rayner shine

10th anniversary trip

2016-02-10T14:30:00.001-08:00

May

2016-02-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

Spring is trying to sprung in Jersey! (April part 2, or 3?)

2015-10-29T10:28:00.003-07:00

neighborhood friends, nathaniel and elizabeth

the best two grandmothers on the planet

this big girl was pretty excited about baseball. there weren't enough girls for softball, so she got bumped up to coach-pitch baseball. she was the ONLY GIRL on her team.

marjorie had baby boy #3, Rohan Frederick Dreyer.

oh how i wish i could hold him!

sometimes you have to stop in the middle of the road on a bike ride and rest a little

baller

pat had fun being freddy's t-ball coach

date night in philly. AMAZING restaurant. chef/owner nick elmi won top chef (our favorite cooking show) a few seasons ago

thanks for babysitting abbi!

laurel feeling a little under the weather (not that you can tell from this picture!)

abbi and freddy and i went to levi leh's birthday party before we took abbi to the airport

is spring really finally here??

firepit at the hesses' house

just in case you ever wondered how well a christmas tree burns in april...

joyful noises!

take your kid to work day

i sang this song in my 5th grade play. laurel wanted to learn it.

FARM SCHOOL!

we love fernbrook farm

seriously? brrrrrrrr

next? tennis lesson.

mexican feast with doug and amber. chicken mole and homemade tortillas.

man, my mouth is watering!

reality.

preparing to say goodbye to the hesses.

doug had some really kind words to say at his going-away lunch

Abbi and her girls in NYC

2015-07-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

ready or not, here we come!

lunch at chelsea market before shopping in chinatown

grand central station was a highlight, especially "whisper corner"

yummy mexican dinner at Toloache and show #1, Matilda. i LOVED it.

steel magnolias? hee hee.

had fun getting a "blow out" with carkey

top of the rock

beautiful view of central park

unplanned lunch at rockefeller cafe, outside right next to the ice skaters

perfect!

show #2 was... just beautiful! i think barbara and carley and mom all liked this one the best.

dinner at Le Cirque Cafe.

truly amazing. thank you abbi!

the owner of le cirque, Sirio Maccioni

dinner was so much fun that we lost track of time and showed up for show #3 (Phantom of the Opera) about 15 minutes late. oops! fortunately, it was our least favorite show. incredible talent and beautiful music, just no comparison to the other two

sunday morning brunch at tavern on the green

pedicab tour of central park on a GORGEOUS spring day

my cheeks hurt from smiling so much

it was pretty perfect

last but not least, frozen hot chocolate at serendipity III

a fabulous whirlwind weekend.

THANK YOU ABBI!!!

Spring Break 2015

2015-07-07T11:57:00.001-07:00

Pat and Laurel enjoyed a tour of Philadelphia with some friends from the chapel on April 2nd. I hope I get to go next time!

But this time I got to hang out with my little buddy at his first day of "farm school"

Miss Lydia is the best teacher. Look how big T-bone is!?

we love fernbrook farm!

meanwhile, this boy is testing his boundaries all. day. long. lots of "talks" on the little couch in mommy and daddy's room.

good friends and goooooooofy daddy

batting practice

easter buckets

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

the kids and I headed south after church on Easter Sunday

yummy lunch in chicago airport. freddy started to feel a little puny.

buddy and kissy picked up laurel and freddy at the memphis airport and took them to clarksdale

cousin time!!!

i spent the night in tupelo and then flew right back to philly the next day. got some things done around the house. when we found out we aren't moving (that's right, we'll be in jersey for another year), i agreed to let the kids change rooms and separate the bunk beds

freddy rebounded for a fabulous spring break in madison, mississippi

these two are not afraid! thank you buddy and kissy and ms becky!

they got to see meme and julie and evy in laurel.

laurel got a mani/pedi with kissy...

they went to a baseball game

and even swam in the crazy cold lake!

mommy and daddy had a date night in philly. just what the doctor ordered. :-)

March 2015

2015-05-07T11:20:00.002-07:00

march came in like a lion

game night/chipotle feast/going-away for Team Leh

I LOVE THESE FRIENDS!!

i haven't laughed this hard in a while. check out Pat's drawing of "Rambo."

the tooth fairy must've just come from brazil, bc laurel got some very special brazilian coins that night!

my friend cara was in philly for a conference and we got to have a sushi date

we told him that perhaps "falconie" wasn't the best name for this guy.

so, here, i give you freddy and his falcon, "Zit."

daddy/daughter or princess and her hero dance

LOVE!!!

what a foursome!

mr tom came to visit and got a full dose of spidey-ness

happy 10th birthday jude hess!!!

he needed to fix his car. hilarious.

happy st. patrick's day!!

happy boys in the woods

gettin kinda old...

