Loving our Company!

First came David and Becca, then came Cooper and Andrea. We have had a ball with our company . . . and only wish they could have stayed longer.

David and Becca (Matt's sister and brother-in-law) arrived the end of February. Becca was in town for a gymnastics meet, and David came down to join her, make a long weekend of it. Sunday we went shopping on Magazine street, to all the little boutiques and dress shops - then to dinner at our fave, Dante's Kitchen - then to play pool at the old Rivershack (dive) bar. Monday, as Matt was at work, David, Becca and I went on a swamp tour (interesting) - and then met Matt for dinner at NOLA, a fabulous resturant in downtown 'Nawlins (as the natives call it).
Here is the four of us (David, Becca, me and Matt) at NOLA . . .

I love this picture! This was Sunday afternoon when we were shopping on Magazine street. One of the boutiques had a waiting area for the guys with a sofa and Maxim magazines! Needless to say, we were able to shop at this store for as long as we wanted!

This is Captain Tom, from our swamp tour, holding a baby gator. He said it was a fiesty one, so we couldn't hold it, but we were all able to pet him as we walked by. Now, I know you're jealous of that experience!

After we were introduced to the baby gator, we all piled onto a rickety river boat and toured around the "swamp" lands of Nawlins. Yes, there were real gators swimming up to the boat! This one just ate a marshmellow that Cap't Tom threw out to him.

David and I, enjoying the beautiful afternoon, amidst the gators . . .

Here is David and Becca at the Rivershack, listening to Cross Canadian Ragweed and playing pool. Can you believe that some other guy in the bar also listened to and liked Cross Canadian Ragweed? I had never heard of it before!

Cooper and Andrea (Matt's best friend from Southern Pines) came for a visit the end of March (Wednesday to Sunday). Unfortunately Matt and I had to work Wed - Fri. We still went out to nice dinners every night. Thursday to Cochon (beef-creole cuisine). Friday to Upperline (New Orleans' style down-home cookin'). Saturday afternoon to NOLA for lunch. Sunday to Dante's Kitchen for brunch. We were all fat-n-happy by the end of their trip!
Here we are Saturday night watching the Carolina NCAA game in our living room.

Sunday brunch at Dante's Kitchen - seriously good food! (Matt, me, Cooper and Andrea)

We had such a good time with our company! And we miss them already! We are looking forward to being in NC again and being closer to everyone!

Oh Charlie!

Chin Flea Dirt. Why did I adopt a creature with 'chin flea dirt'? Anyway, we wanted a friend for Frankie, as we spend much time away from her. So, we went to the animal shelter and found "Avery," who we renamed "Charlie." Charlie was definitely cute, playful and affectionate - but Frankie hated him! (and he had chin flea dirt - would you want that in bed with you?)
So, after a week of Frankie's "temper-tantrums," we took Charlie back to the shelter. I really did (and do) feel bad about it, but I believe it was for the overall good. Here are a few pictures of Charlie . . .

Trust me, Matt is not smiling because Charlie is sitting on his lap . . . there is a Friends episode on the TV in the background.

Frankie is relieved to have her mother all to herself once again. She takes up my whole lap!

And here is Frankie - showing her love for us by sitting on our freshly washed laundry. Nice kitty!

Celebrating Six Months

January 21st, 2008 . . . our six month anniversary. Being married is like being at home . . . it just feels right, comfortable, and peaceful. It is actually hard to believe we've been married for only six months . . . feels like forever. Like we've always been together . . . and I can't imagine life without Matt.
To celebrate this memorable milestone, I baked a strawberry yogurt cake. We each ate a piece . . . and the rest of the cake went to the garbage. Oh well. If we lived closer to family, I'm sure it wouldn't have gone to waste!

A Christmas gift from Canada . . . we wanted to say thank you to Betty and Mike (my sister's in-laws) who picked out these awesome candle holders for us. I used them to decorate the kitchen table for our anniversary celebration, and I used them to decorate the mantle. A very thoughtful gift!

And we could not update the blog without addressing Frankie's exciting events. She received a new Kitty-play-tower . . . and makes the most of it by sitting on top of it and looking out the window (keeping an eye on the neighbors for us). This gift was actually a bribe - we bought it just before we got Charlie. Needless to say, it did not appease her . . . and Charlie's stay with us was short (as you've read about in the above posting).

spoiled rotten kitty . . .

Carly's new haircut and color . . . this is my favorite 'do' yet. I will be going back to this stylist!

Matt and Frankie relaxing - after a very stressful day (for both them)!

We have to say sorry that it has taken us such a long time to update our blog. The main deterrent is Carly's computer. It is soooooo slow. It takes forever for it to boot up and open any program . . . and this is where our photo program is. We probably need to upload our photos to Matt's computer and use it . . . but we've yet to do that either!

