Bits

The cleaning and preparing is over… mostly. Casey is on vacation for the next week. His parents arrived late Wednesday night. Yesterday we went to DC for a river cruise on the Potomac and today we’re going to Skyline Drive. Tomorrow we’re just hanging out until my family arrives, maybe going to the pool at Casey’s parents’ hotel. Then on Sunday, Abel is being baptized. Monday has Casey and Dad playing golf and Karen and I probably packing for our respective trips to Colorado and Virginia Beach. Then on Tuesday, Mom and Dad head back to Vermont, Karen heads to Colorado, and my little family heads south for four days at the beach. There’s more next weekend, but I’ve got to soak up all the above first.

Above and below are some pics from the river cruise. I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

Monday Manifest

Casey’s parents will be here on Wednesday night, staying until Monday.  My parents will be here Saturday to Tuesday.  Abel is being baptized on Sunday, so other company will be here that day as well.  Then on Tuesday, we (Casey, Abel, and I) are going to Virginia Beach for four days.  Followed by a baby shower for a friend next Saturday and a concert next Sunday.

Phew.

So, today I’ve been cleaning and preparing for my preparing.  Tomorrow I’ll go grocery shopping, do some more cleaning, and some more preparing.  Then some more cleaning and preparing on Wednesday.

Double phew.

Yes I realize that’s a lot of cleaning and preparing.  Especially since everyone is staying at hotels.  But people will be visiting the house and it’s way nicer to have a clean house when people come than have them come and add company mess to every day mess.

Plus, Abel is crawling now.  And when a baby is crawling all over, you realize your regular floor cleaning routine just ain’t cutting it anymore.

So I’m cleaning and preparing.  A lot.  And you know what?  I love it.  Ha!  And even though it’s going to be a busy weekend, I love that too, and that it will be crowded around here.  The more the merrier!

Much Better

Yesterday was a bummer.  I was tired.  Abel was cranky.  When I put him to bed, he screamed for the second night in a row – he’s teething, his afternoon nap was too late, and so on.

I wrote in my journal last night that I was only going to do three things today: make a card for my friend, play with Abel, and rest.  I hoped I could hold myself to it.

I woke up this morning and reminded myself to be kind and to smile.  I made raspberry muffins for breakfast.  I got the card done right away.  And then I got down on the floor with Abel, picked up his books that he had pulled on the floor.  And then he crawled.  For real.  I was so excited I almost cried.  He’s been mobile for awhile, but there’s something about “real” crawling that’s just so awesome.

In addition to surprising me with his crawling, he also snuggled with me a lot more today.  He was just peaceful and content in my lap, when more often than not he just wants to wriggle out of my grasp and do other things.

Needless to say, today was much better than yesterday.  And I did that.  I started with a better attitude and I let myself have a day to just chill and be content.  It was wonderful and I am so thankful.

Let there be more of it.

I will let there be more of it.

A Beautiful Day for a Wedding

The weather on Friday was absolutely gorgeous.  Blue skies, sunshine, and fairly comfortable temperatures.

We spent the day at a country club about an hour away from where we live, amongst the hustle and bustle of our friends’ wedding day.  Abel and I hung out in the afternoon while everyone else was getting their pictures taken – Casey was a groomsmen.

Then Karen came and picked Abel up and I was able to get ready just in time for a sweet and sunshine-filled ceremony.

And finally, they were husband and wife!

On to the reception, which was decked out in red, black and white, and damask, with a touch of sparkle here and there.

The celebration was a lot of fun and we were so glad to take part in our friends’ special day.  If only we had gotten a picture of the two of us all dressed up!

My First Mother’s Day

My first Mother’s Day was WONDERFUL.  On Saturday, a dozen roses arrived at the door with a sweet card.  I split up the bouquet into several vases so I could put them around the condo- a little joy by my bed and the kitchen and bathroom sinks.

Then on Sunday afternoon, we picked up lunch and went to a local regional park for a picnic by the Potomac River.

Yummy ribs, mac and cheese, and corn bread.  And absolutely beautiful weather – nearly cloudless skies, sunshine, and perfect temperatures in the shade of a tree.

Abel wasn’t sure about the grass…

But he loves smooches from Papa!

I am so blessed with such a sweet baby boy… and an awesome husband too!

And I’m so grateful to my awesome husband for putting together a fantastic first Mother’s Day.

I loved sitting by the water in the beautiful weather, soaking up fresh air, sunshine, and snuggles with Mr. Abel – both snuggles with me and with his Papa.

It seriously doesn’t get much better than this.