Digger Dan

Digger Man is the title of Daniel's favorite book. Well, co-favorite, along with B is for Bulldozer. Luckily, we live in a new development so construction is ongoing. Dan gets to see dump trucks, bulldozers, cement mixers, loaders, and diggers up close and personal every day. And on the weekends, when the equipment is idle, Dan can climb up on them (with a little help)!



Today was a big day across the street--driveway-pouring day! I took these pictures a few days ago when the workers were prepping the dirt for the driveway. It's going to be a sad (but quiet) day when all the houses on our street are done.

Hello, Santa

Last Saturday we went to Zach's hangar for a Christmas party. The helicopters had been moved out and a bouncy house, a climbing wall, and lots of other fun things were set up. The highlight was when the hangar doors slid open and a CH-53E helicopter taxied into place and Santa climbed out of the back! Dan was much more interested in the helicopter than Santa, which is just what I expected.

Before we headed over to get our picture taken with Santa, Dan enjoyed running around, especially in the area where bubble wrap had been rolled out. Dan wasn't even heavy enough to pop the bubbles but I definitely was, so every time I chased after him, it sounded like a machine gun being fired. (Blogger is not cooperating with uploading videos, but I'm sure you can just imagine the scene--me, chasing after Dan, "Dan! Dan! Dan, look over here!", pop pop pop pop. You get the idea.)


When it came time to sit on Santa's lap, Dan wasn't quite sure what to make of the fat guy in a big white beard. He didn't cry or throw a fit but he kept his eye on Santa like he didn't quite trust him. He managed to sit still for exactly one picture and then he was off again.

More pictures from the day:



P.S. Yes, I am going to get a new camera soon! The iPhone is great at lots of things but taking pictures of a moving buddy in dimly-lit hangars is not one of them.

Puppy Love

It's no secret that Zach desperately wants a dog. Unfortunately, I am allergic. (Or "selfish," depending on who you're talking to.) Good thing for us that two of our neighbors have awesome dogs, so Dan gets plenty of exposure to them. Bella (boxer puppy) and Sophie (Airedale terrier) love to chase each other around and sometime Dan just happens to get in the way. But they are so gentle and careful with him that I am very comfortable letting him fend for himself.

My favorite part of the video is the :33 mark where Dan thinks the dogs are coming his way so he puts up his dukes in self-defense:


Before Layne left, she took some cute shots with her camera. Dan loves blueberries, but they're getting kind of expensive so I bought some frozen ones, leading to a purple-faced buddy:




Dan with his old pal Layne:

Happy Thanksgiving!

The house is cleaned up, the leftovers are in the fridge, and both my boys are taking long day-after-Thanksgiving naps. Could life be any more perfect? I wish my parents hadn't left for the airport at 3:30 this morning, but at least Layne is still around!

We had a great day of feasting, family, and friends yesterday. We ate our big meal around 1:30, then cleaned up and got ready for friends to come over for a Dessert Extravaganza. Layne is quite the baker, so we had apple tarts, pecan pie, peppernuts (a yummy Amish treat), pumpkin cheesecake (made by my neighbor Lindsey), chocolate cheesecake bites, and chocolate truffles with sea salt (made by me!). Everything was delicious and it was an all-around great day. The weather was perfect so Dan got a lot of outdoor time, making it much easier to cook and clean! Dan really enjoyed his first Thanksgiving of real food, which is a good thing because we'll be eating it for at least a few more days.

We borrowed our neighbor's oven for the sweet potato souffle (thanks, Jill and Dave):

Family and food:



Zach wanted to surprise Layne with an early Christmas present:

Layne, in her adorable new apron:

Someone wants some dessert NOW:

With my neighbor, Lindsey (she's having a boy in March):

What I'm most thankful for, each and every day:

Myrtle Beach

What a fun weekend in Myrtle Beach! We headed down Friday afternoon and got settled in our hotel before going out to an exciting evening at the Dolly Parton Dixie Stampede. It's kind of a Southern version of Medieval Times. We ate dinner with our hands while sitting around a big dirt performance ring where horses and their riders put on a great show. Dan loved every minute of it! Since it's getting close to the holiday season, the Stampede had a Christmas theme, with toys that came to life, a living Nativity scene, and, of course, Santa and his sleigh. The whole show was great, but my absolute favorite part was the piglet race, especially when the little pigs jumped over miniature hurdles. Too cute! (We couldn't take any flash photography, so we just have a few pictures from Zach's phone.)




After the Stampede, we spent a not-very-fun night in the hotel. Let's just say that Daniel does not do well in hotels. He wakes up at every little noise and then wants to play instead of going back to sleep. So we got up bright and early on Saturday and headed out to breakfast and a walk on the beach. The weather was really nice--mid-60s and just a light breeze. Dan ran around the sand like a crazy person, chasing after birds and finding interesting things to pick up.








He took a short morning nap, then we had some lunch and hit the hotel indoor pool, with the goal of wearing him out so he would take an afternoon nap. Mission accomplished!



The original plan was for Dan to stay in my parents' room on Saturday night while Zach and I partied until the break of 11 pm after the Marine Corps Ball. But after a not-very-restful Friday night, my parents suggested that they go back home with Dan and Zach and I could find a ride back with friends on Sunday. Sold! See you later, Dan, we'll miss you and your waking up every two hours.

Zach and I had a great time at the Ball. It was fun to get dressed up and hang out with new friends, especially knowing that we could sleep in the next day! My sister Layne loaned me a beautiful dress and Zach looked very handsome in his uniform, so we made a pretty good-looking couple. (:

Our new house (furnished and with window treatments this time)

After almost 11 weeks of patiently waiting, our plantation shutters were installed today! And they look fantastic! They definitely fit in with the cottage style of the house. We still need to get a few things for the house (kitchen chairs, outdoor furniture, rocking chairs for the front porch) but I am thrilled with how the house looks so far.

Master bedroom:



Kitchen:


Dining room/living room:


Guest bedroom:


Guest bathroom:

Hallway between Dan's room and the guest room:

Dan's room:


We're waiting for guests so book your tickets now!

The Littlest Consumer

We needed to pick up a turkey for the big day so we stopped at Harris Teeter on the way home from Wilmington. They have the cutest little shopping carts that Dan loved. He even did pretty well pushing around the 14 1/2 pound turkey!