present and see his face light up when he saw that we had given him some new Thomas trains and best of all, Harold the Helicopter! He wasn't quite as excited by the outfit I'd gotten him, but what could I expect?! :) We then told him to close his eyes while Daddy wheeled out his big present, a tricycle!! He was so excited, cheering "Bike! Bike!"

After taking a few spins around the kitchen on his new bike and playing with his new toys, it was time for cake! Of course his real cake was for his party, but we did whip up some yummy zucchini muffins, which he loves, so he got to enjoy one of those after he blew out his candles!

What a sweet, smart, funny, loving, adventurous, eager, adorable, stubborn, but in a good way, playful, imaginative and wonderful two year old you are Adam! We love you more than we could ever put into words, try as we might!

Our (not so) Beachy Vacation...

2011-09-07T10:20:00.001-04:00

For six months we planned and looked forward to our annual beach trip to the Outer Banks but sadly, Hurricane Irene had other plans for us. However, we didn't let the storm and canceled beach week get us down, instead, we made the most of it!

While we didn't get to play on the beach, we still got our toes in the sand...

We didn't catch any waves, but we still caught some air...

There weren't any seagulls, but there were some birdies, and almost an eagle...

Instead of sand buckets we mostly used sand wedges...

Best of all, instead of swallowing a bunch of salt water, we found ourselves enjoying a lot of Virginia wines...

Who's ready for Beach (or unBeach) Week 2012?

Happy (Belated!) Birthday Uncle Mark!

2011-09-06T13:34:00.001-04:00

(Disclaimer...yes, I know I'm way behind, but I'll try to make the wait worth it!)
A few weekends ago we were able to get the whole family together to celebrate Mark's birthday. Dad grilled steaks and Andrew and Adam helped shuck the corn.

After dinner we opened gifts and Mark got to enjoy his favorite, sherbet cake! Adam was loving the singing and the blowing out of birthday candles, exclaiming after all was sad and done, "again?" Lucky for Adam there are lots more birthdays to celebrate in the coming weeks/month!

So albeit extremely belated, wishing one very awesome brother and a super uncle a fantastic birthday! :)

(PS: Thanks to Lee for snapping the pics of Mark and the kiddos opening his gifts!) :)

Play date with Reid and Ava

2011-08-22T14:17:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we headed over to Kristine and Kathleen's for a much overdue play date and BBQ. It was great to catch up with them and the kids had so much fun playing together.

Reid just turned four and was so nice to play the younger (almost) two year olds. He is such a good big brother and friend! He even showed Adam how to use his birthday present, an awesome Thomas the Train set!

We played outside for a bit as well and Adam was loving all of the fun toys at his disposal. They played basketball, baseball, and even horse shoes!

After dinner Ava showed Adam how to ride their mini-roller coaster! What a fun house! :)

Thanks Kristine, Kathleen, Reid and Ava for a fun afternoon and a great dinner!

Doggie Happy Hour

2011-08-18T14:25:00.001-04:00

Last Friday we got to take Adam to his first Doggie Happy Hour or more commonly referred to as DHH. Neil and Fionna hosted and their backyard was the perfect place for the kids to run around and play. Adam got to get reaquinted with Lillian and Marley and met some new friends as well. While we had a few "no boys allowed" moments, Adam held his own and by the end of the night was seen taking multiple wagon rides with Lillian...so scandalous! :)

While there were quite a few kids, the dogs still reigned supreme! Liddy was so happy to see all of her friends, Saki, Casper, Jeter, Leyla, Zibby and Tatum. Great to have the whole gang back together, chasing tails, stealing food from the table, getting dirty and best of all, exhausting themselves!

Here's to the dogs! (who sadly were not photographed very well)

A week at the lake...

2011-08-17T11:37:00.002-04:00

After our family filled weekend at the lake (and after two consecutive days of missed flights) I got to enjoy an extended vacation at the lake with my boys and Ommy and Poppy.

