Kumquats and such

We arrived in Duck, NC on Monday, July 1st. Although it was gray and drizzling, Geoffrey, Jason, Reagan, Tommy and I found a break in the weather and wandered down to the beach. We didn't don swimwear, but had a great time digging in the sand and throwing a stick into the surf for T. We stayed for a little over an hour and then headed back to the house for tacos made by Papa! They were delicious! The next day, it was beautiful, so we loaded up the cart and stroller and walked to the beach again. (Last year Reagan would start complaining about 5 minutes after arriving at the beach, so we were expecting the same, but everyone was pleasantly surprised as she did such a good job playing by herself and just hanging out!)  Reagan would get her feet close to the water, and as soon as a wave came toward her little toes, she turned and ran, shrieking, up the beach... I love this picture of Reagan and Grandma. Her little leg is posed so cutely and she's only that close ...

On June 29th, we celebrated Jason's promotion to major! Geoffrey worked it out so we could rent the rooftop of his apartment building (Siena Park Apartments) and it turned out to be the perfect venue (well, after the sun went down a little:)! Backyard Barbecue  catered the event with pulled pork, brisket, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans and mac n' cheese. Jason's co-worker, Michael Seeds, and his friend, Chris Wrench, provided live music for the majority of the night - with a guest appearance by Susan Villella - and they were amazing! And Glenna was in charge of the cake...she did a fabulous job as it was not only stunning, it was delicious too! Overall, it was a fantastic party and we are so lucky to have such wonderful people to celebrate with. Keith, Colleen & Max came up from Raleigh, Adam & Lauren drove down from West Point, and all the Goodale's and Campbell's found the time to make it into Arlington for the evening! Here are some pictures from a ...

For Easter, Grandma gave Reagan a "Live Butterfly Garden" kit.  We waited until the weather warmed and then ordered the caterpillars. They arrived in a small tupperware with the food already in the bottom. There were four in total, one of which was really tiny! Over the next two weeks, we checked them every day and watched them grow!  These only show them on the first day. They got so much bigger! After they ate enough food and were large enough, they formed chrysalises (or "crystals" as Reagan called them:). The larger ones were formed within a day of each other. The small one took a bit longer, but finally formed a chrysalis, so we moved them into the butterfly habitat. (I failed to take pictures of these steps) About 7-10 more days after the chrysalises first formed, the first butterfly emerged! Over the next few days, the others became butterflies. We put flowers in the bottom of the habitat and sprinkled them with sugar water to feed the butt...

In the Goodale Family, we celebrate BIRTHDAY WEEK! To culminate the great celebration, Jason and I headed down to Woodbridge for dinner and presents with Mil & Fil & Reagan. We truly enjoyed our weekend "off" from being parents, but we sure missed our girl!  Cindi made some incredible appetizers: stuffed mushrooms, potato skins, and (my personal favorite with a twist) deviled eggs topped with bacon! As always, everything was delicious.  We sat down to dinner: beef burgundy with rice and amazing cheese biscuits! It was exactly what I requested:) I definitely have the best Mil ever!  Reagan helped Grandma get the cake ready. It was a cake I picked out months ago and absolutely couldn't wait to taste...S'MORES CAKE!! And Mil will definitely tell you it was a painful exercise, but I thought it was totally worth it!  The main issue was stability (see above:). But the taste was everything I hoped and dreamed! And Reagan l...

On Sunday, February 10th, we had most of both sides of the family over to celebrate Cindi's 60th Birthday! After a fun night of planning with Uncle Kevin, we decided on a Greek-themed menu and minimal decor.  Jason, Reagan and Uncle Kevin shopped on Saturday, then we had dinner at GG's house that evening. The following day, Jason was busy in the kitchen, I did my best to clean up the house, and Uncle Kevin came to lend a (much-needed) hand. Earlier that morning, I got up to make lemon-roasted garlic hummus and Cindi's birthday cake. I was finished in plenty of time, and pleased with the result. I placed the cake on a high table in the living room, but didn't give it much thought...Tommy snuck in from the stair side of the table and ate off quite a sizable chunk: That put me back in the kitchen to make the "back-up" box cake, but then my duties were complete. Here's a look at the decor: Uncle Kevin and Aunt Lisa bought Mil the most beaut...