Fun week with Nana! – Barrett Family Reunion

Each summer my grandfather’s family (my Mom’s father) spends a week together! We have been doing this since my mom was a little girl, each summer and winter they would spend one week back at the home (my grandfather) grew up in. Once my great grandparents died the 6 siblings began just meeting in the summer and they rotated around to different siblings houses. This year everyone came to Maryland so we spent the week at my mom’s aka Nana’s house. Elisha loved all the extra people and he was go go go the entire time. During this week we went to the boardwalk for walks, we went out on an oyster boat through the Calvert Marine Museum and walked through the Museum. Then we had soft shell crabs (which was a first for both Andrew and I, even though we both grew up in Calvert County on the bay) and played any games of Rook and Settlers. We also went to Sight and Sound to see Joseph; Julie kept Elisha that day and he got to play at the playground! All in all it was a great week and total there were 38 family members who came at different points in the week. This is a tradition that I love and I am so glad that my family loves each other enough to spend a week together each year even though we are spread out over 6 states.

Pictures to be added ***

Wedding Bells

Mom, Dad, and Aunt Susan also stayed one extra day so they could see Elisha for a little bit.  He had a lot of fun reading stories with Aunt Susan! 
Andrew's cousin Chris got married on July 11, 2015! Elisha got to spend a fun weekend with Nana and Andrew and I got a fun date weekend.  Andrew's parents, Aunt Susan, and Tim and Erin all went to the wedding with us.  Then his Aunt and Uncle from Texas come and a few other cousins from New Jersey.  It was fun to see everyone and we had a blast in the photo booth! 

Where is Erin Kassouf? 

Crazy Kassouf's!

Kassouf Boys with Mom and their Aunts!

Just Us

Brother's and their wives

Fun with Aunt Susan! 

Mom, Dad, and Aunt Susan also stayed one extra day so they could see Elisha for a little bit.  He had a lot of fun reading stories with Aunt Susan!

Reading with Aunt Susan!

Texas comes to Maryland

Andrew's cousin Amanda was able to come out to Maryland this year for her annual business trip and she was able to come a few days early to spend some time with us.  She had only met Elisha once before for a single dinner so we were excited to get to see her for a few days.  Her new husband and his kids were able to come as well.  We were very excited to meet Curtis, Adyson, and Kaiden!  While they were here we picked crabs, and visited the Naval Academy.  

Pleebs doing their noon formation, they had only been on campus for 3 days.

USNA Chapel

Downtown Annapolis Family Picture,
one of my all time favorite places.
This is where Andrew proposed 4 years earlier. 

We also went to Rocks State Park to walk through Falling Branch and we got to see Kilgore Falls which is the second largest waterfall in Maryland at a whopping 19 feet. (Yes, I know that it's not that large compared to others around the world- but it is what we got).  We then ended their visit to Brooms Bloom a local dairy that makes their own ice cream! (It is one of my favorite placed in Harford County).  

Crossing to the creek to get to the waterfall.

Kaiden having fun!

Viola Family

Elisha and I hanging out

Kassouf Family

He found the water! So much fun!

I'm Officially a Mommy ...

You would have thought that the official Mommy title would have come 15 months ago when I gave birth to my son but according to Andrew I did not become an official "Mommy or Family" until June 30 when we purchased our first Mini-Van!  We traded in my Buick :-( but I got a lovely Honda Odyssey :-) I am in LOVE with my van!!

Thank you Eric Dyckman, at Anderson Honda in Hunt Valley for all your help!! 

Berries, Berries, and more Berries!

A few weeks after strawberry picking we went cherry and blueberry picking. When we arrived at the farm the attendant told us that they also had black raspberries!!!!  Black raspberries are my all-time favorite berry and you can't buy them in the store.  So when they told us we could pick them I was absolutely ecstatic! We started with picking the black raspberries and after picking and entire bucket then we went to pick blueberries.  Elisha really liked picking the blueberries! Andrew showed him the blue ones and Elisha would reach in a pull them off the bush, he also loved carrying the basket around.  We then picked a few cherries although, we were a little late on the cherries and many of them were molding on the trees.  We enjoyed picking the black raspberries and blueberries so much and got them for such a good deal we decided to go back a second day to pick them again! I have also been having a lot of fun baking with all the berries.  I think my favorite new recipe is for Lemon Blueberry muffins!  They are delicious and have some pretty healthy things hidden inside.  I also made a Strawberry/Blueberry Cobbler which was a huge hit!

Black Raspberry Plant

Blueberries Plant

Black Raspberry Picking!

Tasting the berries!

Off to get the blueberries!

Picking Blueberries!

Elisha was collecting all the berries.

Picking Cherries!

Mommy climbed the ladder, so I guess I will too!

Daddy climbed the ladder to pick some cherries too!

Mommy, you and Daddy both did it.
Why can't I climb the ladder?

This is was our loot from our first picking adventure!

Have a mentioned before that summer is my favorite season!  Berry picking, fun family things, vacation, and time at home with my boys- seriously it's the best! 

Zoo Visit

Family Day at the Zoo sounded like the perfect birthday present to me! So Andrew and Elisha took me to the zoo and we got to see all the different types of animals.  I was slightly disappointed because the zoo closed at 4; which we were not expecting so when we arrived at 2 we were worried  we would not get to see everything but we did it all! Elisha loved seeing the animals- as long as they were big and moving.  He would look for the movement and he would then point them out and talk to them, it was adorable.  He also loved that the monkeys had a ball to play with.  The entire time we stood watching the monkeys he said "ball, ball, ball ..." It was a great birthday! 

My little man is a Gentoo Penguin!

Flamingo Birds!

Rhinos

My lion!

Elephants, they were nice and large so Elisha liked them! 

These were the largest animal and the closest to the gate so Elisha loved them the most!

Alligator!

Monkey Faces!

My Monkeys!

Elisha is eating his fingers like the monkey. 

Turtle fun!

Fun times with Daddy!

Birdy Birds!

We are Orioles nesting!

I do believe that a 27 year old should not be able to crawl into the turtle.
I'm pretty sure that was the last time it will happen.  

Talking

Besides Dada (which gets said all day long) and a very occasional Mama (Which I think still happens by accident- because when I ask him to say it he just smiles and laughs at me.) Elisha is beginning to talk and his first official word that was not a name was sit ... and let me tell you when he started saying it, it did not sound like sit ... it had an H in a not so good place .... Elisha was at my mom's house for the weekend with Andrew while I was in grad class and he was going around my mom's living room saying "s'h'it" over and over again.  That night when I saw the video and heard him say it for the first time I was absolutely mortified.  After a few days and with the help of Mrs. Beth we realized that he was saying "sit" and whenever he was saying the word he was either getting ready to sit down or was walking over to furniture  to tell someone else to sit.  

His first noun that was not a name was "ball" or in Elisha's world "ba" and everything that is round or sphere like is called a ba.  He loves to play with the ba and he says ba all day long.  

Through the summer we have also added the words "down" in conjunction with sit for "sit down".  His latest word is "up" and as soon as you open the door to get him out of the crib he very sternly says "up".  He has also said "Nana" and "Grandma" a few times while we have been on vacation with each of them.  He sure does love them!  I know the vocabulary will just keep expanding but it is so cool to watch him learn.  

On a side note he is also started to use his baby sign (which I have been showing him for months!).  But he has finally picked it up and he will sign more and milk! Next, we are going to work on cup, please, and thank you.  Again, I love to see his brain working!!