"mommy, this pink one inspires me..."

swim lessons with team leh

lala's 1st grade program

cock-a-doodle-do?!

bowling night.

WHY oh WHY did we not do this every friday night during this long winter?

(oh, i don't know, maybe bc the league bowlers HATED us after one night??)

STRIKE!

gonna be very very different without all these folks next year :-(

February 2015

2015-03-13T11:13:00.004-07:00

we didn't really care who won the super bowl. but i love the seahawks' colors. ha!

man oh man this made me laugh

because one day i know i'll look back at this and think "how beautiful" instead of "AGAIN?!"

i try not to post too many annoying food pictures, but pat said this is one of the best things he's ever tasted. he certainly works hard for a good meal!

some mornings with this little dude are SO SWEET

look at my SEVEN year old!!!

the best gift this year was a locket from daddy to his little girl

my boyz

laurel's present from buddy and kissy. isn't it fabulous?? i can't wait to see that big girl swing the racket again this spring. thank you buddy and kissy!

"laurel would you rather me take you to school today or go spend the day in new york...?" SURPRISE!!!

on the train

better shots of the locket.

first stop - american girl place to get katherine's hair done and to design matching t-shirts for the birthday girl and katherine ;-)

partners

second stop - the lego store! (and to watch the ice skaters at rockefeller plaza)

third stop - ellen's stardust diner for lunch

such a fun place. these two weren't the most talented of the wait staff. we heard some serious talent there!

with a surprise visit from sarah! BONUS

then we walked down broadway to the massive ToysRus in times square

we rode the incredibly cool ferris wheel and picked out a toy for the fredster. then we said goodbye to sarah, and hurried a couple blocks to the last and biggest surprise...

terrible picture, but look how excited!

we enjoyed watching aladdin and jasmine then headed home.

what a DAY ~~ i love you Laurel Katherine Rayner!

it's freezing cold outside. therefore we are addicted to puzzles and legos.

my BS girls got together one week for cheese, wine, and wedding albums. that was pretty hilarious.

pat and freddy went with doug and jude to test-drive his new pick up truck.

and freddy and i ride down to medford on tuesday mornings with Team Leh for swim lessons.

precious friends

typical after-dinner activity

happy valentine's day 2015!

we got to have a double date and forgot to get a picture of our handsome dates!

we switched places on the bunk bed.

laurel is practicing her cursive and loves to read to freddy (while wearing skates).

and i LOVE the valentine freddy brought home from school.

that's just stupid, no?

P (finally) had a little surgery at the urologist's a few weeks ago...

he recovered in Big Daddy's chair in front of the tv for a few days.

doug stopped by to bring him a few books and shoveled our driveway. what a FRIEND!!!

we did enjoy having daddy home for a few days. :-)

even if he does use "inappropriate words!"

Sarah ROCKS!

thank you so much for the book and the cd!

the workmen came to cut down the big beautiful (dead, apparently) tree in our backyard.

we were so sad, but it did provide lots of entertainment!

and lots of firewood for somebody

a bit of a ham, at moments like these

so is this one!

"wha wha wha wha whatcha doin fweddy?"

these were both taken in tupelo, mississippi a few weeks ago!

the one on the left is of mom's back deck, and the one on the right is clearly of Narnia. or highland circle. ;-)

my sweet friend emily and her hubby travis and the whole herring family welcomed baby Charlie into the world on February 20th. i cannot wait to meet that precious little man!

as of february 26th, Pat and I have been married for 10 years!

somebody made an anniversary card for me.

not sure who...?

wow.

yes, you are right, darling, i am so lucky.

but wow!

when you've been married 10 years you no longer take pictures of faces when you celebrate?

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PAT RAYNER.

one decade down, several more to go!

January 2015

2015-03-12T06:28:00.001-07:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

we love putting all the christmas cards we get up on the book shelf. we never want to take them down!

some interesting outfit choices on the right, don't you think?

mmmmm. hoppin john!

on saturday, jan 3, we went to the Please Touch Museum in philly for freddy's special birthday trip

lala liked some areas more than others...

we went to reading terminal market afterwards. sensory overload!