We stayed in a great cabin that had it's own boat dock which made for lots of Wally time on the water. The weather was amazing, sweatshirts in the morning, bathing suits during the day, and back to sweatshirts in the evening.

The cabin was perfect for Adam to run around and play in and with a big deck and side yard, he had all the space he needed to get his energy out. As for the adults, ladder golf was played, books were read, and lots of yummy meals were devoured (lobster roll anyone?!) :)

Thanks to Ommy and Poppy, Andy and I even got to go out on a date. We took the boat around the lake to Meridith Bay where we each had amazing pasta dinners (we've since recreated both pastas at home) and after dinner we took the boat around to The Weirs where we hit the arcades. It was the perfect date night!

We were sad to have to leave New Hampshire, but I think I've made life long Lake Winnepesauke lovers our of Andy and Adam so I know we'll be back soon! We loved the name of this one boat we saw, it certainly sums up the trip perfectly!

"Adam, meet the Greeley's"

2011-08-15T16:12:00.000-04:00

While the house was something to see, the highlight of the weekend in New Hampshire was the opportunity for Adam to finally meeting all of his second cousins, Great Aunts and Uncles. Of course, he had already met Great Aunt Mary Jo and cousin Meghan (remember this?)

There was nothing shy about Adam that weekend. He knew they were family and he was giving out hugs and kisses left and right to all of them! He was very social with everyone and fit right in! :)

We had so much fun spending time with everyone, meeting a few girlfriends, meeting Meghan's soon to be in-laws, and eating....boy did we eat! Kudos to the various chefs involved, and to the organizers of the make your own sundae bar, I applaud you!

When we weren't eating, we split our time between boating, swimming, hanging out on the water trampoline, sun bathing on the patio, and playing ping pong and pool.

However, my favorite activity of the whole weekend was getting to listen to my uncle Tim sing while he played his guitar. That was always a highlight of my previous trips to the lake and I soaked up every minute of it and loved that Andy got to experience it too (Adam was sound asleep after all that family time). We all just sat out on that patio as we watched the sun go down, bundled up in sweatshirts, and we sang along, we danced, we applauded, we shouted our requests, we looked up at the stars and thought of those who weren't there to enjoy the moments with us.

We did attempt a picture of all the cousins that were there and you'd think that being grown adults and all (well aside from Adam) that we'd be able to pull it off...but no. HA! Hopefully someone's camera captured the moment better than mine did and perhaps the issue wasn't the cousins but the amount of cameras. :)

Love my family! :) XOXOXO

The big lake house on the left...

2011-08-11T18:56:00.000-04:00

For our weekend in New Hampshire, my cousin Sean rented this amazing house right on the lake that could sleep practically the whole the family...and that's saying something! The views were spectacular and Adam basically spent the weekend pointing out the huge windows saying "Oooooh, boat! Ooooh, water! Ooooh, helicopter!"

It was so great being able to stay with the family and there were plenty of activities to keep us occupied. Adam found coloring with a view of the lake to be quiet pleasant...

Though he also enjoyed getting in on the many ping pong games that were played (we think the cousins would pay him off to distract their opponent, though so far we can't find the money, hopefully Adam has placed it in his piggy bank)

And he also had fun shooting his first round of pool.

Of course when we weren't enjoying what the inside of the house had to offer we spent plenty of time enjoying the great outdoor areas including the amazing patio...

The backyard...

And of course the dock...

Thanks cousin Sean, what a perfect gathering place on a most perfect lake!

Wandering...

2011-08-09T16:13:00.000-04:00

"I've been wanderin' early and late, From New York to the Golden Gate, And it don't look like, I'll ever stop my wanderin'" -James Taylor

We gathered in New Hampshire to celebrate the life of one of the kindest, funniest, adventurous, people I've ever known, who also had some pretty wicked dance moves. Jesse is the oldest of the 17 Greeley cousins and I'm so sad that he never got to meet his first, second cousin, Adam. Though after spending a weekend surrounded by family sharing stories, laughter and tears, I'm pretty sure Adam has started to know him, and we'll continue to share those memories with him so that when they do meet one day it will be as though they were long lost friends, simply separated by time and countless adventures.

