OUTSIDE!

Lately, I spend all of my days "outside" or hearing about the "outside." Kate is officially obsessed!

If we are inside, she chants the word "outside," puts on her coat and shoes, and stands at the front door begging to go out. She loves it. And eventually, I cave in and out we go!

It is amazing how many things we have found to do in our little yard. We march. We smell flowers. We ride in cars. We throw the ball for "IE." We pick up sticks. We play with the neighbors (who Kate affectionately refers to as "Ro Ro" ( for Rohan) and "Kay Kay" (for Kayan)).

Two weeks ago, it was so beautiful outside, that Robby and I took Kate to Maymont Farm to pet the animals. Kate has always loved sheep (mostly because she likes to say "ba"), but on this trip she fell in love with the goats. Everything is so new and exciting to Kate. We are just loving watching her take it all in!

Surveying the lay of the land at Maymont Park

It's a Goat!

Look at that fearless (or perhaps senseless) little girl...Grabbing the goat by the horn!

Good thing these goats are friendly!

We practically had to drag her away to see the rest of the animals

Seeing a real sheep for the first time...I love this one!

Flowers! Finally!

Bye Bye! And happy outside to you and yours!

Celebrate We Will

Last week, we desperately needed something to look forward to, and thankfully we had a few good reasons to celebrate. Kate's buddy, Turner, turned two, Kate turned 18 months old, and our cocker spaniel, Ivy, turned 7!

If we have learned anything this month, it is that life is too short. And so this week, with cupcakes in hand (and Frosty Paws for Ivy), we celebrated the life of our sweet little girl and her "IE", and on Sunday we celebrated Turner's second birthday.

Before I share a few pictures, I just want to say thank you to everyone for your calls, emails, notes and meals in the last two weeks. We are so thankful for our network of friends and family. Thank you for caring for us so well--We celebrate you too!

Happy Birthday, Turner! We love you!

Kate was very jealous of Turner's mega cupcake!

A hug for the birthday boy!

Kate loves her puppy! As soon as we pull into the driveway, Kate starts chanting "IE, IE, IE." Ivy will never know how much she is loved. Even the neighborhood children come to the door and ask if Kate and Ivy can play!

This cupcake looks pretty tasty!

One More, PPLLEEAASSEE!

Loss and Love

This week, we lost my Aunt Cam (my mom's sister) very suddenly to pneumonia. We hardly knew that she was even sick, before she was gone. Our family has experienced a lot of heartache in the last few years with difficult and unexpected losses.

My heart breaks for my family, but especially that Kate will not get to grow up knowing Cam. Cam was one of the kindest and most encouraging people I have ever met. She was one of my biggest cheerleaders, and oh, how she loved Kate! I know Cam will be rooting for Kate (and all of us) from heaven.

Thank you to everyone for all of your prayers, love and support during this difficult time.

Cam will be greatly missed!

Two of Cam's favorite girls

Future Wahoo

Last weekend, my dad and little sister, Caroline, came to Charlottesville to visit so that Caroline could look at UVa. Caroline's friend, Hannah, also came along. The girls loved UVa!

I would love nothing more than to have Caroline in Charlottesville for four years. I tried to bribe her with the promise of a free laundry service and home cooked meals. If she decides to come here, I would be so excited that I think I would sing the Good Ole Song everyday for her four years of college (and that's saying a lot for this Tar Heel!).

Below are a few pictures from our weekend:

At breakfast... Kate calls Caroline, "CiCi."

A hug for Granddaddy!

At the basketball game...Despite the loss, we had a great time!

Caroline and Hannah on the Lawn

Don't worry, I didn't go totally UVa crazy!