Memorial Day Reunion

Every year the Coates family meets at Durley Campground outside of Greenville, IL for a family reunion. These pictures are compliments of Bob Coates, my great-uncle, who is much more of a shutterbug that I'll ever be. Thanks, Uncle Bob!

With her soon-to-be aunt, Katrina, who will join our family officially on May 17, 2008.

With her Uncle Kyle.

With her great-uncle Gerry Coates.

Hitching a ride on Grandpa Coates.

Dandelions and Canned Goods

A few more pictures for you to enjoy from Lydah's first springtime.

Don't worry, we only allow her a teaspoon of dirt every day.

Yep, she's into everything now!

Mobility!

No pictures this time, but just a quick note that our baby is now officially mobile. As of yesterday, Lydah can scoot along the floor. She's not actually crawling, but she can push her body around by grinding her toes into the carpet and pushing. Yesterday she did it so much that her poor little toe has developed a blister. We'll keep you posted on all these earth-shaking milestones as they come.

Around the House...

Just a few pictures from around the house. Lydah is now "pulling up" on her own as of yesterday. She is also getting better at communicating to us through her various cries. One funny story to share... last night I (Greg) was in charge of putting Lydah to sleep while Courtney went out for a babysitting job. Lydah was crying in her crib and refusing to go to sleep so I figured, "Hey. I'm the dad. I can do whatever I want, right?" So I just brought her in to the living room with me to watch the nightly news. She was spellbound. She just sucked on her pacifier, watched the news with me, and occasionally scratched the throw pillow next to us. She then wiggled her way off of my lap and just laid her head down on my knee and closed her eyes. It was perfect. So I brought her into her bedroom and she literally lunged in the direction of the crib. Now that's being put to bed Daddy-style!

Trip to Atlanta

The three of us decided to take advantage of Greg's spring break to take a short trip down to Atlanta and Milledgeville, GA. Why Milledgeville? It is the home of none other than Flannery O'Connor, one of Courtney's favorite authors and the subject of her senior honor's thesis in college. While in Atlanta, we visited the world's largest aquarium, the Georgia Aquarium, which just opened last year. We all had a wonderful time and would like to share our pictures from the trip with you!

In a Bath and in a Box

Enjoy...