4 years old on February 4th

and i melt.

hee hee

super hero

a special delivery for the birthday boy

he LOVES his golf set ~ thank you buddy and kissy!

now he just has to learn not to use the clubs as weapons...

another special delivery. thank you pops and abbi!

pat and i are so thankful to be reading through the Bible together this year.

so far we are blown away by the constant reminders of God's faithfulness in the face of abject unbelief ~~ exactly what we need to hear thousands of years later!

somedays it takes us a while to wake up

raise your hand if you love when ru comes over!

this girl has style, period.

amber and i snuck down to philly one night to see Motown the Musical. it was a last minute thing, so our seats were comically bad. but the ladies in front of us provided DOUBLE the entertainment value. to say we loved this show is an understatement. it was absolutely incredible. it was like a concert featuring the jackson 5, marvin gaye, smokey robinson, diana ross, the temptations, the 4 tops, the commodores, stevie wonder, etc.

we were amazed by the talent on that stage. here are a few snippets...

i mean.

what a fun age with this little boy!

2015 birthday celebration!

nothing easier than a donut tower birthday cake!

it was freezing outside. we tried to warm up the garage.

donuts + hot chocolate + house full of favorite friends = ecstasy

our neighbor mike took most of these pictures. he did such a great job!

and thank you, eliza, for being the BEST pirate/princess entertainer/wrangler.

jude and jason. aka JUSON

cutest. pirate. ever.

thank you Jesus for these two precious souls.

Laurel has become SUCH a good helper when it's time to clean up around here

this one. keeps me entertained?

daddy had to give a talk in DC so we tagged along for the weekend.

and got to do some sight-seeing.

the MLK memorial is beautiful and incredibly moving.

"We are determined here in Montgomery to work and fight until justice runs 'down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.'"

WWII memorial and washington monument

laurel was so sad we didn't have time to go to the top of the monument. it is now on the top of her list!

another good meal in old town alexandria

the air and space museum

that is really and truly the plane the wright brothers flew!

goofing off waiting on mommy to get our lunches at the national museum of the american indian

aaaaaand fro yo on the way home. brrrrrrrrrrrr

next? it wasn't the blizzard they were predicting. but it was beautiful!

our new sled is awesome

(or so i hear...)

laurel loves her "big sister" eliza. ;-)

i guess he's a keeper...

i'll keep her too!

having a fabulous year so far

an excellent reminder from

II Thessalonians when things aren't going my way.

funny videos

2015-03-10T14:25:00.002-07:00

we are pretty easily entertained...

December 2014

2015-03-06T07:18:00.001-08:00

621 CRW kids Christmas party. for some reason i volunteered to be the photographer?

these were my best shots. ;-)

then we decorated our tree!

favorite toy

our jesse tree - mama got crafty!

time for the Christmas card photo session. Pat has loved these his whole life. HA!

look at miss priss in this one!

the winner. i love laurel's smile and freddy's mouth. and their shirts ~ thank you ginger!

Pat's work party had a 70s/80s theme. i wore one of meme's dresses.

we loved reading ann voskamp's advent devotional this Christmas season.

daddy brought home the white board from work. a new obsession.

thank you B for the cutest Christmas dress for lala!

andrew king's birthday party was lego themed. his mama, Jenn, is SO talented!

manger scene monster truck

christmas cookies at the CDC

my angel and my star at the kids' christmas pageant at the chapel

party and gift exchange with my BS (bible study) girls

i love these ladies!!!

oh, and tacky sweaters - HA!

we celebrated our little family christmas on Dec 20th

cinnamon rolls and a tired daddy

can't wait to use our new sled!

we love books!

pat's favorite present was an old flask of Big Daddy's

the annual twirly girl dress

these were a surprise. so ugly they're awesome? yes, i think so.

new dry erase markers. yes!!!

my "want" and my "to wear" - didn't P do great?!

that afternoon we got the brutally sad news that Muth had died that morning.

Joyce Herring was one of a kind. she impacted everyone she met, for the good!

my friends are missing their dear sweet muth. i feel honored and blessed to have known her.

please pray for wayne and his 5 daughters. they face each day without Muth, but they do not grieve as those without hope. i can't wait to hug her again.

on sunday pat flew with these two to jackson and i flew to nashville for muth's funeral. i am so very glad i got to go. i didn't take a single picture.

that's a happy golf cart!

monday night christmas celebration in madison, ms

tuesday visit to laurel, ms.

we loved getting to see julie and jaime and precious evy

and meme, of course!

never a dull moment...

thank you, uncle chris, for helping freddy put his race car together

4 rayners snug in the backseat of buddy's car on the trip to starkville

to meet and have lunch with abbi and pops.

