duffyandlulu

Vocab

2012-02-06T20:02:00.001-05:00

The other day in the car Duffy and Lulu asked Stephen about other girls he dated before Mommy. I announced that Stephen had dated another girl named Katie. Long silence and then Duffy responded....Awkward. We all got a good laugh and appreciated the use of Duffy's newest vocabulary word.

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Lulu's Resolution 2012

2012-01-13T14:36:00.002-05:00

And off to Grandmother's House We Go, Part II

2012-01-13T14:35:00.002-05:00

And then we were off again...off to see Barboo and Pops and Stephen's family. Thank you all as well. We love everything.

Off to Grandmother's House We Go..

2012-01-13T14:34:00.001-05:00

After we finished opening our presents, we rushed off to Mimi and Pappy's house to open presents with my family. Thank you everyone for our wonderful gifts!

Rudolph made a mess..

2012-01-13T14:31:00.000-05:00

My, my did Rudolph make a mess with his oats.

Lulu's Christmas Surprise

2012-01-13T14:30:00.000-05:00

And Lulu had a surprise for the family...Crispy Cream Donuts!

And thank you Duffy...

2012-01-13T14:28:00.002-05:00

Lulu loving Duffy's gift to Lulu, her new stuffed dog, Connert..

Lost....

2012-01-13T14:27:00.000-05:00

More favess

2012-01-13T14:26:00.001-05:00

And another one of Lulu's asks of Santa...a fishing pole..

And Duffy's fave..a dock for his iPod..

Christmas Love

2012-01-13T14:22:00.000-05:00

Duffy thanking Lulu for her Christmas present to him..

Wait...LOOK...

2012-01-09T15:00:00.002-05:00

Santa left some of his beard by the fireplace..he must have gotten stuck...

Loving Daddy...

2012-01-09T14:59:00.001-05:00

Lulu's big gift..

2012-01-09T14:58:00.002-05:00

Lulu spotted her big gift and what she really wanted right away--her microphone...

Ho, Ho, Ho 2011

2012-01-09T14:56:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas to all! Sorry for the belated posts. This was a special Christmas for many reasons but one of them was that it was the first Christmas that we spent in our new house. We were lucky that Santa was able to find it and he left so many wonderful presents for Duffy and Lulu.

Uh oh--someone liked our snacks..

Wow..look at the loot he dropped off...

Here they come (look at the surprise on their faces!)

Old man Duff

2011-12-22T19:47:00.001-05:00

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School party

2011-12-21T19:33:00.003-05:00

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2011-12-21T19:33:00.001-05:00

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Artwork

2011-12-21T19:32:00.001-05:00

This week I have been fortunate to be able to volunteer in Duffy and Lulu's classes. By doing so, I have been able to see some of their artwork hanging in the halls. Enjoy!!!!

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And Santa Claus is coming to TOWN...

2011-12-13T13:49:00.000-05:00

Last night, Duffy and Lulu and I went to see Santa Claus as we heard he was in town. He was great and he knew their name and everything! Merry Christmas and I hope Santa drops by your neighborhood. Ho, Ho Ho..!!

Looked who dropped by the neighborhood

2011-12-13T13:47:00.001-05:00

Look what we found

2011-12-12T15:02:00.001-05:00

Look what Stephen and I found when we came home on Saturday night. Not sure how this happened but I am glad I captured it.

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Elwood Returns..

2011-12-06T10:45:00.001-05:00

Elwood flew back into our house this December and the magic and mystery continues. Look where he ended up this morning...

Rocking around the Christmas Tree..

2011-12-06T10:40:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, we decorated the tree. Duffy and Lulu had a great time and Duffy said "I love our family, especially around Christmas"......sweet thoughts and merry wishes to you and yours.

Duffy and Lulu "lifting up" the tree...

Christmas Tree

2011-12-06T10:39:00.001-05:00

And the fun continues..on Saturday, we went to get our Christmas tree. I forgot to take a picture except when they were tying the tree on top of our car. This picture sure is cute and Duffy and Lulu were excited to get our tree.

