Gma Nance visits VA

Gma Nance spent some time with us in July. It was great to see her and Gma Nance had a blast spoiling Alex (of course, Alex loved it too). Gma was able to meet up with a couple of friends that live in the D.C. area that she has known since our time in Germany - many, many moons ago.



Gma Nance and the Bells.



Group shot on the porch - Alex took this picture.



Jen, Alex, and Ann.



Alex decides to lounge on the walkway.



Alex and Gma Nance make Alex's "Un-birthday" cake.



Cake decorations by Alex.



Gma Nance with the Lynn Mulkay - another friend from Germany.



Gma reading stories to Alex.



Big hug for Gma Nance.

Emily comes to Town

Emily visited for a few days in July for the fun of it. The girls made a trek to a kid pool and thoroughly enjoyed themselves (while daddy worked on the house I might add).

Alex & Emily with some snake-floatie.

Down the slide goes Alex.

Underwater games.

Breath of fresh air.

And a pirate says "ahhrr"

Riding around.

More water slides!

Tarara Nights

Tarara Winery, nestled about 20 miles away from us by the Potomac River, hosts concerts on Saturday nights. We pack dinner and head out to lounge on the grass and listen to the music, sample the wines, and watch the kids run around all night. There may not be a better way to spend a Saturday night in the summer.



Ellie, Alex, and Audrey hang out.



The girls reading some poetry between sets.



Maggie and Aunt Mary Ellen chill out.



Those silly girls.



Alex the ring leader of silliness.



Dave & Audrey pose for a picture.



Ryan, Lauren, and Alex hanging out by the stage.



Lauren captures Alex with her nets.



Silly Ry-Ry.



Alex can't be left out of the goofyness.



Ryan gets some strawberries for desert.



Justin hydrates after all the excitement.

4th of July - Downtown DC

On the 4th of July we trekked downtown to catch the fireworks in DC. Sean, Miki, and Erin invited us to hang out on the roof of Miki's law firm in DC. You can't beat the free ice cream, free beer, good company, and great view.



Erin "hangs" with dad



Remind me again, which one is the infant?



Alex strikes a pose in her 4th of July outfit.



But wait, there is more.



Ta-da!



Time for ice cream.

Miki & Erin waiting for the show to start.

The Hanlen 3.

Cote-Nance moment.

And the show begins...

Just Arrived

The family finally arrived in Virginia for good on 29 June. Jen had been in town since the 25th to close on the house and begin preparing the house for Alex & Joe's arrival. Joe stayed back in Dayton to get the house packed up & check out of housing. Of course, we jumped right back into our old routine by hanging out with the Gelos.



Alex admires her purple room.



'Thanks Mom!'



That is a lot of purple - Gma Nance would love it.



Jen found out what happens when you mix jets & bubble bath.



Touchdown Maggie



Alex, Ellie, and Maggie hide in the bubbles.



Alex had never been cleaner.



Alex, Maggie, and Audrey settle in for a movie.

Completed House

On 20 June, we walked through our completed house. Needless to say, we were thrilled. Below are a few (and do mean only a few) of the pictures. We close on the house Tuesday 26 June. Going to be a busy time these next few weeks.



View from the common area. Note the new house going up on our other side.



Close up. Sure is a pretty porch.



View as you enter from the front door. The study is to the right.



Looking into the study.



Dining room (the wall of the study is to the left, the kitchen is to the right).



Viewing the kitchen from the family room.




Looking into the breakfast area from the family room.



View of the family room.



Looking at the house from Tivoli Lane.