Time with Ella

Although I didn't take any pictures, I had a wonderful time with Carmella in Atlanta while her mommy and daddy looked at houses. They found a wonderful house in a lovely neighborhood and should be able to move in the middle of September. What a relief that will be as Mark is travelling between Chicago and Atlanta and still going to school on Saturdays to get his MBA in Chicago. New job, new house, baby on the way...need any more stressors? I was so happy to be able to help out. Ella and I explored the hotel and pool, found a nearby playground, rode the elevator (a lot) and napped together. Doesn't get much better than that!

Here's a picture of the new house from the Internet.

It's now a Rec Room

We have been working on the basement for three years now and this summer we doubled our efforts to get it completed. We now have walls, a ceiling, and carpeting! Once we get it decorated, it should be a welcoming space for get togethers with family and friends. We aren't totally finished, but we've come a long way!

Vacation in Florida

Rich had almost two weeks of vacation, so we decided to drive to Florida for a visit with Rich's step-mom, Julia, and a week at a resort in Lauderdale by the Sea. We took a water taxi around Fort Lauderdale, went fishing, and enjoyed a lot of beach time.

View from our resort.

On the fishing boat - before I got sick. We didn't catch anything worth keeping, but it was a beautiful day.




The skyline of Fort Lauderdale from the water taxi

The Fort Lauderdale Fire Department's boat - complete with red flashing lights!


What we came home to - The largest one made four batches (8 loaves) of zucchini bread!

Laurel, Luke and Leah Time

After Sharon and Ella and Kat and Daniel went home, we had two more days with Laurel's family. Luke loves to help Rich mow the grass. One more time before he had to get on "two planes" to get home...

Luke wanted to see Thomas the Train Engine which was making an appearance in Strasburg, PA, where they actually make the real engines like this one.

He was excited to get tickets to ride the Strasburg Railroad Train.

Leah riding on the train.

A stop at Red Robin for lunch.

And Some Quiet Times

Rich often read to the girls before he left for work in the morning or at bed or naptime. I would get up with the babies so their moms could sleep in a bit. It was wonderful to have that precious time together!