freddy got a fever and went downhill pretty quickly. :-(

Christmas morning in tupelo

the littlest elf was pretty puny

pretty christmas afternoon walk around highland circle

the next day Pat was down for the count. went to urgent care and was diagnosed with the flu. he was MISERABLE and confined to the downstairs bedroom. pops cooked the turkey on the big green egg and abbi and i had fun doing the rest

we postponed then relocated the christmas meal to rich and carley's house.

i was really missing my partner!

first annual grab-bag

pat was still pretty sick for the flight home. but the Lord spared the rest of us!

glad to be home

i think it takes us about a week to recover from anything

not a great bowl game experience

for either of our teams. oh well! there's always next year!

November 2014

2015-03-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

what a fun crew! we had a (freezing cold) fun day at westpoint watching the falcons bring home the commander-in-chief's trophy!

our seats were, literally, right next to the band. it was loud but it was very entertaining!

we got to see some of our old friends!

and all our friends got to see us on tv!

we followed claudie and maureen and sarah back to Pelham. we had a fabulous meal in their gorgeous warm home. we watched mississippi state barely beat arkansas in one room and in the other room we watched ole miss lose to auburn in the worst possible, most brutal way

time for a visit from abbi and pops!

quick trip to the shore for some seafood

and ice cream, of course

on monday dad went with me to NYC to do some recon for the rayner/lively thanksgiving trip

at ground zero we stumbled onto a very moving veterans' day ceremony,

featuring the amazing U.S. Air Force honor guard drill team. we had no idea!

i love this man!

i wanted him to experience the korean bbq pat and i had the month before. AND we got to see his little brother - bonus! thanks for the day trip dad!!

i mean, what's better than blue icing all over your face at one of your best bud's birthday party?

maybe this?

i love this snaggle tooth smile!

AMEN!

daddy had to go to rhode island for some training. we joined him for the weekend...

the man kinda likes raw oysters...

and mississippi state football ;-)

back to fort dix. we got on a bit of a fort-building kick, starting in the rhode island hotel room

our last fernbrook farm produce for the year :-(

isn't it beautiful?

daddy's home from rhode island!

i'm gonna miss that snaggle smile

i don't either, darling.

getting ready!

i had so much fun planning for the rayner/lively thanksgiving meal and trip to NYC

they're here!

PERFECT turkey on the big green egg

laurel made personalized place mats for the kids

and place-cards for the adults

it. was. delicious.

time to take a big bite of the big apple. we took the ferry over bc warner wanted to see the statue of liberty

NYSE

ground zero

cool buildings

grand central station.

we had an incredible lunch at the grand central oyster bar. we'll need to save some major pennies before we try that again!

we endured a long wait to get to the top of the empire state building. but i think everyone (the adults, at least) would say it was well worth it!

nothing like it on earth

new jersey!

this is how we all felt at the end of the day

next morning - rockefeller center

and radio city music hall

we LOVE the rockettes :-)

THANK YOU BUDDY AND KISSY!!!

photo session

i love buddy's face in these

but THIS takes the cake. look how hard buddy is working. and can you find sonny boy??

biggest trooper award goes to this guy. pretty much sick the whole time. :-(

October 2014

2015-03-03T13:31:00.001-08:00

i must mention what a KILLER season the bulldogs and the rebels had. we were a house full of proud mississippians.

we like thumbs up.

and "helping" mommy exercise.

daddy's 37th birthday was October 9.

he got a few things he wanted

and a requested meal

and a weekend trip to the big apple!

thank you Hess Family for keeping our kiddos!

we took the staten island ferry early saturday morning.

after a yummy brunch we went on a fascinating two hour walking tour of chinatown, little italy, and greenwich village.

the weather started out rainy, but cleared up pretty quickly.

we got a private tour bc nobody else showed up!

mid-afternoon snack, then back down to the hotel to watch some sec football.

State beat Auburn 38 - 23

late dinner -- korean bbq at Kristalbelli. one of the best meals we've ever had.

then back to the hotel in time to watch the second half of the ole miss game.

the rebels beat the aggies 35 - 20. it was a GREAT DAY!!!

brunch sunday morning at mercer kitchen in soho. you could see people walking above us on the sidewalk. very cool atmosphere and wonderful food. more roysters!

we even got to see our friends caroline and andy and floyd before we headed back to jersey.

back on fort dix...

we are within walking/bike riding distance to some really cool static displays

i'm loving the bible study my friends and i are doing on 1st and 2nd Thessalonians

and i love my fireplace. :-)

laurel was super shy the morning we dropped her off at theater camp.

the picture on the right was from when we picked her up - and she asked if she could go next year, or every saturday.

freddy's first rainbow?? no way...

freddy enjoys mama's cooking. ha!

he did great at the dentist.

already cold in jersey. the blur in the bottom right corner of the picture is pretty accurate!

i ran away for a weekend in south carolina with my furman girls

(and chuck-head)

caroline made us these awesome t shirts!

