Episode 2: Summer Part Two

Hello!  I'm back for another installment of The Last Six Months According to the Pictures on My Phone! So, without further ado, I present Episode 2:  Summer Part Two:

Living in Savannah, we naturally spent a lot of time at the beach...

and Aunt Savannah came, too!

Dillon remodeled our downstairs bathroom...

and the Bug helped!

There was hopscotch...

and a trip to Savannah's new children's museum.

The Bug taught the twins to swing...

and enjoyed his last swim of the summer in our little backyard pool.

All in all, it was a fantastic summer.  There are a few pictures missing, however.  Somehow I didn't take any pictures of Dillon's sister and her family's visit--how can this be?  I suppose we were simply having too much fun...

Tomorrow's addition:  Episode 3:  Back to School and the Fall...see you then!

Back to Bloggin'...Episode 1: Summer 2012, Part One

Hello, my dear neglected blog...remember me?  I've been meaning to return here for quite some time to catch you up on the goings on at the McDaniel house, but after an absence of six whole months, where to start?  A lot has happened--summertime, Kindergarten, baby milestones, a wonderful stream of out-of-town guests...so, in the interest of me saving the time of writing a novel (and you of reading one), I present the last six months according to the pictures on my phone!  

Episode 1:  Summer 2012, Part One

We spent the summer picnicking...

and tree climbing...

and playing outside.

We went for walks...

and slept through most of said walks.

We played inside a lot, too...

because it was so darn hot outside!

The Bug built some comfy pillow forts...

really comfy ones...

and spent a lot of time on his head practicing his gymnastics...

oh, and climbing more trees.

We ate some yummy grub on a weekender in Atlanta...

and Dillon practiced his weightlifting.

Please stay tuned for Episode 2:  Summer Part Two, hopefully on its way tomorrow!  Until then, why not enjoy the McDaniel's official song of Summer 2012?  Yeah, yeah, I know it's a couple years old, but nothing gets our collective booty shakin' like it!

Slumbering

Here's a picture I snapped this morning of our lights, all lined up and (almost) ready to go.  It looks as though they're slumbering, patiently waiting for us to end our sleepwalking and pay them some attention. Soon, soon...

Happy Mother's Day, Grandma Pummy!

Here's a Mother's Day video we made this weekend for my mom, aka Grandma Pummy...we love you, Mom!

Oh man...

Well, we had a death in the family.  We lost my dear father-in-law, also named Dillon, very suddenly last week.  To say this was unexpected is a monumental understatement.  To paraphrase one of his close friends, his passing has left a gaping hole in our lives that can't be filled; we'll just have to learn to work around it.  We're all a little shell-shocked around here--it's such a big, friggin' hole, after all.  But, somehow life has gone on...Baby Girl cut her first tooth, Baby Boy perfected his crawling form, and the Bug turned five years old.  I know this news would've delighted him.  We miss you so much already, Grandaddy!

Open Up and Say Ahhhhhh

Our beautiful amaryllis finally opened this week after much anticipation, on my part anyway.  I suppose she wanted to make an entrance.  Doesn't it look as though she's singing?  Here's another photo with my sweet horse, an awesome birthday present from Dillon years ago, in the background.

It's been a busy week with me at work, the twins at preschool, the Bug going on a big field trip at school and wanting to play "go fish" every other minute, and Dillon teaching and tinkering in the workshop.  With luck, I'll have some more in-progress lighting pics for you tomorrow.  Until then, hope your flowers are singing to you, too!

Back from the Breakin'

Dear Blog, 
I'm sorry for my virtual absence here last week.  The Bug was on spring break, and although I know lots of moms do it every day, caring for three kids aged 4 and under was a fun but all-consuming job for me.  Our days were filled mainly with very important construction projects.  We built a Lego version of Old Fort Jackson, an elaborate wooden railway system, and my favorite, a high rise insect village.  We went to the library, the park, a sidewalk cafe; we playdated and egg hunted; we stayed up late and slept in every single day.  We enjoyed a short visit with Aunt Karen and the "Big Kid" cousins, and the Bug successfully completed his first ever sleep over at a friend's house, big boy!  Now, it's back to business, but we'll always have the memories:

In other news, the twins are mobile--watch out, America, here they come!  In fact, I'd better sign off now and go look for them...Until tomorrow, Laurie