Kileigh Turns 1

Last weekend I went to Southern Pines for sweet little Kileigh's first birthday party.  Karina and company did a great job planning a fun afternoon for all the kids, including Kileigh.  There was lots of food, drinks, toys, presents, desserts, etc and I think everyone was worn out after it was over.  Kileigh got lots of cute presents from all of her friends and I got lots of cute pictures of her.  A couple of my favorites below but click the title to see the whole album on snapfish.  

Our little fern dove

So I bought 6 ferns a while ago (4 to hang) and I'm seeing how long I can make them last.....I'm kind of into plants and flowers these days and we have a great front porch to have hanging plants.  I walked out of the front door one day and a bird popped out of one of the ferns (and scared me to pieces).  Several days later I noticed a nest.....and today I got some pictures......its a dove's nest.....I hope taking pictures didn't scare it away for too long!

Miracle Picture

No one will quite understand how hard this picture was to take.....it took 4 people, and about 15 minutes and this was the ONLY decent picture that came of it:

Back Row L to R:  Jackson, Maddie, Bec, Kali, Reba, David & Hank

Front Two L to R:  Ginger (Grandma) & Sally (Mom)

My Baby

Kali, the newest puppy, is doing great and I thought I'd share some funny stories and pictures from the last two weeks.  First of all, the crate training (which I fully believe in) is working.  She is understanding that the bathroom is outside for her.  It's still a lot of work for us because she doesn't have the bladder capacity that Jax & Maddie have but she is able to stay in the crate without being let out for a good while (4-5 hours).  According to articles I've read, that is outstanding for a dog her age (9 weeks).  She is starting to understand commands (or so I think...maybe its a coincidence) but "hurry up" and "here" seem to grab her attention.  Occasionally she will run in circles around the house (when we let her play out of the crate) and then stop suddenly and bark at us.  Just one, high pitch bark, as if to say.....PLAY WITH ME NOW.  She is a good retriever but doesn't always bring the sock/toy/ball right back to you.  Again, who would expect that from a 9-week old?  She had her first bath on Tuesday and did great.  She is so adorable and sweet but now that she is more comfortable in our house, she doesn't really like to be held and cuddled....she is more into exploring and finding trouble.  Speaking of exploring.....she got out of the fence yesterday!  Her skinny butt can fit through the pickets in the fence and she made her way out.  When I figured it out and got myself out of the fence, that Einstein of a dog was waiting for me at the FRONT DOOR.  I love smart pups.  Anyways, she's great and she loves visitors so if you are in the area, come meet her.  I promise you will fall in love with her little face!

Nothing Like a Mom

With Mother's Day almost a week in the past, I wanted to reflect on the fact that most mom's are awesome. First of all, my mom is wonderful. That's a given!  But I wanted to use this blog to point out the new mom's in the world and how great i think they are.......These smiles show how great they are!

Lauren & Hadley....this was right after we got back from KS

Liza Martin learning how to brush her teeth

Karina & Kileigh last Thanksgiving

Em & Nate in Nashville

Lily Andrea Grieve....Kalispell, MT

Jackie & Noah

Page & Ford Fehling

Ruby Red Slippers & Sore Legs

This past weekend we hopped on a plane to Wichita, Kansas for a good friend's wedding.  David Glover & Ashley Shroyer met in DC several years ago.  Glover (as we call him) is from NC & went to UNC.  We have a great group of friends from UNC and most of our closest friends flew out to KS to see him get married.  Ashley is from Kansas and the entire weekend was loosely based on the rivalry between Kansas & UNC.  It was great!  We (me and my david) flew in Friday and barely made it in time to go to the rehearsal dinner.  Thankfully Emily & Greg, who rented a car, waited on us to get changed.  The RD was nice....at Wichita Country Club with good food, drinks, toasts, videos and a darn good MC.  :)  Someone in the wedding party had a grand idea to run a 10K the morning of the wedding and the bride and groom were totally up for it.  They (Team Dashley) encouraged us to do it and 33 of us got up and ran it like champs.  Some of the guys did really well, finishing up near the front  but most of us accomplished a lot just by finishing!!!  I had a great running partner in Emily and if it hadn't been for her, I don't know that I would have finished it like I did.  We did stop a couple times to walk in order to get rid cramps, etc, but she figured we ran 90% of it.  I've never run more than 3 miles at a time so I was completely pumped about it.  David also finished it before I did and I was so proud of him! He hates running....its amazing what a man's pride and a little competition can do.  :)



 We all were wearing shirts that said "Worst Idea Ever" on the front and "Best Idea Ever" with a picture of a UNC Ram & a Jayhawk getting married, on the back.  So many runners pointed out our shirts and said how cool they were.  It was also fun to see each other as we were running.....made it easy to point each other out and cheer each other on!  The wedding itself was held at Botanica Saturday night.  We had lots of time between the race and the wedding to eat, rest, shop, etc.....most people just rested.  I think Klug found resting to be for wussy's so she and Talley entertained themselves with scarves for what sounded like hours.  The wedding was beautiful...all of it was outside and Ashley did an amazing job with the decor, colors, set up, etc.  I took tons of pictures and thoroughly enjoyed being there to watch Glove get married.  Ashley was wearing the cutest red shoes with her beautiful wedding dress and Glove wore a turquoise-y tie with a black tux.  the bridesmaids dress color matched Glove's tie and the groomsmen's ties matched Ashley's shoes.  It was really pretty.  There were tears, laughter, cocktails, hugs, kisses and more




......it was a great reunion of our college friends and I look forward to many more reunions as the years go by.......

**Click on the title to see pictures**