LOOK at this beautiful house chuck and caroline just finished renovating!

breathtaking views of lake murray

F.U. all the time!

no filter. just glorious.

meanwhile, back at home...

i LOVE caroline's new house!

she recently sent me a picture of her latest project. i love her style!

we have known each other for over half our lives...

can't wait till next year!!!

back at home, our new favorite piece of art :-)

laurel showing some air force spirit, daddy showing off his new favorite beer, and freddy wearing a hardhat to the commissary because why not?

my boy and a worm. i love this.

i don't know - wacky wednesday?

i had to wear purple and gold (yuck!) bc i am a good sport and LSU beat ole miss.

#3 gone

happy halloween!

my two super heros

princess elsa had to go to the dentist between school and trick-or-treating.

perfect timing if you ask me!

we trick-or-treated in grove park

and then hung out with charlie brown and all our other friends down at the hesses' firepit

September 2014

2015-03-03T10:44:00.001-08:00

back in jersey and time for first grade haircut!

laurel went to see my friend Ray

i LOVE this haircut on laurel.

and on sophie!

first day of 1st grade

so very hard to believe

somebody had a GREAT day!

meanwhile, i got to hang out with this little joy.

we were looking at that book and he asked me "why is that bathroom man running across the street."

it took me a few minutes...

i love the way his brain works!

we love nathan next door and his slide!

somebody else joined the bob crew!

freddy loves picking raspberries and eating them right away

kissy was in town for 9/11 and got to go watch the parade at laurel's school

God bless America, indeed

kissy stayed with the kids while pat and i made a quick trip to atlanta with some of our USAFA friends to watch the falcons play

college football hall of fame

an annual tradition - so much fun!

fabulous new hats

a wonderful visit with buddy and kissy!

this boy's turn. first day of school at the CDC

dentist visit for laurel, fun lunch for freddy, and daddy time!

kissy loves to make my house ready for the Fall. i love it too!

we had a very short visit with these good friends and are SO EXCITED to see who joins their family in 2015. i'm hoping for pink and pigtails!

derick got to help put together (and enjoy) pat's early birthday gift!

August 2014

2015-02-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

this was the only saturday in a busy summer we could get to the jersey shore.

first, we had some yummy seafood

it was TOO COLD and windy for mommy

that didn't bother these two one bit

after we left the shore we hung out at barnes and noble while we waited on the movie Planes: Fire and Rescue to start. what a GREAT day!

we love when we get to have dinner with tom and joan!

i was shocked by the results of my alcat test.

no more honey lime dressing on roasted zucchini for a while!

stats

tough as nails!

this is what daddy looks like at Eagle Flag. we miss him SO MUCH when he's gone!

we went camping in amish country near lancaster pennsylvania

it was beautiful!

Pequea Creek campground

we went tubing down the creek that runs right beside our campsite. the water was FREEZING but it may have been the most excited i've seen those two little faces :-) i wish i could've captured it

the rain on sunday morning was a bummer

but it was still a fabulous weekend!

back in grove park...

another airport picture?

time to head south again

laurel and i spent a night in nashville with the hills

while freddy hung out with abbi and pops

on to chattanooga for laurel and me.

we stayed with the balls

and had a wonderful time at zach and cat's wedding.

laurel picked right back up with hope and joel. we miss them so much!

i wish i had a picture of paula and me! :-(

back to tupelo and down to destin with pops and abbi

look who else was in destin! i got to go to dinner with amber and two of her friends.

so much fun!

these two were in goooooood hands

time for labor day weekend with the johnston clan

see what i have to deal with? ;-)

i'll try to take more pictures next year!

the generations

the original four.

thankful for these people!

Beach pics 2014

2015-02-27T07:16:00.005-08:00

buddy and kissy got a photographer to come and do a session at the beach. these are our favorites:

July 2014

2015-02-26T07:51:00.005-08:00

fran and i enjoyed TWO nights in nola and the best food ever. thank you buddy and kissy!

when can we go back?!?!

we love buddy and kissy's new neighborhood!

after numerous delays and long travel hours, reunited (at reunion, ha!) and it feels so good!

so good to see GREAT old friends!