National History Museum

2011-12-06T10:36:00.001-05:00

Last Friday, I was able to accompany Duffy on his field trip to the National History Museum for a tour and scavenger hunt. We had a great time and it was fun to revisit an old favorite.

Santa's a coming..

2011-12-06T10:35:00.001-05:00

Last week, Santa made a trip through the neighborhood just to make sure all the boys and girls were being nice and not naughty...check out Lulu's face:)

Loving Lang...

2011-12-06T10:34:00.001-05:00

Having fun with Lang at the driving range...

Gator Fun...

2011-12-06T10:33:00.001-05:00

Enjoying the gator and the beautiful weather over Thanksgiving..

Ready, aim...

2011-12-06T10:30:00.001-05:00

Not sure what to say about this one but the kids sure did have fun with Daddy's old BB gun (yes, everything was supervised).

Jake...

2011-12-06T10:28:00.001-05:00

This year at Thanksgiving, Lulu made a very special friend, Jake. If you look closely, you will see it's a tiny snail that she found in the woods. She made a special home for it with leaves and rosemary. And when it was time to go home, Barboo and Pops agreed to adopt Jake for us. Hope Jake is doing well:)

Groovy shoes

2011-12-06T10:26:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago we found these cool shoes at REI on sale. Lulu loves them and I have to say, they are really, really easy to get on in the morning. Peace out...

Duffy's artwork

2011-11-15T12:53:00.003-05:00

Taken from our parent teacher conference...

Bus Patrol

2011-11-15T12:53:00.001-05:00

More fire pit fun..

2011-11-15T12:41:00.001-05:00

We had wonderful weather on Sunday and we able to use our new fire pit before it gets too cold. We made some yummy yummy smores!

Maryland vs Notre Dame

2011-11-15T12:39:00.001-05:00

On Saturday night we went to Pappy's game at FedEx field and watching Notre Dame (go Irish!) beat Maryland. Duffy and Lulu had a great time. There are very few pictures of Duffy because he was so busy bouncing around (he had a Coke) but Lulu sure did decide to pose.

Soccer Season 2011

2011-11-15T12:32:00.001-05:00

This past weekend marked the end of our 2011 soccer season. It went by pretty quickly as we had a very rainy fall but Duffy and Lulu didn't mind.

Having fun on the jungle gym..

Sweeper...

Halloween 2011

2011-11-15T12:26:00.001-05:00

We had a fantastic Halloween this year. This is one holiday that seems to get busier and busier every year. I didn't do the best job taking pictures this year but we sure did have a great time. Boo to you!

Brotherly and sisterly love

2011-11-14T19:49:00.001-05:00

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Soccer thirst

2011-11-12T11:18:00.001-05:00

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Wynona

2011-10-28T17:32:00.002-04:00

Last weekend, we also headed to Mimi and Pappy's to see Wynona...

And of course, Lulu's turn

2011-10-28T17:29:00.001-04:00

Rap of the World

2011-10-28T17:26:00.002-04:00

By T-Duff

Wacky Hair Day 2011

2011-10-28T17:23:00.002-04:00

One of the best school days of the year..

And a touch of color this year, red for Duffy and purple and blue for Lulu!

Halloween Practice Party

2011-10-28T17:20:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, we had a neighborhood Halloween party and parade. It was a lot of fun and it gave us a great opportunity to do a test run of our costumes this year. Lulu's costume was my cheerleading uniform when I was a "mascot" when I was little and lived in Texas. Go Mustangs!

Get Down Tonight..

2011-10-28T17:17:00.001-04:00

Get down tonight--Stephen and I dressed up for a Halloween Party last weekend.

All dressed up...

2011-10-28T17:15:00.000-04:00

A few pictures after we "tormented" the kids to dress up for a party..

Fire Pit Fun!

