Anna Grace Love

On May 13, Kari & Robbie Love welcomed a little girl to the family - Anna Grace! We are so excited for them AND big brother Robert. Kari was my boss and friend at Make-A-Wish and we've stayed close since I left. Becky (another former "wishie") and I got to celebrate with Kari's a few days before she delivered and then again to meet sweet Anna Grace.

Welcome Anna Grace!!!

Kari 5 days before delivering!!

Becky, Kari, Wade (hot & cranky), and meAnna Grace, 2 weeks old
Look at that nose!!! Don't you just want to kiss on it?? So sweet.

Jennifer Shelfer turns 30!

We celebrated Jennifer's 30th birthday with a party by the pool. Beau's parents (Poppa & Dede) have a condo in Buckhead and it served as the perfect spot for the get-together. We drank, ate, and played a little Corn Hole. Surprisingly no one "fell" into the pool. I would've bet money that someone would've ended up in the pool by the end of the night. No such luck :)

Jennifer blowing out her "candles". You can't expect boys to remember every detail....

Moon light corn hole...

Date with Avery

Wade's been courting Avery pretty hard this summer. I think he's nervous that she's going to meet a new boy in preschool, so he's laying it on thick while he still has her attention...

Wade: "Pucker up sweetie pie!!!!", Avery: "EWWWWWW Boys have koodies!"

Dancing (and clapping of course) to the mariachi band at Tijuana Joes. These kids eat so much mexican they'll be speaking Spanglish soon.

Swim Lessons

Wade is on week 6 of swim lessons. I think I explained earlier he's doing the Infant Survival swimming. It's torture for both of us. And I mean torture. I could list the negatives and why it's a pain, but instead I will list the important positive....when Wade "graduates" he should be able to save himself if GOD FORBID he falls into water. We're around so much water (grandparents' lake, pool and pond) and I know it only takes a second of looking away to lose a child near water. It makes my skin crawl just thinking about, but that's why I'm putting us both through it.

He's doing well and seems to be making progress. He can float on his back and is close to being able to rotate from stomach to back. If he'd let go of his hair and use his arms, I know he could do it! Then the trick is to float long enough to drift to a wall and grab the side. He's great at grabbing the side (because he thinks it's the closest he'll be to getting out). I'm hoping we're close the end of these difficult, but very important lessons.
A special thank you to Miss Marci for being patient with the screaming and nails digging in to her back :) And luckily we're going through the same process with friend (Avery Calvert and Charley Weeks are also in the program) so the moms can

Finn Fest

Robin and Finn came to play and we packed in as much as we could while they were here. Now that both boys are walking, they can play together and enjoy the same activities. We went to the pool and the Ultimate Playdate at East Cobb Park. It was a busy but OH SO FUN 24 hours! Race you to the top!!!

Matching pool ponchos

The End of an Era (with Erin)

We are so sad that our favorite babysitter, Erin, finally found a job and doesn't want to come play with us during the week anymore. And when I say sad, I mean I actually teared up and shed a few tears when she told me. Boo hoo.
Erin was my intern at Make-A-Wish and after graduating from Kennesaw last May couldn't find a job (worth taking). So we lucked out and she came to help me after Wade was born. She is one of the reasons I made it through the first year of motherhood with fond memories and a smile on my face. Well, I knew the time would come that she would need to find a "real" job and now I'm kicking myself for giving her such a good reference :)
She is so good with Wade and he loves her so much. You know he has a thing for blonds, right? When I get home sometimes he wants to stay with her instead of coming to me!!! We will miss her so much and wish her all the best. We love you Erin!!!
BUT......we are so lucky that Erin has an indentical twin sister (Kelsey) that just moved back to Atlanta and guess what....she's currently unemployed and available to babysit until she finds a job. No, I'm not kidding! Isn't it amazing how God works things out for us?? Kelsey came today and Wade had no idea it wasn't Erin. Ha ha! I tried to explain that there are 2 of them, but he couldn't care less. As long as they're blond, sweet, and know where the animal crackers are...he's happy.

