Playing Catch Up!

So, I guess I have gotten a little behind in posting my summer pictures! Here is our 4th of July... We gathered at Billy and Stacy's (my BFF) house for a cookout and fireworks."The Kiddie Table"
Father and Son
Lanie showing us how a sparkler is done!
"Do-it-yourself Fireworks"
Shawn's burnt finger after "doing it himself!"
Nana and my little man on his 1st Fourth of July

My brother, Kevin, and his wife, Amanda
My brother, Shawn, and his wife, Kelli
Aidan and Harrison are checking each other out
I like to call this one - "The Hazy Days of Summer!"

We had a great time with family and friends. We are so lucky to be Americans!

I'll try to get a little better about posting closer to the actual event now!

Harrison's Birthday (2 weeks ago!)

Harrison turned one on August 14. We had a small celebration here with just us and Nana. Gracie helped him open presents and blow out the candle.

On Saturday the 16th, we had a little party for the rest of the family. Nana made the cake and the theme was how quickly the first year had "Zoomed" by. He was actually sick this day, but still had a great disposition. His favorite thing of all was the "Cars" balloon we tied to the back of his high chair. It is still in the living room on the ceiling. He plays with it every night! What a great first year. Harrison, you have brought such joy to our lives and have made this family complete! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!

Harrison, Aunt KK, and Aidan

Cake by Nana

Coming Soon...

Ok, I know I have completely dropped the Bloggy-Ball! Things have been so crazy since school started and it seems like I have absolutely no quality time with the kiddos. When I get home, it's rush-rush-rush then eat, bath, and bed. I know Moms across the world do it (probably better than I do), but it leaves me exhausted and I usually fall into bed as soon as they are tucked in. I am going to upload Harrison's birthday pictures and lots of others and post. They are WAY over due!!! Stay tuned!

Our last day in Maine (finally!)

On our last day with the coolest family in New England, we got up and drove down to Freeport (I think that's what it's called...) They have LOTS of shopping, so naturally, I was excited! Before we got to the shops, though, we went to lunch at a really unique McDonald's. It is located inside a historical landmark- an old home. Food tasted the same, but the ambiance was kind of neat! (Gracie was a little bummed out with no playground, but still enjoyed the fries and nuggets!) The flagship LL Bean store was the COOLEST! I am a big fan! They have quality items with a great lifetime guarantee. You can't do better than that! Here is the gang (minus Christine) in front of the store. Right after this shot, it started pouring rain.
Everybody got a backpack for school!

Ted got a little something extra with his!

Noah is ready for the bell to ring!

Harrison enjoyed hanging out in the camping section

Gracie and Sophie checking out the fish pond

We went into some cool local shops like the Mangy Moose and visited some outlets like The Northface and Children's Place where we spent lots of money! When we got back to the house, we ,of course, relaxed on the porch and enjoyed a delicious lasagna and bread cooked to perfection by Christine. It was a wonderful way to spend the week- with good friends- in a beautiful place- doing fun things with our amazing blessings we call children! I am so thankful our girls (and GOD) brought our families together! Don't forget to check out Christine's version of our last day's events! Thanks again to our Maine Friends for an awesome trip- even with our unplanned detour the first night!)

One year ago today...

One year ago tonight (August 13th, 2007) I was at the hospital hooked up to all kinds of machines and scared to death at the unknown of what lay ahead. Oh what a difference a year makes! My Harrison was born on August 14, 2007 at 1:57 PM (after 18 hours of labor!) I have experienced two wonderful miracles in the form of my children, and I still cannot believe how incredibly blessed I am! Over the past year, Harrison has overcome Colick (Thank Goodness!), gotten 9 teeth, learned to roll over, crawl, cruise, and now he is even taking a few steps at a time all by himself! He can feed himself with his hands, drink from a sippy cup, point to his (and others') eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue,head, hair, belly button, and feet. He learned how to sign "more" and "finished", says "hi" as he holds anything that resembles a phone to his ear, and shakes his head "no". He adores his big sissy and loves to play in her room with the kitchen. What a busy year we have had! As crazy as it seems sometimes, I wouldn't change a thing! I feel like the luckiest Mommy in the world! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY BOY!!! I am so proud to be your Mommy! I can hardly wait to see what the next year brings! Here are a few pics from Harrison's first year...

1 day old

6 weeks old

2 and a half months

3 and a half months

4 months

4 months

6 months

and finally, 9 months old...

I'll post his 1 year old picture tomorrow night after he enjoys his birthday cupcake!

Day 3 in our new FAVORITE place... Maine!

On day 3, we had a loose, unplanned day of eating, shopping, sliding, and roasting. Ted took Harry and Noah to check on Diesel and they ended up taking a nice walk with the big dog and stopping for lunch along the river. Harry thought it was really cool and the sandwich was great too! Christine took me, Gracie, Sophie, and Harrison to Hallowell to eat lunch at the family's favorite Chinese place and then we walked around the quaint town's downtown stopping in a few antique stores. Then Christine introduced me to the Christmas Tree Shop... VERY cool store with wonderful prices. I got a few things that I thought I would have to ship home because we were already crammed full in the luggage department on the way up to Maine, but thankfully the awesome hosts provided us with a loaner suitcase to get home with. I know, how much better can it get!?!) Sophia is showing us how it is done.
Gracie wants to taste the fortune I guess! (We had to get a nose hair trimmer when we returned home... Gracie loves using it herself! - wink wink Noah!)

Sophie too... What a cutie!

Can anyone guess what Harrison is doing? (I know he'll be embarrassed someday, but Christine reminded me that memory fades and photos generally don't. I never want to forget that adorable "busy" face!) Thanks, Christine!

Both Christine and I had purchased matching dresses for the girls as I mentioned in Day 1's post. These were the ones I picked out for them.

I like to call this one..."Girls Getting Along"

When we finished shopping, we went back to the house and Ted set up the water slide in the front yard for the kids. Gracie and Noah had a blast, but Sophie was not interested.

Harrison got to put his feet in the bottom. The water is ice cold well water that was probably the best tasting water EVER! Did I mention it was COLD!?!

Airborne!!

Can you hear the squeals of delight?

Did I mention it was COLD? ;-)

After dinner, Ted set up a campfire down by the swing set in the fire pit and his brother's family came over and everyone roasted marshmallows and made Smores. Yummy! Except for a few uninvited mosquitoes, it was the perfect ending to a perfectly fun time. (Harrison was still a little under the weather, but a trooper as always.)

Don't forget to read Christine's perspective and see more pictures. I did use some of the same because they were precious... but you'll enjoy seeing them again anyway I hope!

Check back far the last day of our Maine vacation coming soon...