This is why...

...I am so tired at the end of each day! This boy keeps me on my toes :)



Yes, he is on TOP of his toy box! It is never-ending excitement whenever Alex is around!!

Happy Birthday, Grandma Becky!

Happy Birthday, Grandma Becky!

We hope you have a great birthday. We know that you will be at orientation getting Uncle Josh ready for college, but we hope that you find time to celebrate your birthday!

Larry's New Tattoo

For our anniversary, I got Larry a gift certificate to get a tattoo. Yes, it is a very unconventional gift :)

Larry has been wanting a memorial tattoo for his Pop and Grandma. After having to reschedule his appointment several times, for various reasons, Larry was finally able to get his tattoo today.

The anchor is for Pop, who was in the Navy and the hummingbird is for his Grandma, who loved hummingbirds. I think the tattoo turned out great and I know that Larry is really happy with it!

Here is a picture of it that I took with my cell phone. We plan on taking a better picture of it once it heals.

Watching TV

Alex doesn't need a chair or couch...just give him a basket to sit in and he is a happy camper! Seriously, this can't be comfortable:



I was in the kitchen, walked out and found him watching TV sitting in this toy basket! It was too cute to resist taking a picture of! He is crazy :)

Grandpa's Memorial Service

Here are a few pictures of the flowers and pictures at my Grandpa's Memorial Service (thank you, Jenny):

Rest in Peace Grandpa

Today, my grandfather, Virgil Langworthy, passed away.

Today, heaven welcomed a new angel.

Today, my dad celebrated with joy as his father walked into the gates of heaven.

Today, I am grieving for the loss of my grandfather, but remembering the incredible life that he led.

My grandfather lived a long and happy life. He accomplished many things in his 88 years on Earth. He was married for 51 years to his wife and together they raised an amazing son. He was loved by many and admired by even more. He was an intelligent man with so much to share. He impacted the lives of all the people that he came in contact with...me included!

Last April, we were lucky enough to travel to Michigan so Grandpa could meet his great-grandson. I was able to get several pictures of Alex and Grandpa together - pictures that I will treasure always. As I cried today, I also rejoiced. I knew that my Grandfather would be sharing the memories of Alex with my Mom and Dad. I take comfort knowing that they were able to meet.

Rest in Peace my sweet Grandpa. I will miss you and love you always.

Here is the slideshow that I created to be played at the Memorial Service:

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Here is the Obituary that was published in the Lansing Journal on July 23, 2009:

Virgil Walter Langworthy died on July 22, 2009. He was born in Alma, Michigan on October 2, 1920, to F. Milo Langworthy and Dorthea (Swope) Langworthy. The family came to Lansing in 1932 where he attended public schools including Lansing Eastern High School. He graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Microbiology. Employed by the Lansing Board of Water and Light, he joined the U.S. Navy V-12 college program and was commissioned Ensign in 1944 at the USNR Mid-Shipman’s School, Columbia University, New York, NY.

He served in the Pacific as Aide to the Commander, Administrative Command, Amphibious Forces, 1944-46. Following WWII, he was a member of the U.S. Navy Research Reserve from which he retired in 1969 as Lieutenant Commander, USN. During his career, LCDR Langworthy was superintendent of water treatment for Adrian, MI, Chlorine Institute Specialist, New York, NY, Application Engineer for a manufacturer of water system equipment, Providence, RI and a water industry technical publication editor for 15 years. In 1980, he joined Michigan State University as an Academic Specialist, working with the Office of Executive Development Programs. There, he developed correspondence courses taken by thousands of supervisors in water/wastewater systems in the U.S and abroad. He was an active member of the University Club of MSU and avidly supported Forest Akers golf course.

He was a member of the American Water Works Association, Water Environment Federation, serving on many committees and the Water Research Foundation. Virgil was a charter member of the Capitol Area Chapter, Military Officers Association of America, serving as Chapter President and President of the Association’s State Council of Chapters.

He served two terms on the Lansing City Planning Board, two terms as a Trustee of the Michigan Museum of Surveying and was active with the Lansing Eastern High School Alumni Fund. He was a member of Plymouth Congregational Church, served as Deacon, on committees and the Plymouth Congregational Memorials Foundation.

Hobbies included a lifetime of golf, classical music, crossword puzzle solving and construction. As Puzzleguy, his puzzles were published nationally and in his book, “Puzzles for Seniors”.