Matching outfits Oct 2008 (Wade 6 months)

March 2008
Laughing May 2009

I could get used to the ISLAND LIFE

Beau and I traveled to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands for our 5th anniversary. It was such a treat to have 4 nights away from home, just the 2 of us. We have been away from Wade a few times, but only for 2 nights and usually not so far away! Nonna took over Wade duty (with some help from Beau's dad Tim, G.G., and Aunt Sheesha too!) and I know they had a great time.

I can't really say what made us pick St. Thomas, but we just wanted a place we'd never been, was easy to get to, and could be enjoyed in a long weekend. As soon as we landed, the thick carribean air just made you move more slowly :) Every time we hopped in a cab we'd ask the driver, "Are you having a good day?" The answers were always the same. "All days are good", "No complaints here", "I love my life"....they just had the best attitude about life!

Our first day (after sleeping in) we just relaxed on the beach. When we got too hot we'd take a dip in the clear blue water and maybe snorkel around the reef right by the hotel. We even took out a little sail boat a few times in the Great Bay. When you sign it out they ask if you know how to sail...of course Beau said yes even though he's never sailed a day in his life. Needless to say I was a little nervous venturing out into the deep blue with a novice captain. Luckily we survived. We finished the day with massages at the spa and a wonderful anniversary dinner in town at Herve. Great seafood!!!Captain Beau. Anniversary dinner ( we stacked some furniture and used the camera timer to get shots on our balcony)

One funny part of the weekend was that a huge wedding was being held at the Ritz the weekend we were there. This wedding was by far the most over the top affair I have ever witnessed (well kind of witnessed, we didn't exactly crash the wedding but we came close). For 4 nights in a row, there was a different lavish party for all the guests. And on the night of the wedding reception they put on a fireworks show that would rival Lenox on the 4th of July. It was UNBELIEVABLE. Everyone at the resort knew it was happening so we all camped out by the pool for the show. I finally made friends with one of the drunk guests to get some dirt on the couple. I was hoping they were slightly famous or maybe even royalty, but instead the bride's dad was CEO of Mastercard :) Ha ha!

The 2nd day we ventured out on the "Fury" for a sailing/snorkeling excursion to a small island off St. Thomas, Bull Island. It's a protected marine sanctuary, so there were plenty of Green Sea Turtles to swim with. I LOVED being in the water with them. They are used to people, so they'll swim right next to you. It was a great experience! I highly recommend it :)


Sailing on the Fury

Isn't that cool? This was taken with one of those disposable underwater cameras. I was pleasantly surprised with how they all turned out.Kriya swimming with a turtle! Hello Mr. Turtle!
Beau swimming with a turtle. You're not allowed to touch them, but sometimes they direction so quickly you have to move quick to get out of their way!

Our final full day we took a short cruise on the Kekoa to St. John for the afternoon. They pick you up right on the beach at the Ritz so it was an easy trip! Ironically, the crew (and builders) of the catamaran were from Charleston and we ended up knowing the same people. So they gave us the VIP treatment (AKA: extra strong drinks) and we had a blast. Once in St. John, we only had a few hours to explore so we went to Trunk Bay for the snorkeling and beaches. It was just a beautiful as everyone said it was. I wish we'd had more time to enjoy it!
You can't tell in the picture, but the sand was the whitest, softest, and prettiest sand I had ever seen. They also had an underwater snorkeling tour with signs to explain what you're looking at.

The reef and fish were beautiful

Lazy iguana trying to hitch a ride... Enjoying a drink at a cute outdoor bar near St. John's harbor.

I'm so thankful we were able to spend some time together in a beautiful place. It was the perfect balance of relaxation, sunshine, exploring new places, and reconnecting with my hubby! I think I actually had my fill of fruity drinks. I don't think I could've had even one more!

What a treat!!! When can we go back??? :)

Here's an album with a few more pics....

http://www.slide.com/r/eEYWSQOC3j_dThqrYTyi4YqytxaSqurN?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

And a special thanks to Nonna and all of Wade's helpers over the weekend. It's easier to leave him knowing he's in your loving care.