2011-10-28T17:11:00.000-04:00

We finally purchased a fire pit for the backyard. It's been great and we really look forward to using it more this fall and spring. Here are some pictures of our test run and of course, we roasted marshmellos.

Fall and Winter swim

2011-10-16T10:24:00.001-04:00

This year we decided to enroll Duffy and Lulu into a fall and winter swim program. We will keep you posted to how it goes but here they are getting ready for the first day of class.

Pre boo!!

2011-10-10T16:06:00.001-04:00

We had a great time getting our house ready for Halloween! It looks great and we had a blast. Here is a picture of Lulu celebrating our pre-Boo!!

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Movie time fun

2011-10-02T13:25:00.001-04:00

We are having ugly weather here today so Duffy, Lulu and I decided to go to the movies this afternoon. Our movie is in 3D so here is a photo of our fun!!!

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Back to school night

2011-09-17T09:14:00.001-04:00

We had back to school night this week and I was able to meet Duffy and Lulu's teachers and learn about the curriculum for the year. Here is the one of the presents Duffy left for me.

Here is to a great school year.

The Leaning Washington Monument

2011-09-12T17:28:00.000-04:00

I bet you didn't know there was such a thing, did you? This was Daddy and Lulu's art project yesterday. Very impressive!

Bunny fun

2011-09-12T17:17:00.000-04:00

2011-09-12T17:09:00.000-04:00

Duffy has really gotten into golf lately and luckily, we had a birthday party yesterday at a putt putt course. It was great fun and I am really impressed with Duffy's swing.

Enjoying the fun...

Scary daddy (photo by Lulu)

Fancy night out..

2011-09-12T17:01:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, we were invited to a "fancy" party in the country and we all were able to get dressed up (somewhat). It was a beautiful night and we had a great time. Duffy wasn't super excited to get dressed up--the sport coat came off in about 20 minutes and he ended up losing some privileges in an effort to get him to wear one. Regardless, we had a nice evening and Lulu really loved the music and the "fanciness" of it all. As you can see, we only have pictures of Lulu as Duffy was camera shy with his sport coat and the one picture we have of him, his eyes are closed. I guess that's 7 for you.

And dinner to boot...

2011-09-12T16:54:00.001-04:00

And in the spirit of celebrating, we ventured out into the rain to have a celebratory first day of school dinner.

Closing out the first day..

2011-09-12T14:57:00.000-04:00

It was a great first day and I was so excited to meet Duffy and Lulu when the bus dropped them off.

Here it comes..

Look at that smile...

She loved it! And if you are wondering where Duffy is, he didn't give me or the camera the time of day!!

K and 2nd grade-Day 1

2011-09-12T14:54:00.003-04:00

And here we go, the back to school pictures for 2011-2012. Our day started as we expected, with Lulu not wanting to get out of bed even after much prodding and gentle waking...

And fortifying the kindergartner with some cereal..

A rainy first day but it didn't damper anyone's excitement..

And here comes the bus...

Very brave..

And then Mommy lost it, tears galore..

Back to school dinner...

2011-09-12T14:48:00.000-04:00

We decided to come home on Sunday from State College as we needed to get organized and try and get the kids on a schedule (ha!). But we did start the school year off right with a great back to school dinner. Yum!

Sous chefs at work..

Saying goodnight to Daddy...

Let's go PENN STATE!!!

2011-09-12T14:41:00.001-04:00

We had so much fun last year going up to Penn State, that we decided to spend Labor Day there again this year. Thanks to J, C, K, B&C for a great weekend--we had a blast with lots of fun video to prove it. Thank you!!

Growing up so very fast...

2011-09-12T14:36:00.001-04:00

Mr. Independent..

New student day

2011-09-12T14:35:00.001-04:00

This year, we were able to attend New Student Day at school this year. For the past couple of years, we have been out of town and unable to attend. I'm really glad we went. Here's Lulu frustrated with Mommy's picture taking..