Jesse spent his life finding new adventures, climbing mountains, driving cross country to explore the wilderness, the wildlife, the strangers he'd meet along the way that quickly morphed into dear friends. And the best part was he took us all along. He captured his adventures in immense detail sharing them with us in letters, emails and stories. I remember the excitement I'd feel seeing a new letter arrive and finding myself hiking the Alps along with him. He was so gifted in his story telling and the amazing part of it all was that the stories he was telling and writing weren't stories at all, they were narratives of a life lived to the fullest, they were narratives of his life.

So while he's no longer here with us in this life, I'm certain he's finding new adventures and I know we all take comfort in knowing that when we set off on our own explorations and adventures on this Earth, it will be because Jesse is taking us along with him.

How Adam earned his wings...

2011-08-08T14:47:00.001-04:00

I was so excited about taking Adam on his first plane ride. We were all heading to Lake Winnipesauke in New Hampshire and even though Andy wanted to bring the boat and drive, I figured the best way to make such a long trip would be for Adam and I to fly. My frequent flyer miles came in quite handy and with Adam being (just slightly) under two, he was able to sit on my lap, bonus!

We sent Andy on his way on Thursday morning and after an overnight stop in Connecticut he'd be arriving at the airport in Manchester, NH just in time to pick us up. We had the added bonus of Andy being able to lug all of our stuff so I packed a backpack to the gills bought a compact umbrella stroller and we were all set!

Inside my backpack I had an extra outfit for myself, three outfits for Adam, a variety of snacks, new books, toys, diapers, wipes and of course, Adam's froggy blanket. I was prepared for anything and everything, which turned out to be a good thing considering I had just about anything and everything thrown at me throughout the course of the day.

Oh my sweet Adam, how sick you were. You were sick in the car (three times) you were sick in the security line, you were sick in the pub across from our gate. Something tells me had I packed four extra outfits, you probably would have been sick on the plane too. Had it not been for the week you were going to be spending at the lake with Ommy and Poppy I probably would have turned around and brought you home. But after cleaning you up for the third time that day, we headed onto the plane and with your froggy blanket in your arms and you in my arms you started to drift off to sleep.

Sadly the nap didn't last long as the pilot announced, shortly thereafter, that there was a mechanical issue with the plane and we needed to get off. Oh boy! So I gathered up our things and we got off the plane and headed to the gate area where we waited for more information. We found out soon thereafter that we needed a new plane to fly us to New Hampshire and that it would arrive in about two hours. You napped and I tried to regain my sanity.

Finally it was time to get back on the plane and although you'd been napping for a couple hours you still slept on the plane. Once we landed you had a plane full of passengers telling you what a good boy you were and praising you for being the best toddler they'd ever seen fly. Ah if they only knew!

It was then that the flight attendant brought you your wings. You earned them.

Too much pork bbq...

2011-07-22T10:01:00.002-04:00

Andy smoked a humongous pork shoulder on Sunday leaving us with just too much pork bbq for our little family to devour, so we called in reinforcements.

Greg, Erica and Blake arrived with empty bellies, a green salad and ready to assist. Such good friends they are! :)

While Blake didn't help with eating the bbq, she did help to keep us entertained, though mostly it was Adam's attention that the caught. We were all witness to not only their first, but their second and possibly even their third kiss. We all watched speechless, not sure whether to cheer, laugh, cry or separate the two...I'm mostly wondering what Greg was thinking. Ah, young love.

Thanks for a fun night G&E&B, though we still have about three pounds of bbq leftover...sigh.

Planes, trains, and automobiles...and so much more!

