Shelley and Jason's Wedding

October 1st, Shelley and Jason got married.  Shelley has been a good friend of mine since 6th grade.  From making up dances to Milli Vanilli (yes, I am being absolutely serious) to playing softball to managing the high school baseball team, Shelley and I have remained friends for a LONG time!  I was very honored to have been invited to be there to witness her special day.  This day was even more special because back in April, her father, Tom, or "The Big Foote", suffered a major heart attack.  Things were very touch and go for a while and they weren't even sure he would be there to walk her down the aisle.  Well, he fought hard and was there to make the day even more special for Shelley.  He still has a long road ahead of him, but you could tell how happy he was to be there.  I definitely get emotional at weddings, but watching Tom walk Shelley down the aisle and witnessing the Father-Daughter dance, was just amazing to watch.  Why I had no tissues with me is a mystery!  He didn't recognize me, but when I told him my name, his eyes lit up and he gave me a big hug! 



Tom walking Shelley down the aisle

As part of the ceremony, Shelley and Jason had a "Passing of the Rings".  They passed the rings around to everyone to say a little blessing or prayer to wish the new couple well.

Passing of the Rings



The Programs



 

The Bohlens!





Beautiful!

 The weather was absolutely gorgeous!  It was slightly windy, but what a beautiful night!  Perfect for a wedding. 

 The newlyweds went around the venue getting their pictures taken and we enjoyed a cocktail hour with passed hors d'oeuvres and an open bar.  I enjoyed a nice glass of Pinot Grigio and caught up with a few friends from back in the day.  After the cocktail hour, we headed upstairs to the reception area.  They had a photo album instead of a guest book.  They had a friend taking pictures of each guest as they came into the room and we wrote our names next to an empty space in the album where the picture would go.  Neat idea!

Wine charm favors!

When Shelley and Jason enjoyed their first dance together as a married couple, Tom watched and smiled. 

Dancing to Michael Buble's "Crazy Love"

Tom watching with a smile!

The night continued with dinner and dancing and everybody was having a great time.  Brad came to me and requested a picture of the three of us who have known each other since 6th grade! 

Friends for 22 years and counting.....

After the last dance, we hailed a cab and headed back to the hotel for much needed sleep.  This was our first night away from Olivia so we had no reason to wake up in the middle of the night except for the sirens that seemed to never stop! 

All in all, we had a fantastic evening and we wish the new couple a safe and wonderful trip to Aruba!!

5 Months!!

As much as it seems like forever ago when we brought Olivia home from the hospital, I can't believe it's been 5 months!  Friday was her 5 month birthday so we celebrated with a great weekend!! 

Friday I took the day off to play golf in a work event.  We played at Penderbrook (definitely wouldn't recommend this course).  I played with my good friends Dave and Tracy from the office and Stephen, another co-worker.  It was a scramble format and we used a lot of my shots!  I played ok!  We still didn't score very well, but it was a lot of fun.  Can't wait to do it again next year!  I just hope it's at a better course!  It was free, so I suppose I shouldn't be so picky.

Saturday started with Lee going to Arlington to shoot the Clarendon Day 5K/10K.  Then it was off to Andrew's baseball game.  What a hot day it turned out to be!  Olivia and I came for part of the game but it was just too hot for her to be out there.  And to be honest, it was too hot for me too :)  Here are some pictures from the game!

 After Olivia and I left the game, we made an impromptu visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house!  I think we made their afternoon.  Well, that and the Hokie win!!  We got home and spent the rest of the afternoon/evening watching some pretty amazing football games.  Then it was off to bed.

Sunday ended up being a lazy day, but a great one.  We spent the day watching football and spending quality time together.  Was fantastic!  Lee even set up the lights and did a photo shoot for Olivia's 5 months.  Here are some of my favorites!

All in all.....a fantastic weekend!!!

Peacefulness......

I tried uploading this video to blogger yesterday but to no avail!  I tried again this morning and it worked!  Yay!  When I went in to wake Olivia up yesterday (I hate having to wake her up) she just looked SO peaceful.  I had to grab the video camera to capture her cuteness.   

And.....we're rollin!

Well, she's finally done it!  She is rolling over.  The only problem is.....she HATES being on her belly!  So, she rolls over and then she freaks out.  And then she rolls over again!  This made for an interesting night last night.  She went to bed just fine and then kept rolling....and rolling.....and rolling....well, you get the picture!  We managed to catch her rolls on video this evening.  Enjoy!

Just because.....

I love taking videos of our little Olivia.  This one is just of her having floor time.

Putting my foot in my mouth.....

Look at my new trick!

Eating all by myself!

There are other posts that I need to write up about this weekend, but I wanted to post this one first!!  Today, I bought Olivia a "trainer" cup.  So, I took the handles off and put them on one of her bottles and just handed it to her!  This was the result:

New Blanket Buddy

Olivia really enjoys this pink blanket buddy Miss Belissa lets her play with at school so Grandma found this cute little froggy one and gave it to her last night. As you can tell.....she loves it!!!   We got home from our visit with Grandma and Grandpa and while I was getting her bottle ready, she snuggled and fell asleep with it!  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

More unusual sleeping....

