Best Friends

Ellyann & Annaliese

Staying Cool

This baby loves the water!  She even tried to "kiss" the water squirting from the little octopus, obviously that didn't turn out too well.

Andy was commenting that summer is over so why are there still commercials for summer things, but as we Valley people know, we probably have quite a few more weeks of summer weather for playing outside in the water during the afternoon.

She kept trying to "drink" from this plastic cup but would get overwhelmed with water pouring on her face.  Then she'd try it again.

So fun. She would love to just hang out in the water all day.

She's getting better at crawling and she gets so excited to show off her skills.  She is also learning to pull up on things and loves to hold our fingers to walk around the house.

That's about the end!

Me too!

Feeling Crafty

My friend Danette's baby shower is tomorrow and I've been meaning to make a gift for her so I finally whipped it together tonight:

Starting with some ribbon & an antique pillowcase...

...I made a dress for baby Emma! (Now I just have to make one for Annaliese! Yikes!)

Then I folded and tied up a cloth placemat...

...into a cute little holder...

...for a diaper change on the go! (The placemat is now a changing pad!)

Mu friend Linda Zalamea's friend's blog (whom I don't know) inspired me to make these "re-creations."  Do you ever go down those rabbit holes of friend's friend's friend's blogs?  It is endless...

Cheese

Annaliese learned how to feed herself cheese yesterday and she loves it!

What a big girl!

Well, she tried to eat most of it anyway!

A few more pics

Ithica, NY near Bert's old fraternity house Sigma Nu (there's a waterfall just behind there)

Kathy sewed the 5 littlest girls at the lake matching outfits... so cute!!

red brick chapel at Cornell

Annaliese had a sweet little friend, Abby

UVA

Meeting cousin August (Robyn & Chuck's baby) - he's almost as big as Annaliese even though she's 4 1/2 months older!

Up Yonder (catch up...)

It's been awhile and a lot has happened....  Since I last posted, Annaliese sprouted 2 teeth! She also easily sits up on her own, although she doesn't like being by herself much, more specifically, doesn't like being away from her mama.  She babbles a lot including ba, ma, da, pa, and has said her definite first word, "Mama," to me while waiting for the doctor at urgent care on Sunday for continued treatment of her earache.  I don't know if she really knew what she was saying but it was priceless and perfectly timed when she wanted me to nurse her.  She's hopefully on the mend but still being treated for the earache (actually Andy and I are as well). 

Here is a quick run down of our 2 week trip (I'll spare you the 4 total layovers we had while flying, but I tell you, this little girl is well traveled!)...

Cherokee, Alabama: Our travels included a week with Andy's extended family (the Alstons and Dollahites) who get together annually for a giant reunion at the lake house affectionately called Up Yonder.  A few highlights of this main part of our trip (beside seeing 60+ crazy yet endearing relatives that we don't see often enough) were the cat fish fry, whole hog BBQ, wake boarding, the huge outdoor screen set up for Rock Band, and the infamous talent show.

Nashville, Tennesse: As we drove north, we visited my Aunt Lisa & Uncle Cliff and their kids at their house for dinner.  We also got to see the Vanderbilt campus which is one of the medical schools to which Andy applied.  

Northern Virginia (Burke, Charlottesville): We also got to stay with the Dollahites' family friends, the Fimianis, in Fairfax Station near Burke, where Andy grew up for 9 years.  We also visited the quaint town of Charlottesville to see the University of Virginia (UVA) campus.

Maryland: Another highlight was a mini-Hammond reunion in Maryland at Andy's Uncle Rob & and Aunt Willie's house where we enjoyed a picnic with the cousins.  We loved staying at Robyn & Chuck's house out in the country.

Hershey, Pennsylvania: We briefly stopped to see the Penn State campus and get a Starbucks (nope, didn't see the chocolate museum etc.).

Corning, New York: Our final destination before flying home was 3 days with more Hammond family including Aunt Carolyn and Annaliese's sweet great-grandparents.  We had lots of good meals together and had fun reconnecting.

Upstate New York:  As though we hadn't had enough driving, we drove up to see the Suny Upstate University campus in Syracuse and along the way up we visited Andy's dad's alma mater Cornell in Ithica.  We thought the Cornell campus was so pretty that we stopped on the way back down as well and saw his old fraternity house, Sigma Nu.

So many fun memories, but here are just a few pics from Up Yonder to share...  I'll get some more pics posted soon.

Seeing family was the best highlight of the whole trip... Great grandma Virginia, Grandma Dale, Mama Steph & Baby Annaliese

Hey, I thought the little kids were supposed to have a turn at Rock Band!  Ha ha! "Kids" of all ages indulged!

Reunited with my "pardner" Anne Marie making dinner for 50+ people at Up Yonder

The shirt says it all, "Grandma's Girl"

Annaliese's first boat ride at Pick Wick Lake