Snap, Crackle Pop!

The 4th of July has always been one of my most cherished childhood memories. I grew up attending a town parade. We would deck our bikes out with streamers, horns etc.  Each year the fireworks show was better than the past year.  Not sure that was really the case but in my mind it was. So therefore it was. Somehow I still think this way. Although after 20+ firework shows I am sure one somewhere way back when was better than another. Our neighborhood show is one to be quite proud of and give us reason to never leave home on the 4th of July

Last year Asher was not even a month old on the 4th of July. He slept through almost 2 hours of fireworks that were set off right outside of his window. I mean about 200 feet. Literally right outside. So close that our yard and house were covered in debris after the fireworks show. A cleaning crew had to come through our neighborhood to clean the streets. The only difference this year was that Asher stayed awake in complete awe and amazement the entire time. He didn't go to bed till after 10 pm and fireworks were still going off!

We started the night off with a cook out. The McGinnis' came over and we ate like kings and queens feasting on Steak from The Meat House, Corn on the Cob, Cous cous salad, Watermelon and apple pie.

To say Asher loves Watermelon is an understatement. He is obsessed with it.

This one of my most favorite Asher faces. I could just eat it up!

The kids played in Asher's tent outside while we were preparing dinner on the grill. We joined in on the fun and things got awfully silly...

After dinner we set up our chairs on the front lawn to watch the fireworks all around us. Every direction you looked fireworks were lighting up the sky.  Asher could not have been more fascinated by the fireworks. 

Naomi made homemade Chocolate Chip cookies that were amazing. The kids feasted on them (the adults ate a few too) while we prepared for the big show!

Asher loved the cookies so much he wanted to steal Ella's. Aren't they too cute together?

Cookie Monster!

Before the end of the night we lit sparklers and Asher REALLY wanted to hold one. Not such a great idea so instead WE held one together. This is his serious face. He is either laughing and smiling or making the serious face. Just like his daddy. 

Happy 4th of July...We hope your Independence day was filled with bright light!

2010 Mid-Year Update

Back in January I mentioned that 2010 was going to be a year of change for us. 

You can refresh your memory here. 

I can finally say that things are changing....at least in our house!

Change #1
After 3 years we FINALLY refinanced our house. We have tried to refinance 3 times prior to successfully closing on our loan this month. Each time something happened that resulted in an unsuccessful refinance. We were beginning to think we were cursed. Typically the broker screwed something up causing things fell through...or the loan programs changed mid-refi.

Needless to say we DID IT. We can not be more excited! A lower payment and a better loan program makes for a happy home.  Don't ask me how much less our house appraised for than what we bought it for. I might hurl or have a heart attack.

Change #2
I have accepted a new job! After working at home in a telesales/recruiting role for 3 years it was time for me to move into a new role that was fully salaried and a lot less stress. After working in a heavily commissioned sales job for the past 7 years I was completely burnt out. I knew this meant taking a pay cut. I also knew that money didn't bring me any happiness. Through this process I felt truly blessed. Philip and my family supported me 100%. I was fortunate enough to receive TWO job offers the same day. Two completely different jobs. One job was working from home for a small company, one was from an office 3 miles away from our house, large company with a lot of flexibility. After weighing the pros and cons I confidently made my decision. Big Company, office job, flex time, Amazing benefits (they pay 100% for not only me but my ENTIRE FAMILY), salaried and an awesome position. Sign me up! I begin on August 2nd and I could not be more excited....although this will require me to wear more presentable clothes to work (it is a pretty casual work environment) which is going to force me to purchase some things since my size has changed so much since the last time I worked in an office 3 years ago. I will be working for an environmental research organization in the educational services division focusing on geographical information systems training for government accounts ...fancy huh? So pumped. I mean yeah, really excited. I can finally say I already LOVE my new boss.

Change #3
Philip got a Hybrid Bike. My stress was rubbing off on Philip. He needed some kind of physical release and a bike was his Father's Day request. He has been enjoying rides to the grocery store, target and to a nearby lake to go fishing. Next up is the greenway! He is really excited about his bike and getting in some cardio exercise.

Change #4
Philip's car is paid off as I mentioned last month.

Change #5
The blog name and address will be changing in the coming weeks.

If you are interested in following at the new address please email me: reneenay at aol.com or leave a comment by clicking below and I will reach out to you with the new address. I hate to do this but I really feel it is necessary for the long run.

Change #6
Dont get greedy...more to come!

His Bag of Tricks!

Clearly our baby is growing up...

My Independence Day

The 4th of July marked MY independence day.

It was the first day since Asher was born that I only nursed him when he woke up and when he went to bed at night....which happened to be at 10:30pm because he loved the fireworks.

I did it.
I made it.
I survived.

It's bittersweet.
I have my freedom back.
This day marks MY independence day.
This day also was the first day that Asher ever took a bottle from me.

In honor of the occasion we decided to light fireworks, watch fireworks and celebrate.
Convenient huh?

Ketchup or Catch Up?

I am terribly behind. As in over a month behind...

So far behind I have dreaded blogging lately.

You will find that over the course of the next two weeks I will try, note I said TRY, to get caught up. Dont hold it against me though if I don't or if I do a half decent job.

You see, my life is finally getting back to normal, whatever that is.

A lot has happened in the past month and I have a feeling a lot more is about to happen.

