North Carolina

We left last Wednesday morning at 6:40 am for Monroe, North Carolina to see Aunt Kathy, Uncle Dave, Rox, John, Bella, & Jack :-) After two stops, we made it there at 3:20 pm. It was a long drive! Alexa did not handle the drive as well as she had back in February and April -- I suspect because she is mobile now. But she does seem to enjoy her new car seat. Here she is Wednesday morning while we were waiting for Daddy to get Starbucks!










Bella was so excited to see Alexa! They played together so nicely (minus Alexa pulling Bel's hair -- so I had to put it in a ponytail for her). We all ate dinner together and just hung out on Wednesday night. It was really nice :-)










Alexa and I woke up early enough to see Aunt Kathy before she left for work on Thursday morning. Alexa really loved pulling herself up on the stool in the kitchen and using it is as a make-shift walker :)~ The three of us went out to lunch with Rox in downtown Monroe. I had these amazing "gourmet fries" with my sandwich. We then did a little shopping, and I went for a pedicure while Alexa avoided taking her afternoon nap (she also skipped her morning nap that day -- so she was awake for 14 consecutive hours on Thursday and was in a surprisingly good mood).










After my pedicure, we went to visit my brother's best friend, Jeff. Him and his fiance, Allison, just bought a beautiful home in Monroe (about 5 minutes from Aunt Kathy & Uncle Dave's house). It was really great to see them!!










We had dinner on Thursday night at Rox and John's awesome new home (in the historic district of downtown Monroe). Alexa enjoyed playing with Jack in the Playroom while Bella was still at karate. After dinner, we hung out with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Dave for a little bit. Alexa loved Uncle Dave throwing her up in the air!










Once Alexa was in bed, Dan and I went back to hang out with Rox and John some more. We had a really great time with the two of 'em, enjoying their front porch and good conversation :-) I feel so blessed to have such amazing extended family members! And I'm so thankful that we have seen our NC family so many times this year!! To check out all the pictures from our time in Monroe, click here.

On Friday morning, we left for the mountains at 9:00 am. The 3-hour drive seemed worse then the 9-hour drive on Wednedsay. It was raining and foggy through the curvy and hilly mountain "highways." We were the first to arrive at the Blueberry Villa. We settled into our suite, the Chardonnay room, before anyone else showed up. Once everyone arrived, they decided to go out to lunch and run to the grocery store, so Dan went off with his family while I stayed with Alexa so she could take her afternoon nap. When they returned to the B&B, we went down to the winery (seriously a stone's throw away from the B&B) for our complimentary wine tasting. It was mostly red wines, so I thought it was gross, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. Here are Dan and Alexa sitting on the huge fire pit outside of the winery.










Like how Dan's tie coordinates both mine & Alexa's dresses? The rehearsal dinner was at an Italian restaurant in downtown Banner Elk. The Spinach Dip appetizer was A-MA-ZING! So was my Tortellini dinner :-) (In fact, I think this food was way better then the food from the reception -- Dan brought a plate to me at the B&B on Saturday night since I couldn't go to the reception because of Alexa not being allowed).










Andy, Cathy, and the kids arrived after Alexa was already in bed on Friday night, but they all got to play bright and early Saturday morning (6:45 am) when Alexa (the late sleeper, lol) woke up. The kids really enjoyed playing with one another! I enjoyed my time talking with Cathy :-) As a mother of two, she had a lot of "words of wisdom" to offer me!










The 7 of us enjoyed lunch together at a cafe in downtown Banner Elk. Thanks to my dad (who was at the OSU v. Toledo game), we had BUCKEYE score updates throughout lunch!! When we returned to the B&B, David & Natalie went down for nap while Dan & Alexa went on a mini-walk around the villa and winery before her nap.










During Alexa's afternoon nap, Dan and I walked around the villa and winery taking some scenic pictures. Here's the front of the B&B (from a distance) and the front patio (up close).










The back of the B&B. The winery.










Dan in the blueberry fields. Me in the grape fields.










Aunt Nikki and Natalie hanging out listening to the BUCKEYE game at the B&B. It was right after this that I taught Natalie how to climb the stairs :-) She picked it up right away! Alexa better learn from her cousin ;-)










Alexa with Uncle Dan before the wedding. When Aunt Maureen walked out, Alexa wanted to go to her right away, but we didn't want Maureen's dress to get dirty before the ceremony.










Like how we coordinate again? I did LOTS of shopping so that we could have coordinating outfits for both Friday and Saturday!! Us with the entire family before the ceremony.










Maureen & Dan with their nephew & nieces. The bride.









Mommy & Alexa (out front). Alexa & Daddy (out back).










The kids all dressed up and cute :-)










Pat walking Maureen down the aisle. Dan doing a reading from Plato (I think?) during the ceremony.










Maureen & Dan lighting the unity candle and exchanging their vows.










Cathy and I stayed with the kids at the B&B while the adults went down to the winery for the reception. I changed Alexa out of her "party dress" so that she could match Natalie! While the kids were eating dinner, David made a comment that was so sweet as he was looking out the window at the winery... he said, "Mommy, I want to go to the party." Cathy explained to him that it was adult-only and that he would see Daddy when he woke up in the morning. The kids played really well together all day on Saturday! I only wish we had more than a day together!!!










Once the kids were in bed, Cathy and I hung out on the back patio with Jaclyn (Dan's cousin). We drank some wine/beer and swapped stories. It was so wonderful to sit back and relax after such a busy day!! Don't our husbands look so cute dressed up next to us in our comfy clothes?!?! Haha.










