Greenville/Great Nana & "Great Daddy's" 65th Anniversary

 

Next stop was Greenville, NC to visit my mom, Tom and attend my grandparent's 65th wedding anniversary party (no, that's not a typo -- 65 years, can you believe it!) The boys got to go hiking with their Nana, go to the pool, and we even had a special project for Nana to help us with -- converting Morgan's sleep sac (which was shredded at the bottom from his feet poking through) into a blankie. Nana did a great job and we managed to get Morgan's approval. (Whew! since there was no going back!) Then on our last night, all the extended family came to town to raise a glass to my grandparents who happily celebrated their milestone anniversary. We spent an evening honoring their lives, their love and the lessons they've taught us. It really meant a lot to be there with them for such a special occasion.

Chapel Hill Visit

on the way to the ballgame

 We were able to spend some time with Darren, Annie and Jonas as our first pit stop on the way to Austin. It was great to see them and be able to be healthy enough this time to actually do some things around town like a Durham Bulls baseball game, local hikes and coffee shops, a performance of Paperhand Puppet Intervention (which was so much more than a puppet show -- the elaborate puppets, choreography, original live music and intricate sets were awe inspiring), the Life & Science Museum, walking around UNC campus and good old fashioned cook outs. Morgan and Dean enjoyed time with their cousin and it was great to spend some quality time with family.

Bye Bye Maryland

We had a fun summer in Maryland visiting friends and family -- it was a whirlwind and I feel like we barely had time to see people! Thanks Rich & Jill for hosting us all summer -- I'm sure the house is much quieter (and cleaner) now that we're gone : ) We went out with a bang on our last night, the kids enjoyed a ginormous inflatable water pool complete with slide in the backyard. We were filling it up with water during dinner and Morgan said, "I want to eat dinner in my bathing suit!" so that he could run outside right afterwards. It provided hours of entertainment and the kids didn't want to get out of that thing. Even little Elana enjoyed it through chattering teeth! Also included here are some photos from the Urbana Fair where we ran into Cory & Christine and their family.

Tessa & Dan's Wedding

Morgan performed as ring bearer again at Ed's cousin Tessa's wedding in Pittsburgh on July 28th. This time it was a much longer aisle with cathedral ceilings, but he had a smile on his face the whole time and did great. It was awesome visiting with all the extended family and even doing some sight seeing in Pittsburgh. Congrats Tessa and Dan/Bob/Michael : )