4th of july

what better way to celebrate america's birthday than by enjoying america's favorite pastime?

warner and coach lively

loving on meme in Laurel

on the road again, with B this time.

we made a quick stop in hattiesburg to meet sweet baby Evy and to have lunch at the currys'

my travels that week... phew!

look at my girl, smelling the beach!

best condo yet. absolutely GORGEOUS view of cotton bayou

don't have many pictures from rayner beach week, but the ones i've got are pretty good!

next stop -- smith lake

rayner/hill summer #7

pops bought this new raft called the lilly pad.

not quite sure what we did without it...

seeeester

swamping the canoe!

love this - porter is wearing a pair of laurel's old shorts and

freddy is wearing hand-me-downs from williams. :-)

#blessed.

;-)

6 going on 19

a couple days with just us

P says this is what happens when you spend too much time in alabama. ha!

getting ready!

cousin time!

all 17 of us were together for about 30 minutes,

after merrill 3 arrived and before pat left for the airport

can you imagine what this will look like in about 10 years?

life at the lake

I LOVE IT!

gray/silver car, anyone?

love these two teenagers

twins

one last spin

back to tupelo

i got to "help" pops clean out his closet. proud of you, dad!

the rayners are BACK in the garden state!

THIS is why i cook

it was a beautiful summer in new jersey this year

sometimes you just want to wear a mustache to the commissary.

and sometimes you don't get your way and have a really sad mustached-face

i helped with VBS at the chapel and this year freddy was old enough to go!

"aminals rule"

american girl

sometimes you fall off your bike and look this cute

June 2014

2015-02-23T13:42:00.006-08:00

June brought -

field day at Discovery School

roses in our backyard

uncle merrill to philly for work

new backpacks from south africa.

thanks marjorie and derick!

mommy's birthday party with some incredible friends

teresa showed us how to use a rosebush thorn to make a great witch's wart!

thank you Lord for these friends!

and this one!

Pat left the day after my birthday for a short work trip to Brazil.

It turned into almost a month without him :-(

that's rug burn on her nose. ha!

almost time to say goodbye to kindergarten

Laurel took tennis lessons in princeton for the spring/summer

the huxes joined us one saturday

freddy kept TJ busy

while michelle took some fabulous pictures of my girl

my favorite

single-parenting is much easier with this unbelievable support system

wonder where he learned that pose...

freddy's last day at the CDC.

we LOVE miss kim, miss emily, and miss lois!

too cute for words

our bible study group had a feast to celebrate our Prodigal God

laurel's last tennis lesson of the season.

her coach, renie(?), said she needs to be playing bc she's strong and tall. ???

last day of kindergarten!

i think she grew up some this year

summer haircuts.

thank you noel!

june also brought our weekly trips to fernbrook farm to pick up (and pick) our CSA share.

one of the best decisions we've ever made

taking advantage of living in the Garden State

of course it helps that all our friends go, too!

my girl amber graduated.

SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!

meanwhile, poor pat was stuck on a beach in brazil with nothing to do...

time to head south.

we left Philly early on the 27th.

Pat got home to NJ that night at 8:00.

we learned while pat was gone that was selected for promotion to lt. col. not surprised and very proud!

a little cousin love

me too, baby girl!!!

we spent the weekend in tupelo, then drove to madison monday to drop the kids off at buddy and kissy's house.

then i picked fran up in brookhaven and we went to new orleans to celebrate her 40th bday a little early. we need to do this at least once a year!

meanwhile, the kids were having a BALL

i think the golf cart is a hit, buddy!

May 2014

2015-02-21T10:59:00.000-08:00

May flowers! My favorite.

Freddy says he lost a tooth too. Ha!

He's loving his swim lessons with Ms. Joyce.

And loving his buddy, Jack.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

2014 JBMDL Air Show

the mighty C-17

Beautiful Mother's Day!

