We're Back

We returned yesterday from Maine. We are feeling rested, refreshed and ready to face the world (and the Pennsylvania humidity)!

More pictures to come...

We're off

We are heading back here:

for a while. So we'll see ya when we see ya!

Back to the Zoo

We took our first zoo trip of the year last week, and (despite it being a scorcher of a day) we had a fun morning checking out the monkeys, snakes, bears and the rest of the animal kingdom.

Aiden mostly just rode around in the wagon feeling like zoo royalty, although he did muster the energy to chase a few peacocks.

Happy (belated) 4th of July.

Potty Trainers of the World Unite

As I'm sure all of you parents of toddlers can understand, the road to the diaper-free holy grail of potty training is a long and arduous one. Unlike most early childhood milestones (walking and talking come to mind) potty training is hard work! Persistence and a keen eye for body language are absolutely essential, and a lackadaisical attitude will certainly buy you an accident and an extra load of laundry. It's not easy, and although lately we've lately been celebrating a string of small victories, we've had plenty of setbacks along the way

So, to all you parents battling through the daily struggles of potty training (or a different challenge of toddler rearing for that matter...) stay strong!

And in the meantime, here is an unintentionally funny Japanese TV potty training video to lift your spirits. (hilarious subtitles included)

Enjoy.

News and Notes from a busy week...

We kicked off the week with a full family photo shoot at our parent's house. They'll be moving soon, so this was one of the last times we'll all be together at the old house.

We also enjoyed a great visit with the Benner's who were here for the week from Los Angeles. They win the award for best house guests ever.

Aiden enjoyed his newer, bigger, and better blow up pool.

Now, if I can make a general recommendation to anyone currently reading this post it is this: go out and buy/ download the album "Sigh No More" by the band "Mumford and Sons." Once you buy it, set your music player of choice to 'repeat', sit back and enjoy (and remember to thank me later.)

And lastly, I don't know if many people out there have been following the World Cup with as much anxiety ridden excitement as I have, but if you have then you'll understand why I feel like this:

was one of the best moments I have ever seen in sports. Period.

5 Years

This month Jen and I celebrate our five year anniversary! That's five years of sweet, tender, loving marriage... oh, and also five years of learning to tolerate each others faults, struggling to make our way in the world of jobs, mortgages and taxes, and doing our best to raise an energetic baby boy.

Whew! So, it's been a busy five years. And so, to celebrate how far we've come, we decided to take a trip down to Florida's gulf coast for a little rest and relaxation- just the two of us. So, with luggage brimming with bathing suits, sunblock, and beach reading (and Aiden safely delivered to the grandparents) we hopped a flight down to Fort Myers Beach Florida for our celebratory weekend.

The beaches along the gulf coast are beautiful, and we took quite a few walks along the shore, but when it came time to relax we mostly settled in by the pool with books in hand.

Our hotel was one of the nicest we've stayed in. It was big, with ocean views from every room. And while I'm thinking of it, it was called the "Pink Shell Resort and Spa" and it was terrific in every way. I can't recommend it highly enough.

One evening we took a short side trip to nearby Sannibel Island. The beaches there are known for their shells, and in the short time we spent there Jen found a couple of good ones.

The sunsets every night were spectacular, and our hotel room balcony provided great front-row seats for the show.

What a great trip, and a great celebration of five years of marriage! Here's to five more years! (And also more beyond that...obviously.)

A Cool Pool

Aiden's kiddie pool has become a regular fixture in our backyard during hot summer days. As you can tell from last summer, and the summer before, it has served us well these last few years. With temperatures reaching into the 90's this last week it has been tempting to just hunker down in a darkened room, air conditioner blasting. And though we have succumbed to that urge on a few occasions, when we have ventured out of doors we once again reached for the pool to deliver some welcome relief for parent and child alike.