Checking out the school bus..

Lulubear, I can't believe you are ready for Kindergarten!

Who's my teacher...

2011-09-12T14:32:00.001-04:00

We have started a really great new tradition in our house for back to school. While our elementary school posts Duffy and Lulu's teachers on the website a few days before school starts, for the past two years, we have gone old school and checked out who the teachers were by going to the front door of the school. It add a lot more excited and anticipation and I think I may have more fun than they do.

Searching, searching..

Great news! They are both super excited about their teachers. Here's to great school year!

Come on Irene...

2011-09-12T14:28:00.001-04:00

It's been a long time since I posted but I didn't want to continue without mentioning what crazy weather we have had here. From earthquakes to hurricanes, we keep waiting for the locusts to arrive. However, we were very fortunate that Irene just brought us a lot of rain and wind and thankfully, we didn't lose any power. We felt very very lucky. Here's a picture of our damage...

Best buds

2011-08-26T20:32:00.001-04:00

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Curly q!!!

2011-08-23T20:56:00.001-04:00

Check out Miss Curly Q.....

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And our special Spidey cake...

2011-08-23T18:07:00.000-04:00

And then after our fiesta, we went home and enjoyed our special spidey ice cream cake. And again, I'm sorry I embarrassed you but just remember it's because I love you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIRTHDAY DUFFY DOO!

Birthday Fiesta

2011-08-23T18:00:00.000-04:00

And then later that day, a dinner fiesta at the local Mexican restaurant.

singing in his honor..

OMG...

enjoying the fun...

Ole

Birthday Photos

2011-08-23T17:53:00.000-04:00

And finally, some pictures of Duffy's special day! He turned 7 this year. I can't believe. I hope you had a great birthday and you enjoy your legos and golf clubs! My, my, are you getting so grown up. I love you Duffydoo! Happy 7th birthday!

Waking up slowly...

The birthday boy with breakfast in bed (homemade waffles)

Morning fun (check out Lulu's yawn)

What's that on your arm?

2011-08-23T17:43:00.002-04:00

One of the things that I love most about Lulu is her creativity. Recently, Lulu has decided to use a koozie as a cast on her arm, even though it is not broken or hurt. Pretty good idea if you ask me.

Hitting a milestone

2011-08-23T17:41:00.003-04:00

Lucky numbers in my car...

Look what Mommy spotted..

2011-08-23T17:41:00.000-04:00

During my walk in Williamsburg, I spotted a baby turtle in the road. I had to pick it up and show it to Lulu. It was adorable, scared but adorable. Lulu loved it.

Special Birthday Celebration..

2011-08-23T17:38:00.003-04:00

Duffy was also fortunate enough to have a special 7th birthday celebration during the trip to Williamsburg. Thank you all for celebrating with us!

Lookie, Lookie

Off to Camp Williamsburg

2011-08-23T17:29:00.001-04:00

And then Duffy and Lulu were off to Camp Williamsburg. They had a great time-golfing, visiting Merchant Square, but most importantly hanging out with Barboo and Pops. Thank you for a great time!

Family Reunion

2011-08-23T16:28:00.000-04:00

And then we had a mini family reunion at Mimi's and Pappy's and we were able to spend some time with Grandaddy Strite...

Lulu with Nana Pippy's costume jewelry..

Catching up on our Summer Fun!

2011-08-23T16:26:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I've posted and I have some catching up to do. Just like everybody else, the summer seems to get so busy. But better late than never, here are some photos of our summer fun.

I'll start out with some pictures of Duffy's fun at Nature Camp. He had a great time and loved learning more about the Great Outdoors. Thanks to Mimi and Pappy for letting him stay along with Lulu for tennis and golf camp. They had a great week. Enjoy the pictures...

An invitation to the final show at Nature Camp...

Outside the most important feature at camp...

Waiting patiently for her brother's show..

And waiting even more patiently with Mommy..

Still waiting....

Let the show begin...