We are riding the wave...Day by day!

We had 3 weddings in the month of June.

We decided early on in 2010 that we could only attend weddings this year that we were in or that were local. There were so many weddings and only so much money.

One wedding was already blogged...here
The other two were out of town. Durham, North Carolina and Del Ray Beach, Florida.

Philip was a groomsmen in both weddings. Corey and Darren (the grooms) were two of his very best friends growing up. They were both groomsmen in our wedding over 4 years ago.

The month of June has us out of town the most we had been away from Asher since he was born and we really felt OK about finally having "adult" time and going out of town without him. I was never nervous about his whereabouts, or his well being. He was with his grandparents and I couldnt think of anyone better for him to be with in our absence. He had a blast and they loved every minute of it. We also enjoyed spending time together focusing just on each other.
We also had a blast spending time with friends we have had for close to a lifetime. We felt blessed to be able to spend so much time with them this month while being a part of all of these simchas (celebrations).

The photos speak for themselves.

Erika and Corey got married in Durham. Their rehearsal dinner was in Raleigh.

I confess that before we went to the dinner we made a quick stop at Waraji to place a to go sushi order. Dont judge us. Waraji is by far our most favorite sushi restaurant. We always order at least one Shawny roll and Negamaki. This time was no different. It was just as amazing as we remember 3 years ago! Yumm.... I cant stop thinking about its deliciousness

Their rehearsal dinner was a BBQ. Erika's dad cooked the BBQ himself and it was very tasty!

Joe, Matty, Sam and Philip

We spent the night with our friends Dave & Nicole Friday night. It was great to catch up with them even if it was a short stay. Nicole and Dave live in the neighborhood of the rehearsal dinner location so it worked out perfectly. I retreated back to their house around 10:30 pm and Philip went out with his boys. They clearly thought they were reliving their old school days because he did not come "home" till after 2 am.

Saturday we met up with Courtney and Jacob for lunch at one of our favorite Raleigh spots Zest Cafe & Home Art. Courtney and I grew up eating and spending time at Zest so this was a wonderful treat for us all. As you might recall Jacob was born 10 weeks premature and I wrote about it here. Jacob is doing phenomenally well. He is such a doll and I couldnt stop loving on him. I definitely miss the itty bitty baby phase.

After lunch we checked into the hotel and I got ready to head off one of my girlfriends from college, Sarah Shelton's, Bridal Shower. It was a treat since I had not seen most of the girls since before I had Asher... yup...over a year!?!?! I was only there a short time before I checked my cell phone to realized I had 19 missed calls. Clearly that caused immediate concern.

The calls were a panicked Philip. He had left his tie for the weddings in my car. I was 45 minutes away from where he was. He needed it for bridal party photos. So I said my goodbyes and headed to the wedding site to bring him his tie. Mission Accomplished.

The wedding ceremony and reception were held at the Durham Life & Sciences Museum, Butterfly Conservatory. It was HOT, humid and buggy....which explains why we all look the way we do in these photos!

Wedding Cake

Pre-Ceremony photos inside the Butterfly Conservatory

The groomsmens wives

There was more firefly to drink than I have ever seen in my life!

Some of the bridal party

Erika the Bride

Two weeks later we headed to Miami, FL for Darren & Allison's wedding weekend.

It was our first trip flying together without Asher. We tried to make it feel like a "vacation getaway" and as you can see it sure wasn't hard with the beach surrounding us at the Rehearsal Dinner.

My camera battery died after the above photo was taken. I realized earlier in the day when Amanda sent me a photo of Asher sitting in his high chair covered in strawberries that I had left my camera battery charger plugged into the wall above the cabinets. I also realized that I left my memory card earlier in the day. Note to self: Make lists before traveling and double and triple check them.

We ended up driving all over Fort Lauderdale, Del Ray Beach area to find a place that carried Canon Rebel battery chargers. It was worth the wild goose chase...Renee without a camera is bad news.

Saturday we spent the morning at the beach. What a treat...!

While we were there we witnessed "Hands for Hope"

They were making a statement to protect the beaches from the oil spill.

While Philip was off with the guys watching the World Cup and getting ready for the wedding I was back at the hotel taking a 2 hour nap. It felt AMAZING. I can't tell you the last time I had 4 hours to myself in the middle of the day on a weekend.

The wedding venue was amazing. It reminded us of a tropical resort on an island.

Amazing right?

It's a good thing you couldnt see the knats that were swarming the site. There was an insane amount of knats and it was impossible not to swat at them as they crawled all over your face, head, legs... not too mention it was blazing hot and humid.

Absolutely adorable touch

Sister and nephew of the groom.

The Levine Family

(Ben and Lisa got married one year ago to the date of the photo!)

Gorgeous wedding cake

The mother of the groom handmade challah bread for each table

The newlyweds!

The kids cutting up!

Darren's grandfather is 99!

He is still driving and looks like he is in his 70's.

Clearly some alcohol was consumed that night

D is married!

The photobooth

The DJ rocked the party.

This photo sums up the entire weekend.

What a wonderful and busy month of weddings. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends with lovely spouses. Mazal Tov to Pam, Jason, Corey, Erika, Darren and Allison! We were thrilled to celebrate with all of your during this exciting time in your lives.

As much as I love getting away its always even better to come back home!