Carley

On September 9th Carley and Chris tied the knot! It was a beautiful ceremony, presided over by Becky, at a cute venue with a rustic vibe. Both girls were in the wedding. Lauren was a flower girl with Ari and Sophie was a junior bridesmaid. They did a great job and looked beautiful.

Becky as the officiant
Chris and Carley with the flower girls
Chris and Carley with the Juniors
cheezin with the bride and groom
The fam all dressed up

It started to rain right at the end of the ceremony, but it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. The party inside was hopping and everyone had a really good time.

Lauren caught the bouquet, but quickly passed it over to Hayley, who was very much angling for it.

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We spent Easter down in Virginia again this year. On Saturday we had a BBQ with a bunch of Becky and my friends and their kids. It was madness, but a lot of fun, including a piñata that Becky and Jack made.

Sophie and Lexi
On Saturday night Ariana was baptized at an Easter service. It was a really pretty service, with the whole congregation holding candles during the beginning part of the service. Doug and Vicki are the god parents and presented Ariana at the front of the church. 

And Sunday morning there was of course an egg hunt! Here are Quinn, Carley and Sophie with their winnings… 

The three cousins! 

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We were down in Virginia this year for Thanksgiving and for the first time did a deep fried turkey – which was delicious! Doug was the man of the fryer. It only had to cook for 50 minutes, which is my kind of turkey.

 Sophie got to spend a lot of time with her cousins, Quinn & Carley! All she wanted to do was hang out with the big kids all week – and luckily she got to. 

 Sophie hanging in a tree during our hike. The weather was beautiful all week – it was amazing!
 We also got to spend some time with Lexi & Sarah at the Meriweather Lewis playground. The girls had such a good time together. 
 Here’s a Christmas card preview…
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Sophie and I spend Fourth of July weekend in Ocean City again this year. The Coughlins and Rainers got an amazing house, and we also celebrated Doug’s 50th birthday! 
My cousin Holly and her son, Cameron, came to visit a few days before the 4th. Here Carly was entertaining them with Wheels on the Bus. A Sophie favorite. 

 Becky, Sophie & me
 Carley and Quinn playing with Sophie in the water. She loved the water and the sand. 
 Sophie’s first bike ride! 
Me, Julie & Vicki
 Sophie digging in the sand. She loved it. And it got everywhere. 
The family picture for Doug’s 50th birthday in the infamous “Wicked Hardcore” shirts. 
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We spent Thanksgiving down in Virginia. Mom and Dad had a house full and Dave cooked the ENTIRE dinner for 16 people all by himself (well, I checked on some things in the oven, but we won’t count that). 
Here he is with the 22lb. turkey. Thanks to Catherine and Hannah for bringing the meat thermometer or we might have been waiting until midnight for that sucker to cook. 
 Becky and me with Quinn & Carley
 Sophie had some close encounters with Vahid the tortoise. Soon he’ll be as big as she is. 
 On Thanksgiving morning we ran a 5K (Sophie cheered with mom from the sidelines). She probably worked off at least one piece of pie… maybe. 
 Sophie had her first taste of turkey.  From the looks of it she seems to like it. But we haven’t actually found a food that she doesn’t like. 
 We went for a hike on Friday. 
The Coughlin clan 
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We spent part of last week in Newboro, Canada. Brad & Joan have a house there, on a little island. There’s not much to do but fish, read and relax… it’s always the best vacation. Doug, Vick, Quinn, Carley, Julia, Nana, Mom and Dad were all there too (and Finn – Julia’s dog).
Dave, Sophie & I slept out in the little cabin, which is separate from the main house. Here’s she’s enjoying my bed.

Sophie loved hanging out with her second cousins (At least I think that’s what they are to her…). She just can’t get enough of Carley in this picture.

Here’s a shot of the whole group (including Julia who is behind the plant)

Nana brought back this outfit for Sophie from Paris. It’s been too hot in Philly to wear – but it was much cooler in Canada and she was able to sport it before she got too big. Our cute little chicken.

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Sophie got some good extended family time in this week. On Tuesday night Joan and Dan came over for dinner before Dan left for Tunis. Dave made some tasty lamb burgers on the grill and we sat outside and enjoyed the great night.

And then on Sunday we went out to West Chester to visit Doug, Vicki, Quinn & Carley.



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