I had packed up all of our stuff on Saturday night before I put Alexa to bed. So when I woke up, wide-eyed, at 5:30 am, I was able to quickly load the car. The three of us went to Andy & Cathy's room to say goodbye, and we were on the road by 6:30 am. After two stops, we arrived in Dublin at 2:10 pm. It was really nice to get home and have a good portion of the day to relax together!! To check out all the pictures from our time in Banner Elk, click here.

So now you are all up-to-date on our life. Will post more soon -- probably after we go home this weekend :-) Yesterday's quote in Words to Warm a Mother's Heart (a flip calendar Aunt Janine got me for Christmas last year) was: "Where we love is a home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." ♥ That's why I refer to Perry as "home." Can't wait to see my family (and Chloe-bell-asaurus Rex!!) this weekend!!! Ciao.

Swim Lessons (and much more)

This entire post is stuff from BEFORE we left for North Carolina. A friend of mine, Ellie, had a baby at the beginning of August. A few weeks ago, Alexa & I went to meet baby Aiden. He was so light compared to Alexa!










That same day, we went to the Westerville Fire Department to have her new "big girl car seat" installed... it is rear-facing until she is at least 1 year old (like the infant seat was) but it gives her room to spread out a bit :)










Peek-a-boo, Alexa!










For the first time, Alexa played in her room by herself while I was in our bedroom packing for Perry. It was super cute to "spy" on her every couple of minutes playing :)










With Noni at the Perry Pirate football game (v. Madison). Alexa also got to hangout in the high school section with Auntie & her friends.










It was Katelyn's birthday :) Daddy feeding Alexa a bottle at the game.










Alexa & Mommy the morning of the USC game (before I left for Country Jam).










Our group at Country Jam 2009 - Mom, Kelly (aka Babe), me, Kimmy, Lisa, Chris, & Jill. Me and Karen dancing during a concert.










Everyone thought Mom & I were awesome wearing our BUCKEYE clothing at the concert. Josh Turner seriously was AMAZING... I was totally enamored with him (and his deep voice) until he announced that his keyboard player was... wait for it... his best-friend and wife. What a let-down :)~










Noni showed Alexa the pumpkin they've been growing for her - she's a lucky girl to have such thoughtful grandparents :) Alexa LOVES to lay down during bath time. She kicks and splashes... so fun!










Alexa Rose hanging out with Noni & Papa before we left to come back to Columbus.










On Monday (the 14th), we began our new routine of going to Babytime at 11:00 am on Mondays. We also got to spend the day with Barsky, one of Dan's old roomies. He lives in NJ, and the last time we saw him was the day before I was induced. It was so great that he extended his trip to Ohio by an extra day so we could meet ARR (what he calls Alexa).










I laugh EVERY time I watch this video. Besides being beautiful and smart, Alexa is such a silly girl :)~ And isn't she getting great with the walk-behind toy? Hopefully she'll be walking before her 1st Birthday!


Another "walking" video...


Last Tuesday we started swim lessons at the Worthington Community Center.










Daddy had the day off of work to help prepare for our trip to N.C. so he photographed our first swim class :) I'll be swimming with Alexa most weeks, but next Tuesday I'm actually going to sub for the day while Daddy & daughter have a day together (including a swim lesson).










It was a ton of fun!!! I am really looking forward to going again tomorrow :) Knowing how much I'm already enjoying swim lessons, I know we'll have a great time once Alexa gets a little bit older and we can take other classes at the Rec together :)










Here's a video of us singing The Grand Old Duke of York in the pool.


Before I had Alexa last year, Aunt Denise gave me two large popcorn tins full of wood "scraps" from my Papa's wood shop. She had collected them for her grandson to play (and build) with and thought that since he had outgrown them & since Papa and I were so close that I would want them for my kids :) Dan suggested we get some of them out last week, and Alexa loved them! It warms my heart to know my lil girl is playing with pieces from Papa's shop. I'll make sure she knows all about her great-Papa because he was such an awesome man!!! She's also beginning to enjoy the barn that Gram had gotten at the church garage sale for her.










Alexa using her walker today. Last week she would stick the ball in her mouth to use both hands to walk. Now she's trying to walk using only one hand to push... she's getting better (and faster) at this walker every day!


As you can see/read, life in the Ritchey household continues to be fun and busy... it is jam-packed with Alexa learning/experiencing new things. She is consistently saying "ba ba" when she is hungry, and we've even caught her saying "ba tl" a couple of times. We both are trying to encourage her to repeat words after we say them. Her vocab now includes: Mama, Dada, Book, Bottle, and Papa. In other news, thanks to some tips from Andy & Cathy (during our trip to N.C.), we are beginning to switch Alexa to "big girl food" instead of the purees. Tonight, for example, I had made a Shepherd's Pie (of sorts) that had mashed potatoes, ground beef, mixed veggies, & cheese and some biscuits - Alexa enjoyed dinner with us! I'm still a little nervous about her not getting enough to eat or choking, but she does a really good job gumming her food and she starts playing with it after eating for awhile (which I take to mean she is full). I figure as long as she's sleeping at night and not too fussy during the day, that she's got a full tummy :)

The Playroom is coming together -- the guys were here today taping and mudding. They think they'll be all done either tomorrow night or Wednesday morning!! Then we'll be able to paint, buy some kid furniture & toys, get some storage units and then PLAY!!! I'll be able to post pictures of the work-in-progress and fully finished Playroom soon!

Well, that's all I've got for now folks... Lots of TV shows returning this week ~ YAY!!! I'll try to post about our trip to N.C. in the next few days. Until then... Ciao.