To say that this weekend was big is an understatement. Saturday was a wonderful day with family to celebrate Layna's baptism! Layna was baptized at St. Luke's, the same church where Brayden was baptized just about 2 years ago. It was a beautiful ceremony with great family fun before and after the service. Layna was an angel throughout the entire service! Here's a little show of the best pictures from the service:
...and the generations...
And finally, the proud parents!
There are plenty of candids from all the family events that will follow -- so stay tuned!!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Love the kids
For many reasons, and yet not one in particular, Nicole and I were feeling very appreciative of our kids tonight. Although I may poke fun at them, they are two of the most excellent people I know. Layna is such a sweet baby who's always happy and Brayden never ceases to amaze and amuse me every day. There are some great stories that I need to write down, but as you can tell by the time stamp, it's time for me to get some sleep. BUT, I couldn't lay my head without a simple tribute to them... and some recent cute pictures. We love you two!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Summer fun
We've loved getting to know our neighbors -- living on a cul-de-sac has meant some excellent play time with them! The family directly next to us has three great kids, the youngest is a little boy less than 6 months older than Brayden! They've had lots of fun outside, including a classic summer sport: sprinkler diving. Brayden wasn't quite sure what to do at first...
...but he quickly followed the lead of the others!
When all was said and done, he had a great time. So great, in fact, that later that evening (after returning home from a shopping trip) he ran away from us and down the street to jump in another neighbors sprinkler... fully clothed. Ah, little boys!
We're getting VERY excited about this weekend -- Layna is being baptized on Saturday and I'm being ordained to the priesthood on Sunday. Yahoo! We'll have lots of great pictures to share!
...but he quickly followed the lead of the others!
When all was said and done, he had a great time. So great, in fact, that later that evening (after returning home from a shopping trip) he ran away from us and down the street to jump in another neighbors sprinkler... fully clothed. Ah, little boys!
We're getting VERY excited about this weekend -- Layna is being baptized on Saturday and I'm being ordained to the priesthood on Sunday. Yahoo! We'll have lots of great pictures to share!
Friday, June 20, 2008
The Big-boy Room
Not to be outdone, Brayden also has a new bedroom. He has migrated to a big-boy bed without any trouble. We just simply put him in the bed one night and... nothing happened. He just fell asleep and woke up the next morning just as usual. What a good kid!
Before we had things situated (and thanks to some trouble with the mattress delivery) Brayden was able to "explore" his new bed a few days before he could actually sleep in it.
It's a full-size bed with a twin trundle underneath. This is a set he can grow into and use until he's off to college. The trundle can be used for sleep-overs and the like. OR, if he doesn't care for that, it's a great storage drawer.
Today, the room has taken on a much more "finished" look. I'm sure we'll tweak it from here, but this is a pretty good look as what it will be.
Walking in from the hallway:
As you can see, we went with a nautical theme. There were many cute kids themes out there, but we thought this maintained a young look, but not too kiddy. Plus, maybe this will encourage him to take up sailing! He certainly loves to sing "Row your boat" whenever he see his pillows or valance... as captured in this video. NOTE: This is classic Brayden -- we just call him energetic!
Before we had things situated (and thanks to some trouble with the mattress delivery) Brayden was able to "explore" his new bed a few days before he could actually sleep in it.
It's a full-size bed with a twin trundle underneath. This is a set he can grow into and use until he's off to college. The trundle can be used for sleep-overs and the like. OR, if he doesn't care for that, it's a great storage drawer.
Today, the room has taken on a much more "finished" look. I'm sure we'll tweak it from here, but this is a pretty good look as what it will be.
Walking in from the hallway:
As you can see, we went with a nautical theme. There were many cute kids themes out there, but we thought this maintained a young look, but not too kiddy. Plus, maybe this will encourage him to take up sailing! He certainly loves to sing "Row your boat" whenever he see his pillows or valance... as captured in this video. NOTE: This is classic Brayden -- we just call him energetic!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Nursery Deux
In our new house, Layna has her own digs. No longer relegated to sleeping next to us in a little cradle, Layna now has room to stretch out, to spread her wings and let her hair down...
Your tour guide today will be Princess Layna herself. Please buckle-up and keep all hands and feet inside the car at all times.
As you walk up the stairs, Layna's nursery is directly ahead. When you walk through the doorway, this is what you see:
...and turn to the right..
...keep going until you come back around to the door...
...and that's it! "I hope you can come for a visit real soon," said Layna.
Your tour guide today will be Princess Layna herself. Please buckle-up and keep all hands and feet inside the car at all times.
As you walk up the stairs, Layna's nursery is directly ahead. When you walk through the doorway, this is what you see:
...and turn to the right..
...keep going until you come back around to the door...
...and that's it! "I hope you can come for a visit real soon," said Layna.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
and... we're back!
My oh my, has it really been a whole week since the last mini-post? It seems like a lot longer... so that means it's high time for some pictures!
There are so many things that have been happening since the move (and even during the move) that it's hard to know where to begin. Right, so take one guess what we weren't doing much of during the move? Taking pictures -- you're right! BUT, we still have a few. We've officially been "in" the house for almost two weeks and things are coming together. Nicole thinks that we will have the bedrooms finished today for some pictures, so stay tuned (sorry Sharon, I know I did that to you before, but I promise they're really coming this time!).
On move in day... there are no pictures. But on the day after, I thought to take just a few of the chaos. One of the cutest was when Brayden wandered into the playroom and saw all his toys!
Layna's also been enjoying the new playroom -- in her Bumbo! What a big girl!
There are so many things that have been happening since the move (and even during the move) that it's hard to know where to begin. Right, so take one guess what we weren't doing much of during the move? Taking pictures -- you're right! BUT, we still have a few. We've officially been "in" the house for almost two weeks and things are coming together. Nicole thinks that we will have the bedrooms finished today for some pictures, so stay tuned (sorry Sharon, I know I did that to you before, but I promise they're really coming this time!).
On move in day... there are no pictures. But on the day after, I thought to take just a few of the chaos. One of the cutest was when Brayden wandered into the playroom and saw all his toys!
Layna's also been enjoying the new playroom -- in her Bumbo! What a big girl!
Saturday, June 07, 2008
We're here!
Sorry for the delay in posting... but we've been a bit busy!
Things are going VERY well here in Alabama and I'll try to get some pictures up as soon as possible. Until then, know that the house is coming together beautifully. Nicole has done some great things in the playroom and Layna's nursery -- you'll see them soon!
Things are going VERY well here in Alabama and I'll try to get some pictures up as soon as possible. Until then, know that the house is coming together beautifully. Nicole has done some great things in the playroom and Layna's nursery -- you'll see them soon!
Monday, June 02, 2008
Some cute Brayden pics
Just like Layna's post a couple days ago, I have some great pictures of Brayden from last week that didn't really fit anywhere else.
On Friday (the 23rd) Gido and Gigi took the kids to a local park while Nicole and I packed up the apartment. Our stuff, by the way, is likely already in Alabama and should be moved in the next day or so. Yahoo!!
So anyway, they took the kids to the park to play and it was BIG help. Here's a great candid:
Then we went out for a final dinner before Gido and Gigi went back to Florida. We went to one of our favorite Alexandria restaurants, Chadwick's, for a "good-bye to Alexandria." You may remember this as the place where Brayden ate his first calamari! (...and he ate more this night, too!)
And finally, these are probably my favorite pictures of Brayden ever... seriously. He's such a fantastic kid.
On Friday (the 23rd) Gido and Gigi took the kids to a local park while Nicole and I packed up the apartment. Our stuff, by the way, is likely already in Alabama and should be moved in the next day or so. Yahoo!!
So anyway, they took the kids to the park to play and it was BIG help. Here's a great candid:
Then we went out for a final dinner before Gido and Gigi went back to Florida. We went to one of our favorite Alexandria restaurants, Chadwick's, for a "good-bye to Alexandria." You may remember this as the place where Brayden ate his first calamari! (...and he ate more this night, too!)
And finally, these are probably my favorite pictures of Brayden ever... seriously. He's such a fantastic kid.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Where are the Giratas?
We loaded up ALL our things on Friday and hit the road. Our plan (and as I write this it is only that...) was to drive an hour or two outside DC. Since the day was scheduled to be a long one, we thought that the kids would enjoy having only a short drive afterwards.
Yesterday, we hit the road for the bulk of our drive -- going all the way to Chattanooga. We love Chattanooga and know that the kids will appreciate a mini-vacation on the way to their new home. Today, we will be hitting downtown Chattanooga in the morning to see the Tennessee Aquarium and stroll along the river. The Aquarium is hosting the "Year of the Frog" (click here to see what kind of frog you are!) -- and frogs are one of my favorite animals. We think Brayden will love to see them, too! We'll finish the morning with lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Stick Fingers, and finish the drive to Birmingham. We'll have a couple nights in a hotel before being moved into the house... but it's about time Nicole actually saw this house! We're almost there!
Yesterday, we hit the road for the bulk of our drive -- going all the way to Chattanooga. We love Chattanooga and know that the kids will appreciate a mini-vacation on the way to their new home. Today, we will be hitting downtown Chattanooga in the morning to see the Tennessee Aquarium and stroll along the river. The Aquarium is hosting the "Year of the Frog" (click here to see what kind of frog you are!) -- and frogs are one of my favorite animals. We think Brayden will love to see them, too! We'll finish the morning with lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Stick Fingers, and finish the drive to Birmingham. We'll have a couple nights in a hotel before being moved into the house... but it's about time Nicole actually saw this house! We're almost there!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)