Nick's First Certificate

Nicholas completed his first summer reading assignment! The local library asked him to read 10 books and write them down, so of course, Nicholas and Mommy completed this assignment the first day. We also had some cool tasks to complete along the way while we were reading- finding shapes and letters, reading in our favorite corner, and asking the librarian some book suggestions... He got his certificate and ribbon in the mail today, and as you can see, he is pretty proud of himself, and so are we!!

Virginia is for Lovers!

Matt and I went away for his 30th birthday last week. We stayed in Charlottesville, which is the home of Thomas Jefferson, the University of Virginia, and the Monticello Wine Trail. It was beautiful country compared to Hampton Roads-- I loved the Blue Ridge Mountains. Thomas Jefferson knew what he was doing when he built his home there (you can see Monticello everyday on the nickel). The wine tasting was great- we visited about 15 wineries and loved Barboursville Vineyards (for the scenery) and Wintergreen (for the wine). Did you know Virginia is 5th in wine production? We also picked our own blackberries (which Nicholas ate once we got them home). If you would like to see this place for yourself, come and visit-- We are only 2 1/2 hours away!!

We are staying put for the next couple of weeks before we go and visit Grandma Maresca in her new condo. She is living the good life in Miramar, Florida. We will also get to see Aunt Annie, Uncle Rob, and our godson, Christopher Michael and his parents. It will be a great trip. Until then, we hope you have a wonderful and safe rest of the summer!

Love,
The Fine Family

The Eagle Has Landed...

I had the chance to ride aboard the CGC Eagle this past month. Matt always gets the job of coordinating the Eagle's yearly visit with Norfolk and the local base, so we got to also attend a reception that evening. It was nice being aboard a ship again. As you can see from the photos, I am right in the action!

Our New Addition!

It is official! I am now an official soccer mom with a new minivan! It is awesome! It is a 2007 Hyundai Entourage, and his name is Johnny Drama (yes, it is named after a character on HBO's hit show Entourage-- my son is a "drama" man so it fits!!) It has leather, heated seats, DVD player, all the doors open from my keys, 6-disc changer, I can't ask for more (and it is the safest minivan on the road). Matt and I are off to Charlottesville, Virginia on Tuesday for the old man's 30th birthday. We are excited to see sightsee and try some Virginia Wine! Look for pictures next week. Hope everyone is well and we love you!

Can you tell Nicholas how to get....

... to Sesame Street? Nicholas visited Sesame Place (decked out in his Elmo shirt) this Friday with his friends, Collin and Mya, in Pennsylvania. We started off with breakfast to meet all the characters. He met his buddy Elmo along with Zoey, Ernie, Bert, and Big Bird. When we went up to meet Elmo, Nicholas gave him a high five and kissed his nose but would not let Elmo hold him. We laughed the whole time at his reaction to all of the stars coming up to the table. However, even Big Bird or Bert standing next to him would not stop Nicholas from eating breakfast! I guess I didn't realize how scary life size characters might be to a 2 year old. Loving them on the television screen and seeing them in person might be a little intimidating, don't you think? Nicholas didn't want to ride any of the rides but he did go swimming in the water pools! By the 2 PM parade of characters, Nicholas was fast asleep sweating in his stroller (it was so hot this weekend!!) He ended his day back at the house watching a show with his friends. On our way back to Virginia, we got stuck in major traffic so we found a Chuck E. Cheese to torture Nicholas with-- again, he was afraid of the life sized mouse but enjoyed the pizza! It was a hysterical weekend where if we didn't laugh, we would cry!! Thank God for toddlers!