Happy Birthday, Langley!

Our little Langley turned ONE while we were at the beach (6/11). She thoroughly enjoyed the festivities...and the cake was a big hit! She sure is a blessing in our lives. In one sense, it is hard to believe that she is one already. In another, it is hard to believe that she hasn't always been with us. We're looking foward to all that this next year has in store.

Sunset Photos

One evening while we were at the beach, I attempted a little "photo session" with the kids. I learned that getting a good shot of three little ones is next to impossible! But, here's the record of my efforts. :)

Beach Fun

Earlier in June, we spent a week at the beach with the Johnson clan. Everybody had a blast in the sea, sand and pool. And, it was great to be with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Camden and Owen loved hunting for sand crabs. Thanks to Uncle Jason, they even had some hermit crab pets for the week. Langley was as interested in eating the sand as she was playing in it. Thanks to Nonna and Papa for such a special vacation!

Camden's 4K graduation

Camden graduated from preschool on 5/16/2008. She sure has enjoyed her time at Little Imaginations, but she's also excited about moving on to "big school." We are so proud of her!

Down on the Farm...

We're glad that summertime is here! Our relaxed schedule will give us more opportunities to enjoy some of our favorite places. One of those is the "Demonstration Farm" at Oak Mountain State Park. We were there on 5/21/2008. We hung out with the animals and had a picnic. The baby goats and little lambs were the stars of the day.

Aldridge Gardens

We love to spend time hanging out at Aldridge Gardens in Hoover. We didn't go too often during the winter months, so we took advantage of the warm weather today and headed out there for a picnic lunch. Camden was in school, so it was a special outing for Owen and Langley. Owen really enjoys feeding the fish and the turtles. The overcast conditions seemed to invite a little picture-taking.

Sunday Pulla Baking

This past Sunday, we opted to skip church and just enjoy a relaxing morning at home. Alan and the kids decided to bake pulla. This was the first time Langley was around for the baking...and the first time she was old enough to eat it!

This is a Keravuori tradition that has been passed down for generations. Alan uses the same recipe that his mom and his grandmother (and probably others before her) have used for many years. Eating pulla and drinking hot chocolate were part of his childhood memories with his Mummi and Taato. Our children love to bake it with their Gram and their Daddy. I love to watch the whole process--they take turns grinding the cardamom seeds in Mummi's mortar and pestle. In something as simple as baking bread, they are learning layers and layers of lessons.

Nature Lesson

We returned from our Spring Break trip to find that a bird had built her nest in Camden's bicycle basket. Over the course of the next three or four days, she laid a total of five eggs. She's still very diligently sitting on the nest. In fact, she seems to have grown quite accustomed to our comings and goings. The kids have been super-excited about the whole process. We're hopeful that the baby birds will hatch out anyday now.

Click on this picture to link to our March/April misc. photo album; this includes (among other things) a visit from Gram, a trip to Moss Rock with the Petrellas and an outing to the McWane Center with Nonna and Mary Emma.

AU Lulu

This one is for Tiff.

Since we live in a "Divided House" around here, I had to seize the opportunity to document Langley in her Auburn attire. War Eagle! Of course, what the picture doesn't show is Owen standing right beside her in his "Big Al" shirt (which he insisted on putting on after he saw Langley sporting the orange and blue).

Tooth Fairy Times

Camden lost her first tooth this week (on 4/3/08). We took these pics as she was heading to bed last night. She was super-excited about a visit from the Tooth Fairy.

Happy Spring!

Hope everyone is enjoying the spring so far. This photo was taken on Easter Sunday. After doing the Easter Bunny thing at home, we were off to church and then to lunch at the Elmore house. It was a great day!

Owen rides the rails

While Camden was off hitting the slopes and having fun with Gram and Gramps, we treated Owen to his very first train ride. It was a short jaunt...only from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa, but it was just right for him! He seemed to love everything about it--from the arrival at the station to the on-board investigation of ALL the details. The Doritos and YooHoo in the Cafe Car were probably the highlight. Thanks to Beth and Tiff (who kept Langley for us), we were able to enjoy some great quality time with our little man.

Camden goes skiing!

Camden is in one of her favorite places this weekend: with Gram and Gramps at their house in Northern Virginia. Yesterday, they took her skiing for the first time. It looks like she had a blast! We're certainly missing her around here, but we're thrilled for her to be spending this special time with her grandparents.

Langley is 8 months old!

Langley's been working hard on her "tricks" lately. First it was crawling and now we're on to standing. Currently, she spends most of her waking minutes trying to figure out how to climb the stairs. All of this movement snuck up on us. We weren't quite babyproofed and ready for her curious expeditions. She sure is alot of fun, though!

SNOW DAY!

A snow day around here is a really big deal--almost magical, in fact. This is the first snow we've had since we moved to Birmingham in 2006...the first ever for Owen and Langley. Even though we didn't get much, it was enough to have lots of fun. We spent the day having snow ball fights, building a snow man and making snow cream. Tomorrow, the weather will be warm enough to melt the last of the snow away. But, for today, it sure is great! See the link on the left (to our web albums) for a few more pics.

Preschool Ingenuity

Happy New Year!!

One day last week, Camden and Owen turned our living room into a swimming pool. Before I realized what was going on, they had donned swimsuits and goggles and were "diving" from the sofas into the sea of cushions below. We never cease to be amazed at the joy they find in the simplest things.