Earthquake faces

2011-08-23T15:36:00.001-04:00

Today we had a earthquake in Virginia. It measured 5.8 on the richter scale. Duffy and Lulu were at the park when it happened but they came home to show me their earthquake face. Crazy day!!!!

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Happy 7!

2011-08-11T20:42:00.001-04:00

Happy 7th Birthday, Duffydoo!

Dearest Duffy:

Happy 7th birthday. So, it's been a little over 7 years ago (7 years and 2 hours to be pretty exact!). I just can't believe it was 7 years ago that you were born. I will never forget how excited I was to have you in my life and how excited I was that you were a boy. It was such a wonderful surprise. In the past 7 years, you have given so much joy to Daddy and me. You have a smile that just lights up a room and you have a wonderful presence. I often hear from people, "what a nice boy" you are. You are just full of warmth and have a wonderful way of making people feel at ease. It's a wonderful trait (you definitely inherited it from your father with your own flair) but it is something that I hope you keep forever.

Your seventh year brought you a lot-or I guess you lost a lot--your two front teeth to be exact. They are still growing in but they make you look so much older. You also learned a lot in school. You love math and science but you don't love reading that much. I think that will change because you love a good story. You love to hear stories about when you were a baby and recently, you love hearing stories about when Mommy was young. You are starting to get embarrased (tonight was a great example since I embarrassed you hollering Happy Birthday to you in public). Other things you love: candy, candy and more candy. Steak, cokes (ugh), and did I mention candy?

You have made some great friends and are starting to love various sports. You love golf. We gave you golf clubs for your seventh birthday and all you talk about is playing golf. I hope that one stays with you--it's a great sport. You also love computer games and having really enjoyed starting to make people laugh (Virginia is for lovers, remind me to tell you that story when you are older!)

Duffy--you are one of the greatest joys of my life and I am already so proud of you. I see you and just smile inside and out. You are full of love, warmth, smiles, and a huge heart. I love you with all my heart, all my laughs and all my smiles. Never change who you are--you are so special and I love you so much.

Off to go dance with you (per your request). I love you Duffydoo with all my heart.

Love,

Mommy

And one more goodbye!!!

2011-08-10T21:19:00.001-04:00

YouTube Video

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Goodbye six!!!

2011-08-10T21:09:00.001-04:00

We loved six! It was a great year with wonderful memories. Goodnight six! Welcome seven.

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Summer fun

2011-08-01T16:50:00.001-04:00

Thank you Lee for sharing your underwater fun with us. I just love this picture.

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Swimming star..

2011-07-26T14:55:00.000-04:00

This year, Duffy decided to do both swim team and dive team at our pool. In between camps and vacations, Duffy has had a great time improving his skills. So much so, he won the two ribbons below AND improved his time meet over meet. Congratulations, Duffy. You have done such a great job.

Happy Birthday, Lang!

2011-07-26T14:52:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we celebrated Lang's first birthday at Glen Echo with Kelly, Todd and some of their friends. We had a great time and loved seeing Lang. Happy birthday, Lang. We love you!

All dressed up...

Having fun in the park..

Happy Birthday Lang!

Opening our gifts....

And finally..

2011-07-26T14:26:00.000-04:00

Shannon Tanner...the star who Lulu couldn't wait to hear (that along with the wacky hair song). It was a happy way to end our vacation. We had a great week and great family time. Thank you, Mimi and Pappy.

Tennis, anyone?

2011-07-26T14:23:00.000-04:00

We also were able to get in a little bit of tennis during our vacation. Duffy, Lulu and I had lessons and Stephen just showed everyone his high school game! It was fun but HOT.

check out Duffy's face:)

Great form..

Headed for the waves..

2011-07-26T14:18:00.000-04:00

One day at Hilton Head, we all decided to check out the views of the ocean from the vantage point of a boat. We decided to encourage Mimi and Pappy to join us and we had a great time. We saw lots of dolphins and really loved spending time on the water.

