father's day & a new toy...

We celebrated Jesse's second Father's Day on Sunday with a trip to the Knights game. It was Eli's first baseball game and he seemed to really enjoy it for the first few innings. After that, though, he was ready for bigger and better things, like the carousel and bounce house :) On Sunday night, Jesse had to leave town to be in New York for the week. Having him away reminds me how much he means to me (and Eli) and how much he gives and sacrifices for us. It's nice to have times like this to remind me not to take things and people for granted...unfortunately I need these reminders fairly often.

So...since Eli and I are alone this week, (my grandparents and Dad are vacationing too), I've been trying to stay busy and entertaining. Last weekend, we bought Eli a balloon-powered boat at Books A Million. He and I tried it out the other day and I was pleasantly surprised. It works well and Eli seems to really like it! So...if you're looking for a simple, inexpensive toy that seems like it will last a while, check it out.

He was sooooo... funny and persistent with trying to blow up the balloon...

and...just couldn't keep those little hands out of the water : )

summer kick-off...

This past weekend served as a great start for my summer vacation. My mama and sister came to visit on Friday and we spent Saturday morning celebrating my cousin Laura Leigh's high school graduation. It was a nice ceremony and we're very proud of Snuffy :) I think this was our last graduation for a while...we've had a ton of them in the family! Jesse, Eli and I spent Saturday evening in Tryon, NC for the Blue Ridge BBQ Festival. Our friends Matt and Erika had told us about it and were there as well. Molly and Eli had a great time dancing and riding as you can see from the pics! Sunday, we spent the day by the pool with friends and had a nice, home-cooked meal for supper :) I had to work a workday on Monday, had yesterday off, returned today for a training, and now...I'm DONE! Yipee~Skipee! I'm really excited, although, I do believe my little man is going to keep me just as busy (probably busier) than my full-time job! Right now I"m spending my extra minutes completing an extra-special project for another special weekend coming up this weekend ;) and getting things ready for Eli's second birthday! I can't believe I just typed "second"! He is growing WAY too fast!

Time out for a hug...so sweet!

I don't think Eli closed his mouth the whole time...pretty sure he was in shock over us letting him ride by himself :)

all aboard!

We have been staying pretty busy lately...busy with work, busy chasing Eli and busy having fun! Our Memorial Day weekend was great...we got a chance to visit with our neighbors, spend time with Jesse's Mom (she came to NC for a few days), celebrate a birthday and graduations, and take Eli to Tweetsie for the first time! It was the perfect day weather-wise and crowd-wise and we were able to take quite a crew along with us! Jesse's mom, my grandparents, my dad, and my aunt Angie were able to join in on the fun! Eli had a blast and surprised us by enjoying some of the "big" rides. He is really into trains right now, so it was the perfect time to visit : )