Kumquats and such

One morning, Jason, Gary Mike, Papa and Great Papa headed out to play golf. Reagan really wanted to play mini-golf, but time got away from us, or we spent too much time at the beach, so we didn't get to go. Instead, Daddy and I took her to play the next day!! On the way, Jason pointed out this osprey's nest:  Grandma used to take Uncle Geoffrey to this mini-golf place and said wonderful things about it, but it was even better than she described! We got there at about 10:30, paid, and hopped on the "train" that took us to the starting hole. Reagan was super excited about the whole thing! She started off strong...trying to hit the ball every time... But it was REALLY, REALLY HOT outside, so then she got a little tired of the game... Daddy tried to help keep her focused... Seriously, look at this place! And who could resist a trip to DQ after spending a very warm 45 minutes playing mini-golf?! These are the ...

For someone who wasn't a fan of the beach just one year ago, Reagan sure changed her mind! She even let us bury her and make a mermaid tail (probably because we had done the same thing to Daddy earlier:).  She just sat in the sand and played for a couple hours each day... While Reagan dug in the sand, Geoffrey & Jason caught some waves: And of course Reagan wanted her turn on the boogie board! Then she needed a nap... This is between when she nearly fell asleep on the sand with Uncle Geoffrey, and when I took her for a walk in the beach cart and she actually passed out! The next day, Reagan couldn't wait to go our in the water again with Daddy! And now she's officially a "Surfer Girl"...well, at least in her mind:)

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 ...

A couple weeks ago, Jason had to escort Mrs. Thornberry and her guests to the Sunset Parade at the Marine Corps War Memorial. It just so happened that my friend, April, asked Reagan and I to attend the parade the same night. We met April in Cameron Station, grabbed a quick to-go dinner, and headed into Arlington. We had a nice easy drive to Arlington National Cemetery where we hopped on a bus and were driven to the MCWM. We chatted with April's husband (he's stationed at the Barracks) while waiting for the parade to begin, and he was kind enough to save us three chairs in the roped off area (April is due 2-3 weeks before me, so it was a welcome offer!).  Once the VIPs started arriving, we turned around and quickly found Daddy! Reagan was thrilled to see him, but couldn't figure out why he couldn't pick her up and carry her around:) After saying hello and chatting for a moment, we headed back to our seats and watched as the parade started. Reagan liked the music, bu...