Lala and Sophie were joined at the hip those May days

personalities

amber and i went to an "art and wine" spouse function and made these cool door hangers. i made mine for kissy's new house!

dirt. road. sport.

pat and i surprised buddy and kissy on their move-in day in madison

(it was quite the ordeal - pops and abbi brought us a car to the bham airport and took the kiddos back to the lakehouse with them. P and i ran out of gas on the drive to jackson and got very little sleep. BUT it was worth it all!)

buddy introduced himself to the neighbor dogs.

p ran into the riles on a lunch run!

meanwhile, at smith lake...

bottom picture - freddy loves the freedom of the great outdoors! yikes.

organizing queens!

we got to spend a few hours at the lake, too!

one of these guys was feeling super cool.

the other - not so hot.

going. going. gone.

pat and i got to have dinner with trent and kristen in philly. trent's band Sugar and the Hi Los opened for Ingrid Michaelson

It was an amazing concert. unfortunately Pat was still sick. :-(

love these friends!!!!

BFFS

happy super hero birthday to levi leh!

April 2014

2015-02-19T06:40:00.000-08:00

at work with daddy, and "school" pictures

laurel can dive off the block!

april showers means playtime in the garage

it was pat's turn this year to join this crazy bunch for the grove inspection trip in florida

looks like a lot of work, huh?

meanwhile, the kids helped me get the house ready

for abbi!

we LOVE this neighborhood!

big boy haircut just in time for Easter. our last trip to buddy and kissy's house in texas.

pat was in louisiana for work, so he went ahead and flew to texas

the kids and i had a MAJOR delay in philly. so we made friends!

i think he slept the last 30 minutes of the flight. it was well after midnight.

of course it didn't faze them the next day. i, on the other hand, slept in. :-)

we drove down (over?) to clifton to see our good friends, the ritzmanns

we had SUCH a fun day out in the country!

here's to lifelong friends - laurel, sophie, freddy, and ivy

maybe my favorite video of all time

the texas blue bonnets were out in all of their glory

don't forget sweet baby hazel!

we loved seeing ritz and krista's future home site. what a view!

this is the picture i asked krista to take with her nice camera. it is hanging in buddy and kissy's new house in madison, ms, to remind them of their time in texas

ritz had quite a day. first he shot this snake

then he showed the kids this cave and boneyard

then he did THIS. amazing!

i don't think they will ever forget that day. neither will i!

Jesus is alive!

man, we are going to miss that house and our visits to texas

a trip to the jump place. wore us ALL out!

one of our favorite places in texas - the woodshed.

one last bike ride before we headed back to nj.

oops! mom of the year?

bye bye tooth #2!

yes, it looks like freddy is plucking his eyebrow, but that is his salute. haha!

springtime on fort dix!

love that giggle!

March 2014

2015-02-12T13:45:00.004-08:00

love

dr seuss week - wacky wednesday, crazy sock day, pjs day

a motley crew, for sure

first loose/lost tooth!

mustache march for pat and tom

happy st. patrick's day!

daddy/daughter date. they went out to eat and to see the movie Mr. Peabody and Sherman.

freddy and i had a date with ru ru

one night we got to eat dinner in philly with macon and andy. thanks huxes!

laurel was just a little into whatever was on tv...

laurel's reading and writing is really coming along. and she made a new friend in our neighborhood. we love sophie and her whole family!

p finished his re-qual in the C-17 on the last day of mustache march. HOORAY!!!

February 2014

2015-02-12T13:26:00.001-08:00

SIX YEARS OLD!

Laurel got a big birthday surprise...

a trip to NYC for the day with mommy (and Katherine, of course)!

Top of the Rock

yummy lunch at American Girl Place

and a personal shopping assistant?!?! we hooked katherine UP!

my cousin Sarah joined us later for a treat at Dean & Deluca

that was truly one of the most favorite days of my life so far. so thankful for my girl!

snow days...

buddy and kissy came to see us on valentine's day!

Pat and I celebrated our anniversary in the City of Brotherly Love. Thanks Kissy!

Then kissy and i took the train to NYC to meet up with her sister Pam. Thanks again kissy!

we love chelsea market

we had a little bit of fun together. can you tell?

Doug is home from his 5 month deployment! we love the Hess family and are so excited they are all back together!

snow on the beach? yep. it's the Jersey Shore!

January 2014

2015-02-12T07:47:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014!

looks like this guy had a rough night!

jude and pat get some of their aggression out on a weekly basis...

more beautiful snow!

no way. my baby is 3?

isaac leh had his birthday party on freddy's actual birthday. score!

hibachi for the birthday boy :-)

moving day! forecast was 100% rain. eeeeeek!

we have really really really good friends. and the weather held off for the most part, thank goodness!

first dinner at 13 General Plaza. phew!

first day of "school" at the CDC for this big guy

daddy went with us for the drop-off, and pops for the pick-up

meanwhile... pat, abbi, amber, and gibson were eating lots of veggies and getting healthy

pops and i put together freddy's train table and found a perfect spot for it. happy late birthday, fredster!

we like our new house

i love the red birds in the snow!

operation playroom

taking shape!

i love this - mom and dad's anniversary cards to each other this year. HA!!!

