First Anniversary

In the spirit of our outdoor wedding, we decided to celebrate our first anniversary with a picnic. We went to Brandywine Creek State Park armed with sandwiches, chips, apples, and a blanket. Anniversary fun ensued.


The day was perfect, not too hot, but bright and sunny. The park was lush and green and there were lots of little flowers all through the fields. The only problem was that we walked down a long hill to get to our picnic destination... which meant I had to hoof back up it later. Carrying an extra 25 lbs up a hill really does a number on the quads!

Cow in a Pasture

Frolicking

It was a great way to enjoy nature and each other's company. Here's to many more anniversary picnics! (Though next year I suspect we will have diaper bag and a mobile infant to chase after!)

Melissa and Peter's Wedding

Congratulations to Melissa and Peter who tied the knot the weekend! We went up to New York on Thursday night, just in time for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. I had the extreme honor of doing a reading during their ceremony. The rehearsal dinner was a fun and casual event at a bowling ally where my husband set those lanes aflame. I think it was the pink bowling ball he used.

The wedding day was perfect! The weather was clear and the air was warm. Melissa had the yellow tulips and the spring wedding she'd always wanted. She looked so beautiful! And of course, the story cannot be told without props to myself and my cousin Eric for setting them up together! They hit it off right away, and we are so thrilled that they have started their life together.



Melissa's sister, Rachel, was the maid of honor, and Pete asked his father to be his best man. What a handsome wedding party!



And of course, while serious photographic events were taking place, Jimmy and I were being silly in front of our own lens. Here, Jimmy ponders in front of the fountain. We attempted to take other funny photos involving a strategically placed fountain spout and a standing Jimmy, but the results were not appropriate as this is a family blog. Below, I make the face, when I can think of no other face to make.

Hair Cuts

Flying!

A good friend of ours from church obtained his pilot's license and now loves to spend Sunday evenings in the air. He was generous enough to offer to take us up with him! Only Jimmy accepted his offer since I don't know that I would fit comfortably in the small plane... and I'm scared of heights! Jimmy found the trips thrilling though he said that landing is the scariest part since you can see everything as it's happening. I can't imagine it's not a little scary to see the ground coming at you at very high speed! Here are some photos he took from the air.

Water's Edge

Pickle Juice

Four months pregnant! So here I am, out of my first trimester, and things are still looking rather bleak. I am still rather nauseous most of the time and it's sleep I mostly crave. You can definitely see the bump of my belly now, I'm not imagining it because my regular jeans no longer fit! Now that they've given me this medicine that helps me keep food down, I am enjoying the strange pregnancy cravings. Yes, I do drink pickle juice from the jar. Yes, it does make Jimmy gag.


Here is were I spent most days of the last few months. This sleeping bag was a Christmas gift from Mom and Dad Vee, and it has so far gotten much use! During entire month of January, and most of February, my days were spent practically plastered on the couch, trying not to move. I was weak because I couldn't keep food down, not even water and crackers! My best friends were Ellen and Oprah. I'm not sure how Jimmy survived those months because I don't remember cooking or cleaning anything. I just remember seeing the inside of the sleeping bag!

The Bump!

Announcement!

Today, we announced the wonderful news of our little one to our family. We had both sides of my family gathered so it was the perfect time to share the news of our blessing. This will be the first grandchild for my parents, as well as Jimmy's parents, and the second great-grandchild of my grandparents. Everyone was thrilled and excited about our news, and I think even a few tears were shed.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Jimmy and I love love love Christmastime! We love that everyone is in jolly spirits and we get to see family and eat monkey bread. Since it is our first Christmas as a married couple in our own house, we decided to go all out with a real tree and full-on decor. I even made a wreath for our door. For our first Christmas cards, we enlisted our good friend Kevin Kovaleski to take some shots of us with our tree in the woods. He is a terrific photographer and I recommend you visit his site to view his work. The funny part is that we actually bought the tree at Home Depot for $20 and drove it INTO the woods to take pictures with it. Ha, I'm so lucky to have a husband (and friend) to humor me.

When we were leaving, there were people heading into the woods. They looked at us strangely, and we realized that they probably thought we had actually chopped down a tree in the park and were taking it home! Someone asked if there were any others back there and we had to explain that we had brought the tree with us... to the woods... right.

Some how, this one did not make it onto the Christmas card.