End of July at Home

We had fun times close to home to wrap up July. 

Bike riding turned to fire truck play. Safety first!

Lucy got comfortable in the grass.

Our family.

We braved a very raining day and took a trip to Wegmans. Elliott was such a good big brother and held the umbrella over Lucy.

Some of our favorite dinner guests, Tim and Laura Magee. They read LOTS of stories to Elliott.

What is better than an impromptu James Taylor concert with a great friend?! Thanks, Rachel!

Mama's big boots.

Our gravel driveway is not conducive to learning to ride the skoot. We went over to Emery Park to practice a few times. Elliott's feet just touch the ground.

Skoot movie.

Lucy loves sitting in Elliott's chair, with or without him.

She also love the Cozy Coupe. It's quite entertaining to watch her get in and out . . . and in and out . . . and in and out.

A movie of her in action. She's trying to honk the horn at the end.

Visitors from India

The Rugnettas came back from India in July for their R & R. We were so lucky to get them up in Canada for a weekend and had other friends convene in their honor. 

Lots of kids on the beach inevitably results in busy bath times.

Best move of the weekend? Bringing our awesome babysitter Courtney up to help with the gaggle.

A panorama of the beach fun.

Look at Penny's beautiful curls.

Brandy and Lucy had a great time playing together.

Elliott and Benny played together. Look at that happy smile!

Benny is eight days older than Lucy. We approve of this union already.

Hi, Mama!

We managed to get some cute kid group shots right before bed.

Most of the kids (two are missing here).

Rugnettas, Rugnetta cousins, Auerbachs, Dorens, Ortman (Penny was in bed).

We built a serious sand mound on Sunday. The kids called it a castle but that is too generous a name.

A boy and his dog.

The moat required parental assistance (Sarah and me).

Dean jumped in the fun, too.

More cheerios!!

Big Lucy smile.

Colorado Visit and Lucy 10 Months

I went out to Denver in July to work at the big sidewalk sale for the lingerie store I used to work for. SOL needed an extra bra fitter and I jumped right back in.

Toby and I flew out of Buffalo at the same time so Poppy took us to the airport together. He held the precious cargo while we gathered our belongings.

Here I am on the red carpet at SOL's sidewalk sale.

Lucy was so lucky to spend the whole week playing with Grandma. Thank you, Sue, for watching Lucy! (Parenting note: I gave her this SOL bag to play with, not Grandma.)

Eating rocks on Grandma's patio.

10 months old on July 17th!!

SOL Girl Maggie talking to her little SOL Girl, Gael.

Talking on her phone. How cute is she?!

Lucy likes this little perch in Grandma's bathroom. She "helped" me get ready in the mornings.

Getting some love from SOL Girl Sarah.

Beach with Friends

We spent the weekend at the beach when Toby and Lincoln were visiting.

The boys braved the yucky seaweed that rolled in.

When I was growing up, two boys from Ireland spent their summers two houses down from us. Clark and Ross are older than I am so I'm pretty sure I was the little pest lingering about while they played with Ted and Holly. Clark and his family came to visit in July and we loved seeing them.

Ethan, the oldest, was a huge fan of Lucy. I want him to live her and be my babysitter!

He held her outside and protected her from the raucous kids (see below).

Anna, the middle child.

Archie, the youngest, chasing Elliott and Ned.

They did laps . . .

and laps.

Clark doing some policing.

And laps.

Lucy's beach nap the next day.

I enjoyed some forced relaxation while Lucy napped on me. Look at her cheeks!

Louise and baby Will came up to see us. Lucy enjoyed the influx of toys.

Handsome guy.

Little Will and giant Lucy.

Matching Christmas jammies in July! They wore the same ones on the Polar Express.

Coco, Poppy, Dorothy (Clark's US mom), Leigh (Clark's awesome wife)

Ned, Elliott, Ethan, Archie, Anna.

We so enjoyed their visit. Elliott keeps asking if we can go down the beach to play with Archie or go to Archie's house. I've explained that Archie lives in Belfast but I think the distance is lost on him. Until next year, our Irish friends!

Dutch sleeps in my parents' room in Canada. And, apparently he sleeps with his head under the bed.

Toby and Lincoln squeezed in a beach walk on a windy morning.

Elliott tries to throw the ball for Dutch. It's really cute to watch.

Messy Lucy.

Everyone loves Lilly.