New Friends

I recently found out that I have a few readers that I previously didn't know about. So I want to take just a moment to say hi and welcome! I'm flattered to know there are people out there who read and like my blog. I started this blog a few years ago because I wanted to be a part of an internet community that I really enjoyed, so it's kind of fun to see that my own community is growing.

Of course my blog has become pretty baby-centric lately. A while ago, I was interviewed by one of my favorite people for one of my favorite blogs. One of the questions was "Are you going to be a cool mom?" Of course my answer was yes (what a set-up question!) but at the time I remember thinking, 'how would I define being a cool mom?' I immediately thought, well, I'm not going to be one of those people who only talks about the baby. Ahah, I laugh at my own ignorance.

This week we got to introduce Maddie to the cottage, the place I love most in the whole world. My parents bought the cottage just three days before I was born, so it's been a part of my life from the beginning. We go there every summer for weekends or any day that we can get away. It's the place where I don't have a single bad memory -- and how rare is that? Rob and I were married there, and now it's a part of Maddie's life too. Here are a few pictures:


Here's Rob and Maddie in front of the cottage.


Our family in front of the lake -- pretty much in the exact spot that Rob and I got married.


Us in front of Grandma Gayle's Magnolia tree: we planted this on our wedding day to honor Rob's mom.

The other cool part about spending the night at the cottage was getting some quality time with my sister-in-law Jeannie and my niece Annie. Maddie and Annie have met already, but this time they were actually awake at the same time for an extended period. Here's Maddie (left) and Annie(right) and my Grandma: