I'm back

While taking care of an 18 month old, working part time, and keeping up on everyday household tasks, my blogging has been pushed to the wayside. Now, I realize and understand I am not the only mom out there with a million things to get done. That is why all these other moms completely AMAZE me with all they can accomplish in a day and still manage to look cute. Wish I had their organization and drive. I'm working on it... ;)

If there are any readers left out there (hello Aunt Glennda!), this is what our family has been up to since Easter:

We took a vacation to Destin, Florida in April. This trip was much needed, and we enjoyed every minute of it. It was such a treat to have nothing to do everyday besides soak up the sun and enjoy being together.

Derek's face expresses his "I cannot believe it!" excitement. Cracks me up.

Dinner by the ocean. This was the night Derek danced in the open to the live music. He was the star of the evening. Too cute. Wish we had a pic of him movin and grovin.

My cousin Dane drove to see us. He is stationed at Elgin AFB. So great to see him!

Me and my love, bayside.

Derek LOVED being at the ocean!

priceless.

Daddy and Derek eating eggs in the morning.

Our pool.

Family photo at the beach.

Happy Easter

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! He is risen; He is risen indeed!

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. Our good friend from Colorado and college student, Chelsea was able to visit for a few days. She attends a university in our state, and her dorm was closed over the holiday weekend. So, she got stuck with us for a few days! It was a treat to have her here, although it really made us miss the rest of her family!!!

This was Derek's first year to experience coloring Easter eggs. He wasn't too intrigued with decorating them, he just wanted to eat them. Chelsea and I had a good time, though. ;)

Bye Bye Combover

Over the course of the last couple months Derek has gotten quite a few comments about his combover hairstyle. I really didn't think it was that bad until he got the comment that told me loud and clear something needed to be done: "Oh cute, he's sporting the Gene Keady combover!" Total insult, ewww. The following day I scheduled his first hair cut appointment.

Our dear family friend Tiffany cuts hair in Marion. Though it's a drive, I had always planned to have her do his first haircut. So, we made a day out of it. Derek and I drove down that afternoon and stopped at Grandma Mary Jane's. Ryan met us there then we all went together for his appointment.

Ryan and I were a bit apprehensive because Derek does not like to sit still for anything. He throws a fit when I cut his nails! We were prepared for him to wail, but thankfully quite the opposite occurred. He sat in that chair like such a big boy and even seemed to enjoy it! Tiffany did a fantastic job with not only the cut and style of his hair, but also her demeanor with him. Thank you, Tiff!!!

Yep, it was definitely time.

Feeling secure with Daddy.

Such a big boy.

Proud of himself for being so good.

Loving his faux hawk.

Love All

Derek is begging us to enroll him in a tennis program. He has to wait 3 more years until he's old enough, but he is just itching to join! Just look at that face....Can't you just hear him saying, "...but Mommy, pleeease??" Ha!

An Evening Out

One of Ryan's high school friends had a surprise 30th birthday party over the weekend. It was so much fun to have a night out on the town. The party was held at The Upper Room Martini Bar in Broadripple. What a classy place! Apparantly Peyton Manning and his buddies claim this as their hangout, which only added to my excitement. :)

It's always a good time to get together with Ryan's high school friends. They're great people, and it's always a treat to see them. Happy 30th Birthday, Brian!

Brian the birthday boy and Ryan
Ryan, Jeff and Justin

Just us

This DJ was so great, and he absolutely cracked me up ;)

Play Date

My friend Amanda and her son Zackary came over to visit Derek and I last week. It was Derek's first real play date. Too bad he didn't last very long before he got cranky and needed a nap. Zackary didn't mind too much. He is the most content baby boy! He is such a sweetie complete with an adorable smile.

Amanda and I had a nice time chatting over warm tea. It's so comforting to have another Mom to discuss baby topics with and to have a few laughs with, too. We can't wait for the next play date!

One Year Old!

Happy 1st Birthday, Derek Reid!!! To celebrate his big day, we threw a birthday party for him over the weekend. We had a fun time with family, and boy did they spoil him rotten!

Derek Fun Facts:

-His way of greeting people is with a fake cough
-He can climb a flight of stairs in less than a minute
-He is already exercising selective hearing
-He loves to play catch
-He is such a happy boy
-He loves attention from the ladies
-He is a social butterfly just like his Daddy
-He is a fast crawler, but hasn't attempted that first step yet
-He has 2 bottom teeth, and 1 upper just poked through yesterday
-He kicks his legs and laughs out of excitement when he knows it's bath time
-He thinks every object should roll like a ball