6.7.8

Last weekend we headed down to Corolla Beach, NC for a short vacation/reunion with our college friends. I titled the blog "6.7.8" because back in college we said that we should set a date for all of us to get together again since we were going to be spreading across the globe shortly after graduation. So, we came up with June 6, 2008 aka 6.7.8. We didn't quite make it on 6.7.08, but we were pretty close. All of my roommate from college came as well as all our spouses and kids. Many of the spouses were actually Andrew's roommates in college. We weren't expecting everyone to make it. But, everyone did! There were 20 people in all including kids and the little Sink expected to arrive in September. (Actually there were a few more people who joined us for a night, one of Jeni's friends and two of Jenny's friends. It was fun to meet them as well.) The only people missing from this picture are Jude Lookabill and Madeline because they were both taking a nap (in seperate bedrooms, of couse :)

We had a great time hanging out on the beach. Madeline loved the water and the sand. She didn't mind getting down and dirty one bit. She didn't even care if there was sand on her paci. I think she even liked the taste of the salt water on her toys.

In the evenings we played lots of games including Apples to Apples (which is pictured below), Fishbowl, Spanish Horse Races, Settlers of Catan, Rock Band and Wii.

We got to meet two new members of the group, Chase Whited and Caedmon Jordan. They both live very far away so we hadn't had a chance to meet them yet. But, we are hoping that both will be moving back to Virginia very soon. This is the only picture I have of all the kids together. It was kind of hard to get them all happy and sitting still.

More beach fun!

Madeline had a lot of firsts at the beach. It was her first trip to the beach. Her first 9 hour car ride. She learned how to crawl up steps. And her two bottom teeth started coming through. They still haven't popped through, but I can see and feel them almost coming through. Here she is chewing on a carrot to help them out a little bit.

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset on our last night there and got some great photos.

Madeline cruisin' in-style. She watched a lot of baby "brainwashing" videos as Chris called them. I think she learned a lot of sign language. At least I did. :)

We were sad to leave our friends and the beach. We had a great time. I think we will have to get together for 11.12.13 now. Who knows where we will all be?

Laughing

It is so random what makes Madeline laugh. Something will be funny and then 2 minutes later it is no longer funny and it never will be again. We are always doing crazy things around here to try and get her to laugh. Be sure to check out the Recent Videos on the side for other videos that might not make it to the blog.

Support The Warmth

Check out Andrew's new website and blog in our "links" section. They are both websites that shed a new light on global warming. They are both a work in progress. So, check back regularly for updates.

Cousins

Madeline and I got to hang out with my Aunt Julie yesterday and her two kids, Abby and Will. We had a great time. We ate lunch at Five Guys and then went to Julie's house to hang out. Abby and Will were so sweet to Madeline. Any time that Madeline cried, Will would keep giving her her pacifier.



We played outside in the pool a little bit. Then, it was time to chill out in the stroller. Madeline was so worn out, she slept the entire way home.


We had a great time hanging out with our cousins. Thanks for inviting us to your home, Julie! We look forward to more fun times this summer.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to a wonderful father and husband! This was Andrew's first father's day and I am so glad that there is a day to celebate such wonderful people. Madeline may never know how blessed she is to have a dad like Andrew. He is so much fun. He wants to be involved in everything that she does. He loves her so much. He works hard for her so that she will have the things she needs.

She watches him walk out the door each morning to go to work for our family and she greats him with a huge smile on her face the minute he walks in the door. Madeline loves her daddy so much. They are a match made in heaven.

Father's Day Weekend

Each year for Father's Day, my family (my mom's side) gets together at Fairy Stone State Park in Stuart, VA. Before we could take the 1 1/2 hour trip from Roanoke, Madeline had to have her Coke. Gotta keep the baby happy :) It's ok as long as it's not in a bottle, right?

Here's part of the group gathering at the lake.


Madeline got her bathing suit on and took a little swim in the lake. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of her in the water. We thought we would take pictures after her nap, but a thunderstorm came and never left :(

Mom did a good job of putting Madeline to sleep. She doesn't sleep very well in peoples' arms. But, I guess she had to give in some time. This is after she woke up. She was still a little sleepy and snuggly.

Madeline got to play with Nathaniel (Uncle Bubba) and she got to meet a whole bunch of new family that she has never met before.

It's hard to feed a wiggly baby. But, she sure does love her green beans.

She had to get a bath after swimming in the lake and crawling around in the grass. So, she got her first bubble bath.

Madeline loved playing with Granny and Pawpaw.

On Sunday, after church, we went over to visit my dad's side of the family. Madeline had a good time crawling around and checking out the grass.

We had a great time in Roanoke over the weekend, visiting with lots of family. Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dad's out there, especially Andrew, Dad and Andrew's Dad!

Look What I Found!

When I walked in to get Madeline up from her nap today, this is what I found. This is why we lowered her crib a few weeks ago. She is so proud of herself :) She has been pulling up on everything lately!

I guess we also need to invest in some crib rail guards.

6 Month Pictures

We took Madeline to Sear's on Saturday to get her 6 month pictures taken. She has changed so much since we had her 6 week pictures taken. She doesn't even look like the same baby. (If you would like to see her 6 week pictures, click here.) Madeline was very serious about her photo shoot. It took a lot of work to get her to smile. Which is funny because whenever we take out our camera now she knows to smile big. But, I think we ended up with many good pictures. So, here are a few for your viewing pleasure.

Also, she went to the doctor last Wednesday and she now:
~ weighs 14lbs. 10 oz. (25%),
~is 26 1/2 inces tall (80%) and
~her head is 42 1/2 cm (50%).
So, she is still pretty tall and skinny. She didn't like her 4 shots at all. But, as soon as she got home from the doctor's, she was her happy self again.

Movin' Forward

Madeline is finally moving forward instead of backwards. Her poor little knees are getting very red. I don't think that summer is a good time to start crawling with all the pretty little dresses that don't protect knees and actually tangle up legs inside of them. Maybe we should buy some baby knee pads for her. Another reason this day was so good is because Madeline took an hour nap on my chest this afternoon. That hasn't happened since she was about a month old. She falls asleep much better in her bed. So, I enjoyed a lot of snuggle time this afternoon. :)

4 Wonderful Years!

Today is our anniversary! We were married on 6.5.04 which means that we have been married for 4 wonderful years. It has been amazing to be married to my best friend these past 4 years. Andrew is such a loving, sweet and fun husband. And now he is an awesome father!

Our day started out great because Andrew didn't have to go into work until lunchtime because the power was out from the severe storms that we had yesterday. So, we got to spend a little extra time with him this morning. When Andrew got home from work, we decided to celebrate by taking Madeline to the pool for the first time (as well as our first time since we have lived here). Then we ended our night with a free Chik-Fil-A meal. :)

Madeline got ready by putting on her first swim diaper. It was a little big because we couldn't find a smaller size. But, it worked just fine.

Madeline got to use her new float. And she also floated around with us a little bit. We never got up the courage to put her head under the water. Maybe we will try next time. The water was a little chilly for her since she doesn't really swim around. We finally got out after about half an hour when her lips started shivering.

So, she got all snuggled up in a towel and dried off.

I think she enjoyed her first pool experience and we had a wonderful anniversary.