Ahoy, Captain Duffy....

Loving Mimi...

Up in the trees...

2011-07-26T14:14:00.000-04:00

And a few more shots of Hilton Head..

More Hilton Head Fun...

2011-07-17T11:03:00.000-04:00

One night we decided to check out the "other end of the Island"-Sea Pines. We had a good time checking out the new scenery but I think the most fun was climbing all the old trees.

Hilton Head 2011

2011-07-17T11:00:00.000-04:00

After a 12 hour car ride, we finally made it to Hilton Head. We had a great trip and while the weather was hot, we did manage to squeeze in a lot of activities--bike riding, tennis and a boat ride. Thank you Mimi and Pappy for a great trip. We had a wonderful time!

Off to got set off fireworks on the beach. Luckily, no one got arrested. Pappy was in heaven. Happy 4th!!

On a break from our daily bike rides..

Beach side portraits and goofing around..

Checking out Mommy's favorite car..

On our way

2011-07-02T17:01:00.001-04:00

On our way to the beach. Nine and a half hours in. Hanging in there....

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Time with lulubear

2011-06-29T21:09:00.001-04:00

This week, Stephen and I have had some one on one time with Lulu since Duffy is at camp with Mimi and Pappy. Fun times!!!!

After dinner with mommy and daddy....

Catching fireflies

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Duffy's Last Day of First Grade!

2011-06-28T14:14:00.000-04:00

I really can't believe it. Duffy has finished first grade and will be entering second grade this fall. He is growing up so quickly and is becoming so independent. Here are some pictures of his last day of school.

Congratulations, Duffy! We are so proud of you and love you so much.

New York, New York

2011-06-28T14:12:00.000-04:00

A couple of weekends ago, Stephen and I went to NYC. We had a great time and really enjoyed getting away. Of course, we missed Duffy and Lulu but it was great to walk through the city. I think my favorite part (with the exception of shopping) was the Highline. Enjoy..

Neat building walking back from Soho

The Highline before

And after..

It was a great trip and thanks to Mimi and Pappy for watching the kids. Thank you!

T I R E D

2011-06-24T21:25:00.001-04:00

Just a wee bit tired but still managed to keep her hat on!!

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Check it out!!!!

2011-06-21T21:41:00.001-04:00

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Let's Go O's!

2011-06-17T14:13:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine from work was kind enough to give us his 4 Orioles tickets since he was going to be out of town. They were amazing seats, right behind the visitor's dugout. Duffy and Lulu had a wonderful time and each were lucky enough to come home with a baseball. Unfortunately, the O's lost but we had a great time and Duffy and Lulu really enjoyed checking out Camden Yards and watching the game.

Having fun on the escalators for a potty break at a nearby hotel...

At the Babe Ruth statue (this is for you, Pappy!)

Waiting for the game to start..

Look what I got!

Having fun with Daddy..

The game..

Having a great time..

Happy Father's Day (a bit early)!

2011-06-17T14:05:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Father's Day a bit early this year for a variety of reasons but we still really enjoyed it. Happy Father's Day, Daddy. We love you so much and hope you enjoy your present. You are the best daddy in the world. We love you so much!!!

Mommy's Favorite

2011-06-17T14:04:00.000-04:00

If you know me well, you will know that peonies are some of my favorite flowers in the world. To me, they just capture the essence of beauty. I was lucky enough to find some beautiful ones that have just blossomed so nicely.

Duffy's Last Soccer Game!

2011-06-17T13:59:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was Duffy's last spring soccer game for 1st grade. He has really practices a lot and has improved greatly. He has really positive coaches and has made some wonderful friends.

Having fun watching her brother..

Preparing to score his goals (2) for the day..

It's hot out here..

I scored!

Game over--listening to his coach's end of year speech..

Duffy, congratulations on a great season. We love you and are so proud of you.

Lang's First Swim

2011-06-03T13:24:00.002-04:00