Great Grandma's Birthday

Ramona Morley just had her 81st birthday last week. Happy Birthday to an amazing Great Grandmother, Grandmother, Mother, and to just an amazing woman. We love you so much!!!

My friend Liam

Mallory and Liam playing on the blanket. Liam smiled for the camera, but Mallory thought it was more appropriate to eat her hands for the camera.

Wanna play?

How about I eat my hands while I watch you play...

Or, better yet - why don't I eat your hands!

You're a weird chick.

Daddy's Hat

Although she does have a large head size, she doesn't quite fit into Daddy's hat. Almost though....almost.

Mommy's Day Off

Last week Mallory's sitter was on vacation, so we needed to find a sitter for Monday - Friday. Grandma watched her Monday, Wednesday, & Friday and I took Tuesday off while Marc took Thursday. On my day home with Mallory, we decided to go down to Deer Creek State Park, have lunch, go swimming, and enjoy the nature.

This was Mallory's first time trying out her new baby boat and she loved it. We started in the warmer indoor pool and then made our way out to the baby pool. The baby pool happened to be completely empty, which was perfect for us. I put her in the baby pool with her baby boat and suddenly she was unstoppable. The baby pool was 1 foot deep making it the perfect depth for her to go cruising. She ran around in circles (the pool was a circle shaped) and just laughed and laughed.

We had such a wonderful day that it made me want to quit my job and be a stay at home mom. How wonderful it would be if every day was Mommy's day off.

4th of July Festivities

The 4th of July has always been a busy holiday for me. Growing up there was the parade, cookout at Grandma's, followed by the fireworks. It was always a day jam packed with things to do and see. The following day, we usually also have a cookout at my mother's as well. This year we did all of those things, with the exception of the parade. I went back and fourth about whether or not we should get up and go to the parade, but in the end decided that may be too much for Mallory in one day and decided to try for it next year.

COOKOUT AT GRANDMA SACH'S

Grandma's cookout was wonderful. Uncle Dan made fabulous gourmet burgers, Mallory got to play with the doggies, and it turned out to be a beautiful day for pictures and a swim. Sorry for the picture overload, but there were so many good ones it was hard for me to choose!

THE FIREWORKS

**Here is a flashback of Ivan last year - look how much he has changed!!**

This year, was the second year in our family tradition of seeing the fireworks with Aunt Lori, Uncle Mike, and Cousin Ivan. Last year was Ivan's first time seeing the fireworks and Mallory was still in my belly. At the time, Ivan was almost 8 months old and we were not sure how he would react to the loud noise in the sky. Surprisingly, Ivan slept through the entire show. Lori was trying to wake him up just to get a reaction!

This year was Mallory's turn. We decided to go to the Dublin fireworks as we were able to go to Marc's work to view them. This way, if Mallory didn't like them, we could get out easy and quickly as our car was close by and it wasn't too crowded. However, there was no need. Mallory was awake and watched for the first five minutes or so and then nodded off not to wake again. Even during the finale when the fireworks were the loudest, she still remained sound asleep.

Ivan, however, LOVED them. He sat in his stroller pointing in the sky studying them each time they exploded. He even looked at us a couple of times exclaiming "Look! Look!" while pointing into the air. It was as if he didn't think we could see them or we didn't know what was going on. He was adorable. We had a great time and can't wait to see how they both are next year.

COOKOUT AT GREAT GRANDMA MORLEY'S

The cook out at Great Grandma's was enjoyable and relaxing. Mallory got to swing on the big swing, nap outside, and visit with her extended family. Marc and I stuffed our face with way too much food and wanted to doze off with her as she took her naps. However, before we stuffed ourselves silly, we did manage to get some great shots of Mallory in her red, white, and blue dress.

The Monkey's at the zoo (and I don't mean Ivan and Mallory...)

Today we went to the zoo with Kelly, Mike, Lori, and Ivan. We had a really great time and spent most of our morning looking at the monkey's. Marc got some really great shots of the animals and of the kids. Even though Mallory had no clue what she was looking at, it was wonderful to go for a nice walk while we enjoyed the animals. Plus, having Ivan there to see his reaction to the animals was quite entertaining!

Hold on Tight

Mallory was holding on for dear life when I first put her in her new swing this evening. At first, she appeared slightly frightened and then decided it was okay and realized that mom was not putting her in danger. She let loose, relaxed her shoulders, and enjoyed the ride. One problem, as she started to relax her shoulders, her posture went along with them and she ended up sliding slightly down the swing into what appeared to be a very uncomfortable position. However, after a brief brake to reposition her, she was smiling and happy again.

After we wore out the new "awe" of the swing, we went over and tried out Aunt Erin and Uncle Todd's new furniture that they conveniently left on our front porch. I had to grab the camera again as she started grabbing her feet as she rolled around on her back. I absolutely LOVE when she grabs her feet and can't help but laugh when she gets a good grab and puts her foot in her mouth. Mmmmmmm tasty.