Kumquats and such

Yup, it's another first birthday post!  Reagan has a lot of friends, but today is extra special because it's her cousin's 1st birthday!  Happy birthday Mason!  We are so happy that we've gotten to watch you grow up into such a wonderful little boy.  You are the light of your parents life!  Can't wait to celebrate with you tonight and all weekend! From our "baby party" in December Mason sporting his monogrammed outfit during Colleen's baby shower weekend Someone was not pleased about having to share a bathtub with his cousin! Water baby!  This guy loves his pool! Digging into the toy basket in his new house Little walker!  Such a cute outfit!

Reagan's boyfriend, Sean Patrick, is celebrating his 1st birthday today!  We've gotten to spend so much of this first year together and we couldn't be happier!  He's absolutely adorable and one of the sweetest babies on Earth.  We love you Sean! Sucking down a bottle during his first 5k Such a handsome boy! Hanging out at Buddy's with a great ocean view...their first official date:) This boy loves to eat sand! Bam Bam celebrates his 1st birthday!

On Friday morning, Reagan and I met some friends for a long run on base, knowing we'd be shut inside for the majority of the weekend.  After our jog, we filled up the gas tank, got some more water, and grabbed some last minute supplies from Walmart.  At around 5:45, the rain started.  I had picked up a pizza for dinner, so we chowed down on that and then Reagan fell asleep post-bath at 7:25 on the futon!  I did a few things around the house to include wiping down the two rocking chairs and table we keep on the front porch.  They were in desperate need of it: Much better...they are actually white again! And right before bed, I filled the whirlpool bathtub in our bathroom in preparation for a possible lack of water. I turned on the news and hopped into bed with my latest book.  Unfortunately, the news was totally distracting and somewhat terrifying...they kept mentioning tornado warnings for Onslow County!  So I went into Reagan's room and plucked h...

One night last week, I took Reagan outside to swing while we did our daily chat with Grandma.  After our talk, I set the phone down in the garage, and then Reagan and I walked down the street to chat with some neighbors.  The time got away from us, and we ended up coming home just in time for Reagan to change into her PJs and get to bed. The following morning, we hopped in the car and headed to run with Stroller Warriors.  We returned a few hours later and I walked out to grab the trash bin.  It was then that I noticed this: Yup, I had placed the phone on the back of my car and managed to back over it, smashing it to bits.  Oops!  Luckily it wasn't my iPhone...I would be totally distraught if that happened.  Guess I'll be heading out next week to get a replacement.  Glad we have 2 other wireless phones to use in the meantime!

On Thursday afternoon, I called my dear friend Maureen and asked if she and her son Sean would like to join us for a quick beach outing.  We hit the post office to mail yet another package to Jason and then headed to Maureen's house.  Within a few minutes, we were driving to the beach.  She led us to a nice quite area where we could park very close to the beach access.  Despite a lack of vehicles, there were several people out enjoying the "calm before the storm."  We are expecting Hurricane Irene to hit sometime on Saturday, and I imagine lots of people were drawn to the beach for one last visit before it gets crazy. Reagan and her boyfriend, Sean, enjoying some swimsuit-free time on the beach Nice calm ocean.  Wonder what it's going to look like in a couple days. Maureen tending to both of the babies After our beach time, we decided to visit the local Dairy Queen.  I distinctly remember my girl's first visit to DQ despite the fact that I wasn't ...

On Wednesday evening, Reagan and I visited an old friend from my UNC days for dinner and a walk.  She has the cutest baby boy, Brennan, who is 4 months old.  They took us to a great spot in the neighborhood for pictures, and being the good Asian that I am, I had my camera handy.  Here are some pictures: What a beautiful tree! Checking out the water Hmm, not so sure about this! I think she would have climbed up if I would have let her:) Our little squirrel found a home Cute little Brennan Brennan and Megan

We are lucky enough to have several mothers and babies to hang out with on a weekly basis in Jacksonville.  Guess that's what happens when our husbands leave for months at a time:)  The babies are fairly close in age and love playing together.  Sure, they don't really know how to share yet, and everyone drinks everyone else's sippy cup, but all in all, it's a blast.  We get together, and pot-luck style, bring food and drinks (the boring, non-alcoholic kind) for an afternoon date.  Here are some pictures from our latest playgroup meeting at our house: Hailey - 14 months Sean Patrick "a.k.a Reagan's bf" - turning 1 on August 30th Connor - 14 months Reagan & Sean "cooking" at the new kitchen from Grandma Siena - 11 months (dressed like Kelly Kapowski using her Zach Morris cell phone) Caliana - almost 1 year Nikki (Siena's mom), Caliana with her mommy, Pam, and Reagan Lots of pushing and not sharing takes place during playgroup:)

Recently, I made a trip to Lowe's and found myself browsing the paint department.  This is always a bad idea.  Painting always sounds like a great idea...until you actually start!  I've got lots of free time though, so I decided, "What the heck, I'll paint Reagan's bathroom." Easy, right?  Nope.  They say that bathrooms and kitchens are the most difficult rooms to paint.  Whoever "they" are, "they" are right on the money.  First I started by removing the pictures, fixtures, and mirror.  Then I got busy taping the ceiling, baseboards, and any other surfaces that did not require paint.  This took a mere 45 minutes:)  I actually considered not taping this time around and just being "really careful."  Thank goodness I came to my senses and realized just what a bad idea THAT would have been! Sure it doesn't look like much, but trust me, it was a job in and of itself.  Sorry for the poor lighting in the second picture. Next, I ...