Noah turns One!

New Years in Baltimore - celebrating many important events, including Noah's first birthday, family together-ness, and the New Year. We had a most splendid time, with plenty of eating, drinking, sleeping, shopping, and "apple-upping" (the new game that we played over and over). The weather was a bit chilly, but Connor kept a fire going in the fireplace just about every night. Connor's parents (Betty and Mike) and his aunt (Aunt Elaine) were also in Baltimore for a visit, and we had such a nice time getting to know them better. My parents were also there, so it was a good thing Connor & Jackie bought a house with five bedrooms, four baths and a huge basement! Noah has grown so much and is soooooo smart! We really enjoyed our play time with him.
Here is a picture of Mike sitting by the fire - I'm surprised I'm not right in front of it as well (that's where I usually was)!

Noah got to open one of his presents early since Aunt Elaine was leaving. This ingenious little toy had a very catchy jiggle that we heard over and over again . . . "Press the buttons on the phone, call your friends, say hello; press the buttons on the phone, ring, ring, hell-lo" to the tune of "London Bridge". Oh yes, I remember it quite well.

On the day of Noah's birthday party, Noah was in high spirits - surrounded by his loved ones in strange pointed hats, having so many pictures taken that we're sure he saw stars for hours.

And, Daddy bought a special bubble machine - it was pure magic in the living room.

We were excited to meet Brooke and Ganin, the other mom and little boy, in the Nanny-share with Jackie. Ganin was also thrilled about the bubbles, and all of Noah's new toys!

Noah (or rather, Jackie, Connor and Ganin) opened up lots of new toys.

And, the highlight of the afternoon was Noah's first birthday cupcake. He had obviously never experienced such sheer bliss on his taste buds.

It was just a little messy . . . and Noah wanted to share.

Sisters . . . celebrating the New Year

Jackie and Connor

Matt and Noah

Frankie was awful glad to see us when we returned! She has been in our laps and sleeping on top of us since we got back.

Frankie is thinking, "How dare you leave me alone for five days!"

Oh Christmas Tree . . .

Although, the weather here in NOLA is not very Christmas-y, Matt and I are getting into the Christmas spirit! Despite picking up our Christmas tree in 80-degree heat and sweating to get it into the house, we have made it into a true symbol of holiday spirit. New ornaments, new lights, new angel on the tree top, and plenty of new toys for Frankie to play with!


The angel on top of the tree . . .

Frankie is thinking, 'this looks like something I might be interested in . . .'

Oh yes, paws on the ornaments . . . Busted!

Then we moved the chair away from the tree . . . what a pitiful face, Frankie!

a late report on Thanksgiving

I've been meaning to update my blog now for a while, and I'm finally getting to it. Matt and I flew to NC for Thanksgiving and spent some time at both my parents' and his parents' houses. We had a really nice trip - it was good to see our family and be with them for a while. We had Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' - and what a spread of food! Hats off to my mom, grandmother, and Aunt Dolores, and even my cousin's, Aaron's, girlfriend brought a couple dishes. It was a feast. Unfortunately, the vacation went by way too fast.

Here is a family shot of Jackie, Connor and Noah . . .


Busted! Yes, this is Matt asleep at my parent's - I guess we could blame it on the turkey.

Aunt Dolores, Mom, Jackie, and Grandma . . . It's always such a treat to get to see Grandma and Wayne. They drove up from Florida to spend Thanksgiving with us. Grandma and I had a couple really nice chats, and we looked through my wedding pictures, reliving the good times.

Visiting on the couch - Connor, Jackie, Noah, me and Grandma . . .

Noah loved all the food! Mom made him special sweet potatoes that he gobbled right up. He also tasted some pumpkin pie, apple pie, ice cream and whipped cream (for the first time) . . . we were relieved to see that he would still eat regular food!

Cheyanne, my very best friend from high school, stopped by on Friday after noon with her two little girls, Madyson and McKynzy. Here is Chey and Kynzy, Noah giving his mother a kiss, and Connor . . .

Chey and her two girls . . .

Noah and his most favorite girl in the whole world . . .

Aaron and Noah . . .

Saturday morning, we drove to Southern Pines and stayed with Shelton and Sally. Becca was able to make a weekend trip to SP as well. We had a big dinner at Sally and Shelton's on Saturday night - great southern cooking (right up Matt's alley!)!

Before we left, everyone opened the Christmas presents we brought them. Here is Becca with the candle we got her . . .

Sally and her new scarf . . .

Why does time seem to slip through your fingers, so quickly? Thanksgiving lasted but a blink of the eye, and we are missing everyone back home again! Until next time . . .