A Simply Lovely 4th of July

We kept things simple this year for the 4th of July celebration, just our family, a BBQ and our must have fireworks, Sparklers and Pop It's. 

We just purchased our very first charcoal BBQ over the weekend so Jean went all out for the holiday preparing a rib rub and glaze from the BBQ Bible.

to accompany the ribs we had good ole fashioned corn on the cob and garlic bread with lemon zest, mmm mmm.

With dinner over we sat back and waited for the sun to go down just enough for us to bring out our sparklers.  I was excited to see what Baby Boos reaction would be. 

She loved it.  Squealing with joy and throwing her arms up in the air with every sparkler lit, we had lots of fun sharing this holiday with her.  Hope you enjoyed your holiday however you spent it!

Memorial Day Weekend

We've been looking for an excuse to take our new car out on a road trip, so when my dad proposed a weekend getaway to his new place in Brewster we were in!  The last time we headed out that way I was only a few months pregnant with Addie and that was to help lay some pipe down for electrical wires, this trips itinerary... wine tasting and jamming.

We followed wine tasting with dinner and live music at a local bakery.

The next morning was spent eating breakfast with the family, running in the grass with auntie and enjoying my dads new property.

I wonder what dirt tastes like?

By late afternoon we were headed back towards home, but first a quick stop at Cider Works to sample some fresh homemade ice cream and apple cider donuts.

Blackberry and vanilla cream gelato...oh yeah it was good.

Why not throw in a quick trip over to Leavenworth for an early dinner and a stop at the Cheesmongers.

I love you family and thanks for the great weekend!

Easter Weekend

Our Easter weekend began Friday with an egg hunt, Addie's first.

She knew exactly what to do, grab an egg and put it in the basket.  When the hunt was over she enjoyed some of the fruits of her labor.

Grandma's Birthday/Egg Dying
Saturday, we celebrated grandmas birthday, with lunch out to Dukes Chowder House.

Followed by sun bathing and Easter egg dying.

A Sunday Brunch
Easter Sunday was celebrated with a family brunch.  The food was delicious, I would post pictures except I was way to busy enjoying the meal to stop and capture the moment.  Our tummy's were stuffed like Thanksgiving dinner, everyone had to relax and digest their meal before heading out to watch Addie enjoy an egg hunt all to herself.

Note the face she makes when grabbing an easter egg.

Reaching out to the egg, because baby girl wasn't about to step out onto the wet grass.

Once both hands held an egg, the hunt was pretty much over.  She refused to surrender her found treasures to the Easter basket and instead preferred running around the yard tapping the eggs together.

Not even a fall could take away the joy created by those two little plastic eggs.

Ok, so aunty joined in on the egg hunt too.

Discovering Ice cream

When the cold touches your tongue for the first time the sensation can send shivers down your spine. You stop to think, what just happened?  Do I like this?  Then it hits you, the sweet flavor of the icy treat takes over your mouth.

and BAM!  You're hooked.

You dive into the bowl with your spoon, shoveling each bite into your mouth barely giving your taste buds time to savor its creamy splendor.  When the mounds of ice cream have disappeared you hold on to the hope that a bite still remains in the pot somewhere, and if you try hard enough you will find it.

Day Trip

Every April a tulip festival is held up north, I've always wanted to go and this year we finally made the trip. A much needed family adventure.  Waking up early this morning we loaded up the car and headed out, I must admit I was pretty giddy about the whole thing.  There's just something about road trips that brings me back to my childhood. The act of heading towards a new destination creates this excitement that builds as you get closer and closer.   I love that I now get to share this with my daughter.



Baby girl fell asleep during the drive, which left her somewhat groggy when we first arrived to the fields. Once she took in her surroundings she bounced back in full swing and was soon off exploring the scenery and keeping her parents on their toes.

Poor flower didn't stand a chance.

Her little pointer finger was very busy today.

I'm so glad we went this year, the flower displays were gorgeous, just what I needed to practice my photography.   I'm trying to shoot in manual now, and am still learning which f-stop/shutter speed combination I need for the best results (tips appreciated).

We're back in our cozy roost, the tulip festival has left us with new family memories and dirty knees to clean, but we'll leave that for tomorrow.