2011-07-20T09:49:00.001-04:00

Friday night we surprised Adam when we picked him up from school by having "Wally boat" with us! He was so excited when we walked outside and he saw the boat hitched to the truck. We then told him we were going for an evening boat ride and that we were going to have dinner on the boat. His response, "Ooooh, Wally boat, dinner!"

We launched from the air force base, putting us in the Potomac across from National Airport. We hadn't taken Adam on a boat ride up the Potomac yet and we knew he was in for a treat. We were lucky to have the planes landing from the city side, so Andy drove the boat around to get us right under their landing path. Adam was in airplane heaven (so was Andy!) It really is amazing how close the planes get, you can even smell the burnt rubber from the runways. Pretty awesome.

After we watched a few planes land we took a ride up the Potomac towards Georgetown. We went under four bridges and saw tons of cars, a few metro trains, and lots of sail boats, crew teams, and kayaks out on the water. Adam was now in transportation heaven!

As an added bonus we had a courtesy stop by a harbor policeman who did a routine safety check on us and our boat. Adam loved the flashing blue lights and just kept saying "cops! cops!" The policeman even gave Adam a "Junior Policeman" badge. Fortunately we passed our safety check with flying colors (good job Captain Andy) and we were back on our way, with Adam waving and saying "Bye Cops!" as we rode off.

On our ride back down the river we took in the great views of the monuments and The Kennedy Center, it's always so great seeing the city from the water. Then we rode back past the airport to Old Town where we tied up at a dock and enjoyed our "Wally boat dinner."

The weather was gorgeous, the views were amazing, the milk and wine were cold, and our little buddy was one happy boy! Andy and I were in parenting heaven! ;)

Sushi!

2011-07-18T10:28:00.000-04:00

We took Adam out for his first sushi dinner the other night. We ordered him some shrimp and avocado rolls and then got our regular order. We let him nibble on some goldfish as an appetizer (what?? It's a sushi place, we let him eat fish...) but he also enjoyed a few bites of our salads.

Once the sushi came we gave him a set of kiddie chop sticks and let him go to town. He did very well picking up his sushi with the chop sticks and seemed to enjoy it. We also gave him a few bites of our salmon and tuna (which he loved and kept asking for "more chicken?" ha). He also very much enjoyed the orange slices they brought for dessert.

All in all it was a great success, though having another sushi lover in the family could prove to be expensive! Yikes! :)

Evening boat ride...

2011-07-11T14:51:00.000-04:00

A week or so ago, Mother Nature blessed us with some low humidity, mid 80's temperatures which made for the perfect weather to head out for an evening boat ride.

Since Adam has been doing so well on the boat we decided it was time to let Liddy tag along. We packed up some dinner for Adam and picked up sushi on the way to the marina for Andy and I and then we proceeded to have an awesome sunset cruise.

After we finished our picnic, it was time to swim off our meals. Liddy, of course, was in heaven. She would have swam all night if we'd let her. Adam was just mesmerized by watching Liddy, but it wasn't long before he was asking to get in, at which point he was the one in charge of throwing the ball to Liddy.

It was so fun to watch my family splashing around and after I took a few pictures, I sat back on the bow of the boat, closed my eyes, listened to my family laughing and swimming, and just couldn't help but be thankful for this awesome life.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-08T11:29:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe that the 4th has already come and gone...where is this summer going!? But, never the less, we did have a wonder holiday weekend.

Poor Andy had to work, so Adam and I got out of his hair and headed up to Wintergreen with the rest of my family (as we so often do) to celebrate the holiday. We had a great time swimming and playing and just spending time together.

Adam and Olivia continue to be great playmates and we caught them in several hide-and-seek moments (Adam must have learned a few tricks from his dad, the king of finding hiding spaces, and even moved a hall table to hide behind!) and even sat together a few times, including a nice outdoor dinner on the deck.

