Camping!

After Chris and Jessie's wedding celebration, Ryan and Tim stayed in Albany for the week so Ryan could spend some extra time with his cousins, Grandma and Papa. I returned to Baltimore alone to gear up for my last week of work (more on that to come!) I missed my boys, but I knew that they were having a blast. They had a full week of fun that included lots of playing outside, time in the pool, and a trip to a museum, among many other things. On Thursday they drove up to the campsite where Ryan's Uncle DJ, Aunt Lynn and cousins Colin, Alec, Lizzie, Rachel and Kayla were camping and spent the afternoon and evening with them - swimming, playing and then ending with a campfire complete with roasting marshmallows and s'mores. From the pictures it looks like a good time was had by all!

Congratulations Chris and Jessie!

This weekend we traveled to Albany to celebrate the nuptials of Tim's cousin Chris and his long time girlfriend, Jessie. Chris and Jessie actually tied the knot a few months earlier, but wanted to gather all of their family and friends together for a big celebration of their marriage. Tim was honored to be asked to perform a blessing over the happy couple. He did a great job with just the right touch of humor and sentimentality. And the party was a blast, as all Doody/Watts parties are. It had all the right ingredients - great music, food, drink, Neil Diamond's "America", Uncle Tony's hat, Uncle Ed doing the twist...and of course lots of family members to catch up with and celebrate with. I am lucky to have married into such an amazing family where all of the extended family and cousins have so much fun together and get along so well! We had a great time - Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Carroll!!!

Cousins Sleepover

While we were out celebrating Chris and Jessie's wedding, Ryan was at his cousins' house with a babysitter, and stayed for a sleepover. This is how Lynn found Colin, Alec and Ryan when she got home from the wedding.

Happy Birthday Tim!

While in Albany for Chris and Jessie's wedding celebration, we also gathered the family to celebrate Tim's birthday. We started with pizza and ice cream cake and then ventured out with Pat, Amy and Lynn to a local bar that gives you a large glass boot full of beer (FREE!) on your birthday. Tim set out to finish the boot, and he accomplished his goal!

Father's Day Brunch

"Cheers!"

Happy Father's Day!

To my Dad... and my husband Tim, an amazing Dad to our son, Ryan

Thank you both for being the best examples of a loving father and husband! I hope you both have a great day!!!!

Avalon 2011

Another summer, another FANTASTIC Avalon weekend. It is easily my favorite weekend of the summer - morning runs smelling the ocean air, iced coffee from Avalon Coffee Co., laying on the beach, floating in the pool, beers on the deck, pizza, ice cream and lots of laughs with friends. This year Andrew has grown into a great playmate for Ryan and they both were so good and easy all weekend! Andrew is the cutest little guy with an amazingly happy disposition and so much fun to be around. He shared his toys with Ryan, and Ry was very gentle with his younger little buddy. Already looking forward to the next time we can go back!

Play Ball!

Today we finally took Ryan to his first Orioles game at Camden Yards. Of course he has been completely brainwashed, and when I asked him if he was excited about going to the game he said "I want to go to a Red Sox game." He also insisted that he didn't want an Orioles shirt, but wanted to wear his Red Sox shirt. Smart boy :) We met up with a bunch of friends at the game whose kids are Ryan's age, so the kids had a blast together. Ryan was definitely more interested in the HUGE bag of popcorn we bought him, as well as locating where the Oriole Bird Mascot was at all times. But I think he really enjoyed the game, and we made it through 9 innings, so I consider it a success! The high point of the day was late in the game when the Oriole bird made an appearance in our section. Ryan was excited and ran over to give him a high five right away. I have a feeling there will be many more trips to Camden Yards in our future...