Summer Time

Kaylin gave shorts a try today to celebrate this great summer weather we've been having. There's also a quick video of this new lip smacking thing she does when she gets tired.

Playing Guitar Hero with Dad

Happy Birthday, Uncle Ben!

We want to show you some pictures of Kaylin from the wedding. Also, we want to wish Uncle Ben a very happy birthday today.

May 24

May 24: Gus Stein's Birthday! Happy birthday to a fabulous husband and father. We love you very much!

All Done!

Today was my very last day of Interning. I'll finish up projects that I have started, but all the new stuff and all the HORRIFIC AMOUNTS OF PAPER WORK are complete! I am finally a certified principal and program administrator. I got home and had to wait over an hour to see my baby, as she was taking her afternoon nap. I went in to pick her up and saw the sign in her crib (I think her thoughtful daddy helped). I am so grateful for both Gus and Kaylin's patience and understanding as it's been a very difficult and busy year for me professionally. I'm looking forward to my new job at the district office and only having ONE full time job (and one full time mommy job). We will be celebrating with a weekend full of fun as our friends Celeste and Stefan get married on Saturday. Pictures to come!

Outtakes

We are so excited that Kaylin has started sitting up by herself and playing with her toys. Unfortunately, she still hasn't mastered this task. So when Dad goes to turn on the camera and catch her playing with her favorite cat, she occasionally tips. But don't worry, only smiles and giggles afterward. Consider them outtakes. Also, our little lady outgrew her tub so Mommy bought her a giant duck tub, which she seems to enjoy.

New House!

We are homeowners!!! Here are some pictures. Our closing date is June 27th (if not sooner). More info to come, but we have a cranky kiddo so this will have to do for now.

Kaylin's room
Kitchen

Dining Area

Upstairs and Downstair bathrooms

Front of the house
Front "yard" (great for drinking wine)
Living room (both pictures)

Master bedroom

Yay Kaylin!

6 months old!

Our little girl turned 6 months old today. Time is flying by. Every day she does something MORE and amazes us with her abilities.

Here she is looking at daddy's new Washington Driver's License.

We got her a new "cell phone".

Papou came for a quick visit. She is sporting her new "I love my Aunt" bib courtesy of Theia Jo.

A little "hello and I love you" to her Great-Papou in Greece.

And like everything else she touches, it ends up in her mouth.

Book Recommendation

Our theology professor and good friend wrote a book and we highly recommend it! It brought us back to our days sitting in her class learning, reflecting and growing in our faith. Congratulations, Linda, on a great book!

First Mother's Day

"The entry of a child into any situation changes the whole situation."

~ Iris Murdoch

What a wonderful day! My husband (and baby) did a great job at making me feel like a successful mom. :) I have never been so proud of anything I have ever done as I am to have Kaylin as my daughter. It is a humbling experience being a mother and what a joy it is to witness her life. She's an extraordinary child and will no doubt make the world a better place. She already makes our world better. Thanks be to God for my little miracle!

Yay for Memory Sticks!

So my computer decided today was the day it was going to crash. Apparently missing a file all of a sudden. Geek Squad is going to keep it and try and fix it for me. All I know is I am two weeks away from the end of my internship and thank heavens I have saved it on my memory stick instead of my computer. Almost EVERYTHING for my internship is electronic so we could have been checking me into a hospital if I didn't have this drive. If there is something on your computer that is important, remember to back it up!!

Dad 'Stache

We enjoyed a visit from Uncle Ben this past weekend. He is one of Kaylie's favorites. The reason for this post, though, is to show pictures of my "Dad 'Stache." The Dad 'Stache is a mustache I grew at the suggestion (demand) of my good friend Dave to pay tribute to all of the great dads we know who had/have mustaches. As Dave pointed out, all of our photo albums have those certain sections where each of our dads was sporting a really nice mustache. Except for my dad, who shaved his Jesus Beard before I was born but is still the #1 DAD in my book.

So as someone who aspires to be as great of a dad as all of those men who once sported the Dad 'Stache (as well as someone with too much free time), I just wanted to say thanks for the inspiration. There are sure to be some accidental exclusions, but the list includes:

Mike Newell
Ed Stein
Mike Tzenis
Matt Kleffner
Peter Wagstaff
Rick Souza
Bruce Schuh
Bill Booth
Jim Stein (just because we never saw it doesn't mean he wasn't trying)
Nigel Campbell (more of a finals week gimmick, but he's technically a dad)

Thanks to everyone, and I hope that Kevin Eddy and Jeremy Cassidy, as great dads, can rise to this challenge. (Quick note: The Cassidys just had their son, Simeon Christian, on May 3rd. Check out the link to the left for some pics of this beautiful new gift.)

Happy Birthday, Gramma!

Gramma's birthday was April 29th and she came to visit for a celebration. Kaylin had so much fun (parents did too!). She sure loves her Gramma.