Hello to Madelyn!

I am proud to announce (at least on my blog) the arrival of my newest niece, Madelyn Lenore Samuels.  She was born this afternoon and all are well.  I can't quite remember how much she weighs... but that doesn't matter all that much.  She's little.  Anyway, congrats to the new parents - we can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

Fun with Photo Booth

Nothing all that much to talk about today... just thought I would put up some fun pictures of the family. Jayson has this computer for work, but I have to admit I look forward to him coming home everyday so that I can play on it. I grew up with a Mac, and had never had a PC until I got married.... but I'm glad that we're back to having a Mac in the house.


Rhys got her first hair cut this past Saturday - It's kind of a tradition now that the kids get their first hair cut around their first birthday. She doesn't have as much hair as NegleyAnne did at that age, but it's still fun to get it cut and see her sit in a big chair. She even had a little kid cape. As soon as I get the pictures off the camera, I will get them on here.


I did forget to mention that Jayson's cousin Jenny had her first baby this past week. John James McClure. All seem to be doing well... and I can't wait to meet him!

Have a great day...

Oh my... she's one!

So today was Rhys' birthday (observed) and she is now officially my one year old daughter. I tried to find some cute pictures to post from over the past year that I haven't used yet... not too hard since I've hardly posted at all this year. Anyway, here are some cute ones!

This is Rhys and I on the beach in Pawleys Island. We were there after Christmas this past year and a great time visiting with our friends Matt, Sayward, and Spencer (and Hagrid of course). I sat on the beach with Rhys for about an hour with her trying to "eat" the wind. It made me laugh out loud, and I had to capture it on the camera.

Ahh, the first time that Rhys ate cereal. If you've been in our kitchen you know that we have similar pictures of NegleyAnne framed on the wall. The plan has always been to frame these pictures of Rhys and hang them next to the others... but... well... it sucks to be the second child. Hopefully before we move out of this house someday they will be up on the wall.

I couldn't have in my wildest dreams that I could have had ANOTHER awesome baby after having NegleyAnne. Rhys has been sooooo much fun to spend time with and I love watching her grow up. Jayson and I are loving big time on our two little girls...

What, twice in one month?

My mother-in-law stopped by yesterday and commented that my Aunt B. looks at this blog often to see pictures of the kids and is disappointed because I haven't been updating it. So this post is for you Aunt B. There's nothing really to talk about, just some cute pictures of the girls.



Rhys is now mobile, which is both good and bad. She loves it, but it means a lot more work for me. Last night we were playing our little game with Tillie's dog food (I set her down and she immediately goes for Tillie's dish) when in her quick escape from me managed to slip on the tile floor and bit her lip. There is nothing worse than a baby's cry when they are actually hurt. I can ignore almost any other kind of cry, but those are the worst!


On the Fourth of July the family head to Idlewild for a fun day at the park. Somehow I caught Negley Anne at the perfect time - just to see her expression when the train blew it's whistle. It was really loud... but I love those eyes. Wonder who she got those from...

Well, thank you Aunt B. for the motivation to keep blogging... hopefully there will be some more before the end of the summer!

Happy Birthday Rhys

So Jayson and I have managed to do it again... we've kept a kid alive a whole year. Rhys turned One this morning, but it was pretty uneventful. Jayson is in Haiti, and it's raining here in Pittsburgh. As I told my friends last night, Rhys' birthday is being observed on Sunday. She will be celebrating with my cousin Tim and my Grandfather (Grandpa Carl) who is turning 87. The oldest and the youngest together - what a blast!

A quick shot of the Negs at Fowler Pool at The Pittsburgh Project. She's had such a blast this summer swimming, and I've loved having a summer job that involves lots and lots of water!

Hope all is well...