December, Part 2

2014-08-11T12:05:00.001-07:00

Christmas tree time!

it was great having our own family photographer there. thanks marge!

the day marjorie left (*sniff*), we had a BIG snow!

Laurel and Hope sang a couple of times at church.

see if you can pick out laurel's voice. hilarious.

one night in mid-december we went to ride the north pole express!

we all got to wear our pjs

except for daddy. bah-humbug!

but i think he and jude may have had a few laughs ;-)

we sang christmas songs, like feliz navidad...

we had hot drinks and peppermint sticks

we even got to meet santa and mrs claus!

ladies' christmas gift exchange with my best buds

time for church!

time for grandparents. YAY!!

mom and i supervised

ready!

homemade cinnamon rolls and milk punch. mmmmmmm

welcome to the family, Katherine!

something to read...

something to wear

something you want

on FaceTime with kissy and buddy

fashion show. thanks kissy!

abbi and pops making sure things work right. :-)

the day after christmas we took the train to new york city.

i love the picture up top where freddy is in his stroller in the subway, but has to hold the pole like sister.

we went to see the Lion King and were blown away by it. SO GOOD. then we had a fabulous dinner at Fish Tail. (i met the chef on our way out!)

went to see the rockettes the next morning

another incredible meal

and a stroll through central park to show abbi and pops the castle

THANK YOU ABBI AND POPS!

now that's a good daddy. :-)

we couldn't wait to get home to play with all our new toys

THANK YOU BUDDY AND KISSY!

it was a good year.

so long 2013!

December, Part 1

2014-08-11T09:25:00.001-07:00

Day 2 in the big apple with the Dreyers started in Central Park

museum of natural history

so happy we had that stroller!

our Christmas card photo

so fun. so exhausting. we love this family!

said goodbye to derick and the boys and headed back to jersey

November, part 2

2013-12-22T17:46:00.001-08:00

one day in the middle of the month we were surprised by a call from the housing company, telling us they have a 4 bedroom house available for us.

here it is!
we've been #1 on the waiting list since this summer, so we thought it would never happen. it was actually a hard decision bc we love our neighbors and have made this little place a comfortable home. HOWEVER, as it gets colder, i am SOLD by that 2 car garage. :-)
we should move (only two streets over) in mid january. woo hoo!!

we had a couple of sick kids that week. it actually wasn't that bad. they each threw up one time and then really didn't have any other symptoms. the worst part was when laurel threw up all over the top bunk… and the wall… and freddy in the bottom bunk… GUH-ROSS!!!!

marjorie went to NYC to pick up her boys and they went on a little vermont adventure.

meanwhile, one day laurel and freddy and i drove up to summit, nj, where eleanor and her kids were visiting bubba's sister's family. it was a super short visit, but better than nothing!

betsy and laurel. :-)

they played HARD

happy thanksgiving!!

we are ready for the dreyers! (i started cooking on sunday...)

"reunited and it feels so good"
we were so happy to see derick and andre and fourie
(and marjorie of course!)

the boys were in charge of the bird

"always remember to let your turkey chill in the sink." HA!

good grief. cutest little duo ever. i think they both have the same "love language"

just 'cause

the rayner tradition of milk punch is growing on me!

amber and the hess kids joined us. jude is so good with the younger boys

ready!

in the garage. ha!

look at him acting like he cooked that! poser...

a really fantastic thanksgiving meal. we missed you doug!!!

eliza, babysitter in training, reading to the crew.
then they got some of their energy out in the park.

time for round two

tom still and his parents, david and esther, drove up the next day from atlantic city just in time for a delish lunch of leftovers.

good idea to walk some of that off!

go daddy go!

love this lady :-)

that night we took the kids bowling

i can't look at this picture without smiling. love my marge!!

this is right after i fell down flat on my backside. sweet kiddos!

i think this is when we crossed the line to crazy tired!

the next day we all went on an adventure together

the train to NYC

kids did a great job on the subway. freddy's favorite thing about new york is "the choo choo twain under the gwound!"

that afternoon we went to see Dinosaur Train Live at NYU. the kids loved it!

washington square park

priceless memories!

we hung out with the dreyers' friends, jurgens and shelley that afternoon/evening

they really are great kids. thankful!

*love*