Maryland Crab

Audrey's hair

Audrey had never had a haircut. She never had much to cut and we have

been waiting for almost three years for it to grow. I was excited that it

was long enough to put into piggy tails. Eric was tired of the crazy

whispies by her ears and mullet in back.

Her whole life people thought she was a boy. I even found this photo of her (from Istockphoto) when I was looking at baby announcement templates. They used her picture because she could pass for both a girl and a boy.

This spring I took this photo for St. Patrick's Day.

When Audrey saw the picture she said, "who is that boy?"

Wow, she even thought she looked like a boy!

Here is a series of pictures from her birthdays to show her hair growth.

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

This is a recent picture to demonstrate the crazy mess her hair was,

which lead up to the haircut.

We talked about the haircut with Audrey before to prepare her

for the experience. She did great and even enjoyed it.

Post-haircut... a little more tame.

Happy Anniversary!

Seven years! People said there is a seven year itch thing. I am happy to say that we are more in love than ever before despite so much life change. Boy do we look young...and thin.

Father's Day

I realized this year that Father's Day with two young kids is just plain different. Feeling bad that Eric had to make breakfast for our family and company while I fed Elliott, he ended up holding, bouncing and soothing a fussy Elliott the whole church service. I apologized at the end of the service and said, "what a way to start off Father's Day, shouldn't you be getting a break?" He said something to the effect that that's the perfect way to start off Father's day. I thought, that is why I am proud to be married to him and so appreciate his help and sacrifice for his family. He was overwhelmed with God's love and grace as he sat next to his father, holding his son. What a great way to start Father's Day!

Eric's first Father's Day with two kids.

Thanks Jamie, for the very cute outfit for Elliott;

it came just in time to look styling for his daddy.

This Father's Day we were blessed to have

Eric's Dad in town for the special day.

The young fathers enjoying a break.

Audrey and Elliott with their grandparents, we keep trying to

get her to "smile normal" but with very little luck.

The girls proud to be wearing their matching dresses.

We did try to get a cute picture of their face, but this will just have to do.

John and Mary Ann's Visit

We just enjoyed a visit from Eric's Dad and Step Mom, John and Mary Ann.

We got a chance to tour the inner harbor despite a hot and humid day.

When Audrey was born with four sets of grandparents, we asked them to pick their grandparents names so that she (and we) would not get confused. John and Mary Ann picked Poppy and Mimi. I thought it was creative and fit them perfectly. We were surprised to see these tee shirts hanging up in the food court side-by-side.

Enjoying some family time.

Audrey, a little cautious with the water.

Poppy and Audrey enjoying some street performers and ice cream!

While John was here last week, he spent many days working on house projects for us. He did so contending with the sun, humidity, mosquitos and intermittent bouts of rain.

Thanks John for your labor of love!

He painted our fence and railings after scraping the rust off.

He also washed and re-stained our deck.

Auntie Lidia

Auntie Lidia has always been special to Audrey. This time together was a little hard for Audrey with the new competition of her baby brother. The next two pictures taken seconds apart tell it all, her whole demeanor changed when Elliott entered the picture.

Lidia did a great job balancing the dynamic...

she held Elliott when Audrey went to bed...

and loved on her during the day.

I took Lidia to Sherwood Gardens.

She and Audrey had fun cooling off in the sprinklers.

Audrey greeting Indie, a neighbor's dog.
She loves dogs and has no fear

We took many walks our favorites were in the ones running in the rain or at dusk watching the fireflies. We discovered some great places to get some yummy treats: Chocolatea, Cafe Hon, and Sweet Sin.

Lidia was busy in the kitchen, which I greatly appreciated.

These are a few of the culinary highlights:

Strawberry Ricotta Muffins

Black Pearl Cake, with some interesting ingredients

including wasabi powder and black sesame seeds

We had an amazing two weeks together and

are already trying to figure out when she can visit next.

Crazy Outfits

Audrey has been very interested in dressing herself lately. She is very creative and expressive. I usually intervene and "assist" her to make sure she matches. Lately, she redresses herself during her "nap time." Here are some shots from Audrey's runway...

In this one, she grabbed her suitcase and told me that she

was going to California. She looks ready to me.

Featuring her florals and swim shoes.

This is my favorite and I even let her out of the house like this... that's growth!

Sun dress and beanie with the crocks and socks look.

She must be from Maryland. Note, the stickers on her leg.

Featuring some of Elliott's wardrobe.