Peas: Louisa's First Food

Rock's first meal was a big deal. We planned for weeks to prep what he would eat for such a special occasion. He had rice cereal and he hated it.

Fast forward to this meal. Rock helped me make this menu with this recipe for dinner, which is COMPLETELY fabulous, but there was nothing special about this evening in particular.

Until, Fix decided to give Louisa some of his peas and she ate her first solid food! I know some parents start with solids at 4 months, but since our kids are so prone to allergies, we decided to wait until they were 6 months old. Louisa is 5 months old in these pictures.

And she loved the peas! She probably only ate about 4 peas total, but she had a lot of fun doing it!

Of course we'll be holding off on giving her a full solid meal until she's a 6-month old, but it's good to know that she's ready and able when that time comes.

Wallace Gals Reunion

Wallace, the church I grew up attending, just celebrated it's 100 Year Anniversary and all these lovely ladies came into town to attend the picnic and anniversary celebration.** Before things got started at the church property that afternoon, we gathered for brunch at our place.
With everyone's kids. Which made for a crazy but fun morning. It was so nice to catch up with everyone.
And it also meant that I got to meet Lina! Finally! Becky's girl is SO sweet and full of life.

I was also excited that someone else was around so we could get a picture of the four of us.

And the five of us.
** You would think that I would have taken pictures at the actual anniversary event at the Wallace property. You would be wrong.

Trees & Books

We've had a lot of crazy storms this Summer. On a recent walk, we documented the after effects of a storm that ripped through our neighborhood downing trees right and left. Above is the little tree just outside our back gate.

This was one of four massive trees that were knocked down on the Belair Swim & Racquet property.

That's a lot of roots!

Amazingly, this tiny statue (in our neighbor's yard) survived the storm. Rock likes to pretend that these figurines are Frog and Toad. And they are playing Settlers of Catan.

The final destination of our walk was the library. Rock has been reading more and more so he loves to pick out his own books. It wasn't until later that I thought of how we use fallen trees to make paper for things like books. Hmmmm...

VBS Video

Just one of the many videos I took of the VBS closing program.

My favorite part is when Rock runs over to give me a hug.

VBS

The week after our beach trip, we had VBS at church! This was the first year Rock could attend and he LOVED it. He loved the snacks. He loved the crafts. He loved the songs. He loved Mr. Hollidge's gospel presentation. He loved the games.
And most importantly, he loved the LADIES! First there was Miss Sophie...

And Miss Molly (left, above). But most importantly, there was, Miss Adeline! Rock couldn't believe his good fortune - five mornings in a row with his true love?! It was too much!

Fix and I had a blast watching Rock interact with the other kids. Oh and Fix was also co-director this year.

I was just a lowly Snack Helper. But it was a FUN position. I got to help make some really yummy snacks and hang out with Deb, Edie, Laurie and Mary. FUN! We did not make the cupcake racing trail above (for the closing program), but isn't it fabulous?!

I also enjoyed the week because I got some breaks from Louisa. Not that she isn't a delight, but carrying her around can really wear me out. Instead, she spent a lot of time in the arms of helpers like Grace, aka the Baby Whisperer.

Rock knocked our socks off at the closing program. Like I said, he really enjoyed the songs. He's got a head for lyrics that puts me to shame!

Speaking of heads, look at these matching 'dos!

Beach 2010

Hard to believe that a year has flown by and we were already back on the beach again with the Fellowship Gathering group. But as always, the smattering of beach chairs and umbrellas is a sight for sore eyes.
This year there were three new babies. It was last year at the beach that I first felt slightly nauseous and realized that Louisa was on the way! Lauren (top right) was the next to get pregnant, with little Ward (bottom right). And finally, little Martin (bottom left) was the youngest one on our trip.
Martin and Ward are pretty cute fellas. And like Rock, they were named after their grandfathers. Here's the group of namesakes. From left to right, it's Marty and Martin, Lance Edward and Ward, and Rocket and Rock.

This year, we stayed with the Hathaways and the Rabenhorsts and my parents in one big house. Rock and Clip particularly loved this arrangement because it meant that they could sleep in the same closet. That's right, the closet. It was a huge walk-in deal and they loved it so don't judge us!
As usual, there was lots of time on the beach.
Louisa loved the beach even more after Juju bought her this is adorable flower hat.

I mean, REALLY adorable hat!This is what happens when you leave a boy in the hands of his father and a Sharpie marker. And you let him have a Buzz Lightyear tattoo from Rocket.

We discussed another book this year...The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. Fix and I had listened to it on our way to and from General Assembly so I was really looking forward to the discussion. Unfortunately, Louisa had other plans and I was called away to take care of her. Sigh. Next year's book is Dracula so hopefully Louisa will be independent enough to free me up for that discussion.

There were also many yummy meals. We made entirely too much chicken (enough to feed 20 leftover) and caramel sauce (a bucketful leftover). Oops!

Then, just like that, the week was over and we were headed home again.So long Litchfield, SC! Lord willing, we'll see you again next Summer!

Land of Candy

Recently we purchased Candy Land. For seven dollars. At Target.

Although Louisa the Drooling Wonder** finds it a little boring...

The little boy in our house can't get enough. We play almost daily. It's the best seven dollars I've spent in a long time.
**Appreciate how the drool is running down her chin, down Fix's arm, down her arm, and dripping on to the floor.

Theo

Just in case we weren't clear...Louisa Theo Fix was NOT named after:

Theo Huxtable. Although we do love Theo Huxtable.
Likewise, her name has nothing to do with Theo IT Services and Support. Although we are glad that they are "FIXing IT."
And she wasn't named after theo chocolate either. Although we do think their chocolate bars are YUMMY!

Louisa was named after Theo Follet, her great-great-grandmother who is pictured above on the left. Not sure who the other baby is, but we think Louisa takes after her great-great-grandmother in terms of her hairline and her chubby cheeks.

If she keeps taking after Theo Follett, perhaps this is a preview of her as a teenager. That's Theo on the right with her sister Joy.

But let's not rush into the whole teenager thing. For now, I'm happy to just enjoy our sweet baby girl. And some theo chocolate bars.

File These Under Embarrassing Photos

Can you tell what he's doing?

He's nursing Baby Addy just like Mom's nursing Louisa! Of course I'm flattered 'cause you know what they say about imitation.

25 Years

Mike and Barb Coleman have been the pastor and pastor's wife at our church for 25 years!

In early July, the congregation gathered one evening to celebrate and give thanks to the Lord for the incredible service and commitment and love that these two have given to RPCB.On a personal note, Mike and Barb have been excellent mentors to us as we have learned from their example in marriage and ministry. Thank you for all that you do!
p.s. Bonus points if you can spot the cute baby girl in pink in the background of picture #2!

Stella & Dot

On June 15th, I started a new adventure by becoming an Independent Stylist for Stella & Dot jewelry. If you are a woman with a pulse, you will love their jewelry and I'm so excited to be representing this fabulous line.

The first Saturday in July, I had a kickin' Launch Party with a few of my family and friends. I didn't get any pictures of them so you'll have to believe me that they showed up shortly after I took this picture.

I've got a few more Trunk Shows lined up and I'm so excited help pay down our debt by providing a fun in-home shopping experience to ladies who love baubles. If you are interested in getting a few girlfriends together to relax and see the new Fall/Winter Collection, let me know! The typical hostess earns about $250 in free jewelry and can shop for items at half-off!

Louisa was so excited about Stella & Dot she started walking.... with Daddy's help.

Are they not the cutest?!