Since the 4th was a Monday, Wintergreen held their fireworks on Sunday night, which was perfect since we needed to head home on Monday morning. So after a great BBQ dinner we put the little kids to bed and with the Grandparents on duty, the big kids headed up to watch what is always the most spectacular fireworks display!

Hope everyone enjoyed being with family and friends for the 4th of July and as always, a special thanks goes out to all those who are serving this awesome country that we are so fortunate to call home!

Happy Birthday Greggers!

2011-07-06T08:32:00.000-04:00

We had a great BBQ on Friday night to celebrate Greg's birthday. Erica whipped up some awesome side salads and the birthday boy grilled up some "Aloha Burgers" (terriyaki marinated burgers topped with grilled pineapple, bacon and cheese...yeah, those were good).

The weather was perfect so we spent most of the time outdoors. Adam had fun exploring their patio and Blake was giving out smiles and giggles left and right! Blake even showed Adam her new bookcase in her room, but don't worry, Erica and I were chaperoning the entire time. (Oh, and it should be noted that Adam is only shirtless due to an overwhelming amount of ketchup that found its way from the plate to face/shirt/hair/hands...awesome).

I was commissioned to make the cake and knowing Greg is a big fan of ice cream cakes (remember this) I decided to go all out and made a Nutter Butter crust, with chocolate/peanut butter ice cream that I folded chopped peanut butter cups into, then layered hot fudge throughout. Greg was a happy.

So happy birthday Greggers, we love ya buddy!

Beer Can Chicken

2011-07-05T08:26:00.001-04:00

For Father's Day, Andy's sister Bebe gave him a beer can chicken holder, a can of beer, and a homemade spice rub to season up the bird. It was such a clever and thoughtful gift and boy did it make an awesome chicken! We have done beer can chicken in the past, but having the holder made it so much easier and less messy! We enjoyed the chicken for dinner and used it the next night on salads and used the rest to make chicken salad sandwiches for lunch. The meal and gift that keeps on giving! :) Thanks Bebe!

Family time!

2011-06-30T16:13:00.000-04:00

So we enjoyed the views, we splashed around on the boats, we gathered seafood, we ate seafood, but the best part of our Chincoteague adventures was the quality time we spent with family. Lately it seems most of our family time takes place during a brief dinner party, and we of course have fun, but it's not the same as spending three full days hanging out, playing, swimming, talking, and laughing! Boy did we laugh!

I for one loved the time I got to spend with my nephews. I loved swimming late at night (and after the pool had closed, such a responsible adult huh?) with Sam and Dave and hearing them tell me about their schools and summer plans and our mutual love for Justin Bieber. I loved watching Kurt read "Little Toot" to Adam. I loved talking about football and girls with Drew. Most of all I loved hearing Adam ask for his cousins by name after we had gotten home.

It was also great getting to spend time talking with Amy and Bebe about clothes and parenting and laughing at the fact that we had all happened to have brought our scarves from the trip they all took to visit Heidi in Spain.

Uncle John loved peppering Adam with questions about his girlfriend, whom we found out is this girl from his class named Jackie. Andy promptly gave Adam a high-five.

Mark loved using his boat from dawn 'til dusk, taking the boys fishing and tubing. Drew wishes he had fished more, I'm wishing they had caught more! (I kid...kind of) ;)

Ommy and Poppy loved re-living those memories of vacationing at Chincoteague. I'm certain it brought them a lot of joy knowing the next generation was experiencing such a wonderful place.

And Andy, well I think Andy just loved that he organized it all. :)

Living off the sea...

2011-06-30T14:07:00.000-04:00

Chincoteague is a seafood lovers paradise! Aside from some side dishes and a few grilled meats we basically lived off seafood that we caught with our own two (or rather 26) hands.