Virgil Langworthy was preceded in death (1997) by his wife, Valadine Ione (VanCore) of 51 years, and his son James W. and daughter-in-law Kathy Sue (Schmitzer); both died in a motorcycle accident (2005). Survivors include granddaughter Sarah Ann Cothren, her husband Larry Ellis Cothren, III and great-grandson Alexander James Cothren. Also surviving are brothers, M. Charles Langworthy, Donald W. Langworthy and family nieces and nephews.

The Rev. David T. Banfield will conduct a memorial service at the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, July 24, 2009. Internment at Evergreen Cemetery will be private. In lieu of floral tributes, contributions may be made to the Plymouth Congregational Memorials Foundation, 2001 E. Grand River, Lansing, MI 48912, to the Lansing Eastern High School Alumni Fund, Capital Regional Community Foundation, 603 Executive Drive #104, Lansing, MI 28911, or to a personal preference.

Melts my Heart...

Here is a sweet photo of my two favorite guys:



I took it with my cell phone, so it isn't the best quality!

Another Video

I took this video with my cell phone of Alex dancing in his high chair to "Boom, Boom, Pow"! Sorry for the poor quality, but it was just too cute not to share!

Boom Boom Boom

Our little man is a dancing fool!

He loves the song "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas and will dance when it comes on! He now says "Boom, Boom, Boom" when it comes on the radio!

Larry was lucky enough to catch him dancing (in his diaper) last night while I was cooking dinner!

Here are two quick videos of him dancing...enjoy!

Taking a Break from Shopping...

...to spend time with the plastic dog at Old Navy!

Shopping Makes You Sleepy

Kari, Alex and I went to the mall in Annapolis today. Alex was pretty good while we were shopping - he gets a little restless in the stores though!

Apparently, he was exhausted after his shopping trip. He fell asleep in the car on the way home and he looked so cute that I couldn't resist taking a few pictures of him!

The Baltimore Aquarium and Inner Harbor

Alex, Larry, Kari and I went to the Baltimore Aquarium and Baltimore's Inner Harbor today.

The Aquarium was neat, but I don't know if it was worth the money we paid to get in! Alex loved the Aquarium when we first walked in. I think he was in awe of the colors, fish and people!

Unfortunately, he got scared a few minutes into our trip and couldn't shake his fear! He was standing at one of the tanks when a fish came up and surprised him - he was really frightened! We tried to get him over his fear by waiting with our hands on the glass until the fish came back - he was a little less scared, but definitely timid then the rest of the trip!

After the Aqaurium, we walked around the Inner Harbor. It was beautiful and we highly recommend seeing it! The buildings are incredible and it was a family-friend atmosphere! We ate lunch at one of the restaurants near the Harbor - none of us were really impressed with our meals (well, Alex was, but he only had a hot-dog)!

Here are some pictures from the day:

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Charm City Cakes

After visiting the Baltimore Aquarium and the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, we decided to try to find the building for Charm City Cakes from the TV show Ace of Cakes!

For those of you that don't watch this show, it is on Food Network and it is amazing! They make cakes that people only imagine! The minimum cake order is $1000 and the wait-list is crazy! Needless to say, this is probably the closest that we will EVER get to Charm City Cakes!

Luckily, we have our Garmin (the GPS), because we would have NEVER found this building! It was in a very "colorful" part of Baltimore. You could definitely tell that they didn't have a lot of money when they first opened and probably found the first building that they could afford! The windows were blacked out (probably to keep crazy tourists, like us from peering in at them)! We were pretty excited to see the building!

Don't be jealous of our brush with fame:

This is what happens...

...when Daddy spends the day with Alex!

(Larry sent this picture to me on my cell phone when I was walking around DC with Kari...I laughed so hard!)

Girls Day Out in DC

Kari and I had a "Girls Day Out" in Washington, DC today! We had a great time (and Alex had fun with his Daddy)! It was so nice to be able to see the sites of DC without the stroller :)

We spent nearly the whole day touring the city and only stopped because our poor feet couldn't take anymore. The weather was absolutely perfect - we couldn't have asked for much better!

Here are some pictures from our trip:

(note: If you are trying to get your "Alex fix" with this slideshow, he isn't anywhere in it! However, there are plenty of cute pictures of Kari and I)

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Park and Solomon's Island

Today, Alex and I took Kari to the park. Larry and I have found a great one at one of the Elementary Schools around here, so we decided to show Kari! I brought Alex's four-wheeler, so he was able to ride it around the basketball court in the middle of the playground (as well as the grass fields around the playground). Alex loved having Kari at the park with him - she went on all the stuff with him and rode a couple of slides, too! He would pull her along and tell her to "go, go, go!"

After the park, we came home for some lunch and naptime (Alex, not us)! Larry called us when he got off work and we met him so he could give Kari a tour of his school. She loved being able to see Larry's cubicle, the hangars, the jets and the helicopters. Larry's school is really impressive and I am glad we got to share that with her!

Once we were done with the tour, we went to eat at a seafood restaurant on Solomon's Island. Solomon's is a cute little town just across the bridge - they have little shops, several seafood restaurants, a nice boardwalk, and beautiful homes! The restaurant was great - unlike the two we have previously tried! Alex was pretty good during dinner - he imitated a woman at the table next to us by "sneezing and coughing" into his napkin just after she did! He was VERY entertaining! After dinner, we walked around the island and looked at the amazing houses! The weather was incredible - we were very lucky!

Here are a few pictures from our time at the park and Solomon's Island:

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Goodbye and Hello

Today, we had to say goodbye to Uncle Josh! After being with us for a week and Alex (and us) loving every minute of it, it was time for him to go home to Alabama! Alex and I took him to the airport and Alex was a mess when Uncle Josh left him. He was crying and reaching out for him...it broke my heart! Once Josh safely got through security, Alex and I left.

After a quick nap in the car (for Alex, not me), we went back into the airport. I really think that Alex was expecting Uncle Josh to walk into baggage claim - he was VERY surprised when Kari walked up to us! He gave Kari a BIG smile and started "talking" up a storm! We were very excited to see her and we are looking forward to a fun-filled week!

Sprayground...with Uncle Josh!

Today we went to the Sprayground with Uncle Josh!

The Sprayground was pretty busy and Alex had fun playing with all the kids!

After about 40 minutes, Alex walked up to Josh and I, started putting his toys away and told us "car"! He was ready to go!

Here are a few pictures from our time at the Sprayground:

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Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

For Father's Day, Alex and I got Larry two tickets to the Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves game in Washington, DC. I had figured it out and knew that Josh would be here to go with Larry (I knew that Alex wouldn't be able to handle being at the game and in the sun for over two hours). It was Larry's first time at a MLB game and Josh's first time (that he can remember) at a "real" game!

Today, was the game - Larry and Josh were pretty excited to go! The drove to DC, rode the Metro and went to the game! Larry texted me from the game and told me that the seats were great and that they were having a good time!

Here are a few pictures from their day:

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Fourth of July

This year for the Fourth of July, we took Alex to the park in the morning, came home so he could take a nap, ate some dinner and then headed over to the Naval Base (where Larry's school is) to watch the fireworks.

We didn't have a great view of the fireworks since we weren't sure where they would be doing them from. Fortunately though, we were far enough away from them that Alex didn't get too scared. He watched them safely from my lap!

Here are some pictures from our time at the park in the morning:

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Lovin' on Uncle Josh

Josh is in Maryland spending some time with us until next week (July 9th). Alex has been having so much fun hanging out with his Uncle Josh! Here are a few pictures that we took with our cell phones of Alex lovin' on his Uncle Josh:





Yes, he is hugging his leg in this next picture! We couldn't figure out what he was doing and why he was doing it, but he was like this for quite a few minutes!

First Time on a Plane

No, not Alex...Uncle Josh!

I figured it was a momentous occasion, so I took a picture and we decided to post it here :)

Swimming - July 1, 2009

Here are some pictures of Alex in the swimming pool today (our last day at home on vacation):

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Random Cell Phone Pictures

I was looking through my pictures on my cell phone and realized I had a few good ones to post. The quality isn't that great, but the pictures are pretty funny!

With his swim diaper on his head:


He put this outfit together...camo boots and sleeveless shirt! He wore the boots around all day!


Ready to go swimming in his swim hat and PJ's:


Hanging out on Daddy's legs:


Daddy and Alex on the bull in front of a restaurant in Enterprise: