Some Summer Fun

I can't believe it is the middle of July already! I was having the feeling that we hadn't really had any good old fashion summer fun yet.....so I bought a backyard kiddie pool for Char and finally took our friends, Roger & Angela, up on their many offers to take Charlotte out on their boat. It was Charlotte's first real boat ride and she seemed to really like it. She was very serious throughout the whole excursion. She liked watching all the other boats, water-skiers, and the many birds flying about the river. She also liked when Roger went FAST!

Happy Summer to everyone!

Chuck & Charlotte waiting on the dock for Roger to pick us up on his boat.

She's got Grandpa Bill's love of boating in her!

She loves her backyard pool. Her favorite thing is to pour water over her head....see following pictures!

Before!

After!

Uncle Pete & Wendy Visit

We had a GREAT Fourth of July visit from Uncle Pete and his girlfriend, Wendy. We cooked out almost every night, went on a boat ride, toured downtown Annapolis, played Baggo, and just hung out. It was a really relaxing weekend. We are so happy they drove all the way from Ohio to see us. Charlotte enjoyed all the love she got from her Uncle Pete and Wendy.

Thanks for a great visit, guys!! We love you!

Family Time in Madison, Wisconsin

Charlotte and I spent three weeks in Madison in June visiting my sister and spending time with my Dad. It is rare that our whole family gets to spend this much time together since we are spread out all over the country. Our reason for being together is not one any of us would have chosen, but we made the best of our situation and had some wonderful times together as a family.

One of the neatest parts about our visit was the bond that developed between "the cousins": Anna, Mary Jane and Charlotte. The three girls were inseparable. Many times through out our visit we heard phrases such as "I'm not going if Charlotte isn't going," or "I want to sit by Charlotte," or "How much longer til Charlotte wakes up from her nap?" While these statements came from Anna and MJ, Charlotte, although she can't really talk yet, would show her total admiration for her cousins by crying every time they left for swimming, tennis lessons, or baseball practice without her. These girls were more like sisters than cousins by the time we left to come back to Maryland. It really was sad to break the threesome up!

Charlotte's first real swimming pool. She LOVED it and would run back to the edge of the pool as soon as you took her out.

MJ pushing Char in her "car" which she spent many hours playing with on the front lawn.

Aunt Heather and Charlotte at Anna's school for a party celebrating the end of the school year.

Cute little Char Bar in the hallway of Anna's school.

The three girls often ate on the floor next to one another.

Fun with Aunt Lisa.

At the Children's Museum with Anna.

More Children's Museum

Charlotte feel in love with ducks in Madison! We saw them all over including in Lisa's neighbor's yard almost every night.

Grandpa's Girls

Grandpa Bill with his three darling granddaughters, Mary Jane, Charlotte Jane, and Anna Sue.

Photo Shoot with the Cousins

Charlotte and I just got back from three weeks in Madison, WI visiting my sister and spending time with my Dad. While there my sister and I had the girls pictures taken for a Father's Day gift for my Dad. The pictures turned out GREAT! The people taking the pictures couldn't believe what a good sport Charlotte was! I think she was just happy to be with her big cousins, Anna and Mary Jane. She imitated everything they did! (More pictures soon of the rest of our time in Madison!).

Bicycle Built for Two

While in Irvington we borrowed the the bikes at the Inn and went on a little bike ride. Charlotte seemed to like riding behind Daddy. She held on tight the whole time, except for when she reached up to hit Chuck on the back!

Irvington, VA

Chuck had a business trip to Irvington, VA,....Charlotte and I tagged along for a little family vacation. We stayed at the Tides Inn which is bordered by the Chesapeake Bay to the east, the Potomac River to the north, and the Rappahannock River to the south. It was an awesome setting. We stayed three nights and really had a great time. Charlotte had the most fun, I think! She slept in a Pack N Play in the corner of our room. I was amazed that she took 3 hour naps each day and slept straight through the night. Here's some highlights from our trip.

The patio outside our water front room! This was early in the morning when Charlotte first got up. It was so nice and quiet there. Charlotte loved all the birds, especially the family of ducks that would cross by every so often.

The mini bar kept Charlotte busy for hours (really, I am not kidding!).

This is the Inn's large patio. Charlotte spent lots of time pushing her cart around on here!

Enjoying dinner and drinks on the patio.

Charlotte and I loved sitting on these benches near the water...... We liked playing silly games here, including getting smooches through the iron chairs :)

The Inn also had a sandy beach. Charlotte was not too sure about the sand, but she did have some fun digging. Here I buried her foot.

On a rainy afternoon and went to a local winery to do a wine tasting.One claim to fame of Irvington is Christ Church, a church built in the early 1700's. Charlotte and I checked out the church early one morning. It was a beautiful church in a very pretty setting. Charlotte loved climbing on the steps!