At 4:00 this morning, I rolled over and decided to check the monitor to look at O while she was sleeping.  She had wiggled herself near the bottom of the crib and almost out of view.  Then I noticed she looked a little different.....I jumped up and told Lee "she is on her stomach!!!".  She had rolled over at some point and was face down in her crib.  We both ran in there to make sure she was ok, which she was, but it was definitely a panicky moment for us!  So, bye bye swaddle!!!

Unusual sleeping.....

Olivia has always liked pulling things over her face to help her fall asleep.  When she was really little this made me very nervous.....still does!  She will pull her bib or burp cloth over her face and just stare at it until she falls asleep.  She will lay on her back between us on the couch with a burp cloth under her head and she will find the end of it and fold it up against her face with her little hand to help her sleep.  So, last night, she wiggled her way to the back of the couch and this is how she fell asleep.......

Zzzzzzzzzzzz

Visit with Nana and Papa

Nana and Papa came to visit on Saturday and Olivia dressed up for the occasion!  Grandma and Grandpa bought her the cutest dress that she can't wear during the week at school because it's just too cold!  So, we took advantage of the warm weather and put her in her party dress!

Am I cute or what?

For dinner, Lee smoked a beef roast and we tried soft tacos again.  Corn salsa and all.  It was a big hit!  Lee tried his hand at making Mexican Rice.  Still have some work to do on that one, but it will end up being a crowd favorite!

Nana and Papa were very excited to spend time with Olivia and Andrew and even bought some gifts for them!  Andrew took away some Redskins pens and Baby Girl will be sporting her new Redskins bib (photo to come) during the next game!  She also got a new book.  The best gift of the day was the classic Tupperware toy that EVERY kid must have!!! 

You remember this don't you????

Olivia got a lot of "hold" time with Nana and Papa!

The weather was beautiful , so after we finished eating, we went outside and enjoyed some peach cobbler with vanila ice cream on the deck!  Olivia enjoyed sitting outside in her high chair.

Here's lookin' at you kid!

What a great day with family!

Tummy Time and Another Anne Outfit.......

After getting home from a long week at work (school for Olivia) we came home and tried out a little tummy time!  We are going to try to work on doing it every day so O will learn how to roll from her tummy to her back.  One of the 4 month milestones she hasn't mastered yet.  So, I took advantage and grabbed the camera.  She seemed to enjoy it for a bit, so I got some smiles!!  Also, I snapped a few pictures so you can see another one of her cute outfits from Anne!

More videos.....

Olivia decided it would be fun to talk squeal a lot this evening. It was pretty funny for a while.....

Then, she thought it would be fun to laugh with daddy for a bit....Hard to see her, but you can hear!

Farley.....Annoyed or Protective?

Since we brought Olivia home, Farley has been great with her.  He more or less leaves her alone and just sniffs her out every once in a while.  Well, we did discover that when she cries for a period of time, he either gets really annoyed or he is being protective by letting us know she is upset and needs attention.  Olivia has been a little out of sorts since her shots this afternoon, so I was able to get one of his escapades on video. 

You be the judge.......Annoyed or Protective???

Another Anne Outfit......

I told Anne I would post pictures of Olivia wearing the outfits she bought her....so, here is outfit number 2!

4 Month Appointment

Today, Olivia is 4 months old!  And that means.....more shots.....ugh!  For some reason, this set of shots was making me a lot more nervous and upset than the first round at her 2 month appointment.  I think it's because she is never really fussy anymore, so crying is really out of the norm these days.  The appointment went really well though.  She is making great progress on all the developmental items with the exception of rolling from tummy to back.  This is mostly because she really doesn't enjoy her tummy time, so we don't do it very often.  We chalked that one up to "working on it" instead of "not yet".  She is growing very well and her nurse is very pleased with her (and us!).  She thinks I should teach a class to new mothers on how to transition from being at home to going back to work.  Not sure why she thinks we are model parents, but we'll take it!  She definitely thinks Olivia is a model baby, and we don't disagree!

Her stats at 4 months old:

13 pounds 14 oz - 57th percentile

25 1/2 inches - 90th percentile

42 cm head circumference - 78th percentile

She has gained 3 pounds, grown 1 1/2 inches and her head circumference grew 2 1/2 cm in 2 months!

Olivia's nurse is very pleased with how she is eating and doesn't want us to try rice cereal until at least 5 months, but if she is still eating well, we'll wait until 6 months.  We'll just play it by ear and see how she progresses!

The worst part about her visit today was the dreaded shots.  She really did a great job with the first one and really didn't even move a muscle until the second one was on its way out.  Then.....WHAAAAAA.....it was such a horrible little scream.  Poor thing!  She definitely got us, but it didn't last long before she was back to her laughing smiling self and then we got home.......

Clothes from Anne!

