The first week of July was a super fun one for our family of three. It included an incredible 4th of July celebration spent with some of our most special friends (with spectacular views of the fireworks from a 46th floor balcony!), sweet visits with some extended family, and even a first for Maelee- a dip in the pool! And now that we're down in the Outer Banks, NC for a week at the beach, the summer fun just continues! We're gonna miss seeing our NYC pals over the next few days but will love the time spent with both sets of parents and even a visit from our dear Too-dad & Mary Catherine.
While our "spirited" little 2 year old may not always show it, she should have no complaints about this month so far! :) Of course, she is still our little joy and most days, is just that. But she definitely has her "little stinker" streak! She seems to get bigger and bigger each day with more on her mind and out of her mouth each day, too. Good times!
So here our some shots from the past week with many more to come toward the end of the month!
Helping mommy with the patriotic brownies
The (younger) crew:
Maelee, James, Ethan, Jack, and Tyler
Special treat on a special day!
Despite my very crazy hair from the wind, it was quite a view!
One more flight higher, right before bedtime!
We had 3 pack-n-plays for the kiddos to get some snoozing in while we enjoyed the fireworks show. Took Maelee a while to settle down with all the excitement and the new environment but she eventually got to sleep in time for us to take in the spectacular setting...
One word for the above shots- wow.
And just a few words for the above two shots of the (adult) crew-
enjoying the amazing view with even more AMAZING friends. We love these guys!
With Heather, Lauren, Jessa, Desiree, and Brooke
Truly some of the most awesome ladies I know
With Jay, Pete (the patriotic South African of the group!), Nate, Todd, and Joey
Some of the greatest guys I know
It was such a special night with these special friends. We are so saddened that Pete and Heather will soon be moving back to South Africa in early August as they have had a HUGE impact on our lives while here in the city. They are some of the most gracious, generous, loving, and just LOVELY people we know and they will be so deeply missed. This group of friends will soon be left with gaping holes in our hearts. We are so thankful for the precious times of connection and fellowship we've had (and will continue to have!) with them these last several weeks. God has been gracious with His gifts of friendships here.
And here's a slideshow of more!
And some shots of Maelee's first taste (both figuratively and literally...) of the pool at Pete & Heather's...
She LOVED it!!!
Enjoying a sweet visit with the beautiful McKenna- my mom's cousin, Randy's, daughter who was our flower girl!!! She was in NYC with her mom, Georgia for a quick visit and we LOVED getting to visit with them at one of our favorite NYC places, Alice's Tea Cup
And we also LOVED getting to see Mark & Bess (Mary Catherine's son and wife)
over a yummy crepes dinner that same week. Even though we both live in the city, we are on totally opposite sides but it was awesome to have a quick visit with this special family.
Whew! It was quite a week. It was great. And we are excited for the week to come. Check back soon!
