Illinois with Papa and Melinda

We had such a great visit with my Papa and Melinda this summer. Below are some of the highlights via pictures. If you want to see even more pictures, click here.

Prairie Farms (I went here when I was a kid!):

Swimming pool time in the backyard (blown up with love by Papa):

Jack really appreciated it. :)



Lots of watermelon eating:


A trip to the Miller Farm (Melinda's parents):

Some important relaxation time:

A trip to a local custard shop (Papa ordered lemon, hence Jack's reaction):



And Jack's buddy through it all: Barney. (One day we'll have to tell him Barney wasn't a real dog.)


We had so much fun with you guys, Papa and Melinda. We can't wait till you come and visit us!

Beach with the Marcantonios

I just realized we didn't take a lot of pictures at the beach with the Marcantonios. We had a wonderful time, but you'll just have to take my word for it. Below are a few shots I remembered to take.

Jack and Dadda after a dip in the pool:

A trip to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse:

260-some stairs the pregnant lady climbed...

And the one picture I remembered to take from the top, even though that was the best part.

And an attempt at a family shot the day we were leaving. (We need to work on the boy's photo readiness/awareness.):

Jack's First Steps

As I mentioned in our last post, Jack took his first steps while we were at the beach. Here a some videos that capture the way those wobbly, Chimpanzee-like steps.

Anniversary #3

For our anniversary my loving husband surprised me with a trip to the Elizabethan Gardens and dinner in Manteo, NC. According to the website, the gardens are where "Sir Walter Raleigh made initial attempts to colonize the New World under Queen Elizabeth I. Truly this hallowed site is the birthplace of America."

Everything about the evening was delightful. He took me to the gardens specifically to let me take pictures. So here are a few...











Then we went into the waterfront town of Manteo.





Thank you, Hubby, for such a well planned anniversary night.

This was also the night of Jack's first steps. Hopefully more on that later...