It was of course a team effort. Adam and I cheered on the family as they hunted oysters and mussels. After about a 30 minute hunt we had more oysters than we could eat (literally, we threw some back) and enough mussels too cook up in yummy olive oil, butter and garlic for our pasta dinner. So fresh, so amazingly delicious, so FREE! ;)

We also appear to have quite the crab fishermen/women in the family. Ommy was the captain, cheering on the crew and providing direction when necessary. Drew was the ring leader, keeping an eye on those chicken necks and strings for at least six hours. Andy mostly just scared the crabs away, oops. I did my part by helping to pick the 2+ dozen crabs that were collected throughout the day (which made for a fun night of wine drinking and conversation). Amy made the fantastic crab cakes. I repeat...so fresh, so amazingly delicious, so FREE! ;)

What a tasty little island!

Whaler Town...

2011-06-29T08:23:00.000-04:00

Would probably have been a fitting name for Chincoteague as it was full of Boston Whalers. I suppose Whaler owners do love getting their boats back into salt water and being such a friendly and tight knit group, boating on such a small-town beachy island seems rather fitting.

At our hotel alone we had three Whalers tied up at the dock. Of course, two of them belonged to our group, but still. We counted plenty more out in the water and at neighboring docks as well. Perhaps that's part of the reason why Andy loves this place so much. And there truly is something different about Whaler owners, always kind and courteous and they never forget to wave (which is certainly not the case with some of the other boaters out there, I mean seriously, how can you refuse to wave back to an adorable toddler waving his hand in the air saying "hi boat"???) But I digress...

One of the great perks of this hotel we stayed at was the fact that our boats were sitting right there just waiting to be used. We could go out for a quick 15 minute splash without feeling like we need to stay out longer to make the effort worthwhile, because really there was no effort! We took early morning boat rides and sunset boat rides. We even saw at least seven dolphins swimming right around our boat one evening, it was quite a sight to see.

We spent the better part of Sunday out on the boats and while Adam and I stayed back at the hotel so he could nap, the rest of the family headed out to find the perfect spot to spend the day...and did they ever! Andy came back after Adam's nap to gather us up and he took us to this amazing sandbar that they had found. It was the perfect spot to "beach" the boats, play in the sand and do some swimming. Adam was loving it, though I'm sure he was totally confused by the fact that the beach had two sides to it.

Adam and Wally became quite close over the course of this long weekend and now instead of just asking to go out on the boat he instead says, "Go Wally Boat?" It's too cute and lucky for Wally we can't resist that sweet little request!

*In fact even in this picture I believe Adam is pointing to Wally. He truly is his father's son! :)

Chincoteague Island

2011-06-28T15:34:00.001-04:00

We spent this past weekend (a long one too, we took Friday and Monday off of work) vacationing on Chincoteague Island. Andy and his family spent lots of time there when he was growing up, so we figured we better introduce Adam (and me, I'd never been!) to the island.

Andy took his folks there two years ago (remember this) and they loved the hotel he found so it seemed fitting that we should head back to that same spot, AND, since we planned pretty far in advance we made sure to send invitations along to the rest of the family AND we lucked out with almost the whole family being able to come along! (We missed you Heidi & Co.)

We had such an awesome time and I am now one of Chincoteague's biggest fans! It is this adorable (yes, that is the fitting word for it) beach town that you'd expect to see in a movie. There are these gorgeous Victorian homes (a lot of which have been turned into B&B's) and American flags hanging from all of the lamp posts. There are fun restaurants (we ate at Don's Seafood and Adam kept asking for "Don" and "Mae Mae" ha!) boutiques, and views of the water pretty much everywhere you turned.

This picture is for Erica--I couldn't get over these flowers!

We spent Saturday morning driving around the National Park at Assateague Island and couldn't get over the views. The beach was quiet aside from a few early morning fishermen and the wildlife was just waking up.

In the evenings we were spoiled with amazing sunsets as our hotel overlooked the bay. I couldn't get over the cotton candy sky the sunset left behind.

Add to the setting the fact that we had so much of the family together spending really good quality time with one another and you can definitely put this past weekend in the books as memorable, fun, and worth repeating next year!
(stay tuned for more!)