So, this weekend, Olivia got to meet Anne for the first time.  Anne is my mom's sister, my Aunt, and my Godmother all in one!  Olivia was very excited to meet her and I know Anne was just as thrilled.  Olivia made out like a bandit......a spoiled one at that!  Anne bought her the cutest outfits and I told her I would post pictures on my blog when she wore them.  So, today, Olivia and I went to the mall to walk with Sarah and Vivien and I put her in one of her new outfits.  Now, one of these days, she'll actually smile for the camera instead of looking completely terrified!  Oh, and check out those shoes too!  She got those from one of Mommy's friends!

Snoozin'

Catchin' some afternoon Zzzzzzzzs!

A Lot to Say!

Bath time!

Here I am.......Mohawk and all!

Yoga

A few weeks ago, I started going to yoga.  For a few years, Olivia Sheldon has been teaching yoga at our office.  Great benefit!  And the office pays half the cost.  Lee has been taking her class for a while now and I just did her videos a few times.  Well, she teaches a beginner class (not so beginner really) on Mondays at 3:30 and I am officially hooked!  So, for three weeks I have taken her class on Monday and I've done one of her hour long videos on Wednesdays during my lunch break while telecommuting.  My goal is to get 3 hours of yoga in each week. 

I am definitely seeing results because each time I do it, I feel more flexible and definitely stronger.  I think I'm becoming a real "yogi". 

Good Morning!

Every morning we have the pleasure and the priviledge to receive the best "good morning" we could get!  This morning I was able to get it on video to share it with you!

Have a great and happy day everyone!!!

Farley

I am trying out blogging from my phone. Farley got all curled up on me tonight and he is taking up the whole bed. Stinker!!!  

Testing out the mobile blogger

What's old....is NEW again!

For my baby shower, mom gave me a bunch of my old baby clothes that Olivia could wear.  Today was the first time I put her in one of my old outfits!  It was also the first time I decided to take pictures with one of Lee's cameras, so I know I need a lot more practice.  Now that I at least know how to turn it on and upload the pictures, I'll be able to snap photos more often and put them on my blog! 

Calvin

Friday night, a co-worker was killed as he was sitting at a traffic light on his way home.  He was shot in the chest as he waited at the light and then rolled into the intersection and hit a wall.  At this point, it is unclear if it was the gunshot or the crash that killed Calvin.  This was an absolute senseless tragedy.  Calvin was such a great guy.  You would never hear ANYTHING negative about Calvin.  He walked around Noblis very swiftly, always working hard on one of his many projects.  I worked with Calvin a lot and purchased a lot of the equipment and services he needed for his projects over the years.

No words can express how sad I am for his wife and two young children who are now left without a husband and a father.  Life is just not fair sometimes.  This proves it.

You will be missed Calvin.

Books!

Over 4th of July weekend, Auntie 'Reen gave Lil' Olivia a new book! Apparently, Olivia is a pig. Well, I could've told you that! Ha! We look forward to collecting more of the books from the series. I know Olivia will enjoy reading these and it will help her learn her name and learn how to spell it. Thanks Auntie 'Reen!!

My co-worker, Nikki, gave this book to me yesterday for Olivia.  The special thing about this book is that it was Nikki's daughter Kristen's first Christmas book back in 1990.  Kristen will be 20 this year!  The book is inscribed by Nikki's mother, or YaYa as we all know her!  Olivia will be sure to take great care of this book so we can return it to Nikki when Kristen has children.  What a special gift.

Mexican Fiesta

Saturday was a great day!  We were having our good friends Catalina, Brian and their daughter Alisia over as well as our good friend Josh.  The original plan was to have a cookout with the typical hamburgers and hot dogs, but Lee had another plan; Chicken soft tacos with smoked corn salsa.  The menu was as follows:

Starters:
Chips and homemade salsa and guacamole

Dinner:
Smoked chicken
homemade salsa
homemade guac
smoked corn and tomato salsa
cheese

Dessert:
Lemon Cream Meringue Pie

Beverages:
Iced tea
Margaritas
Beer

We were so busy getting the food ready that we didn't take any pictures!  Oh well! 

Some wonderful things happened yesterday leading up to the company's arrival......Olivia took 2 naps, in her crib!  Her morning nap lasted about 1 hour 45 minutes and her afternoon nap was about an hour.  In fact, as I type this, she is napping in her crib.  She is such a great sleeper and is becoming a great napper as well! 

All in all, our weekend has been fabulous!  Andrew comes home this evening from his 6 week trip to visit his mom in Georgia.  I can't wait for him to see how much Olivia has grown!!  He'll be so happy to be able to make her smile and laugh!

One Year Ago......

A year ago today, Lee and I learned that we were going to have a baby.  We were so happy!!  Little did we know we would have the most incredible baby girl a year later.  She is just so amazing and we couldn't ask for anything more.  We are so lucky to have such a sweet and giggly Olivia in our lives.  She truly completes us!!  I can only imagine how much she will continue to amaze us in the years to come. 

Baby Girl, we love you so much!!!