Happy Birthday, Edyn!

We welcomed my niece, Edyn Lola James, into the world on April 15th! Melisa's delivery went well and Edyn arrived healthy!  Edyn has been an angel since she was born, eating and sleeping like a pro. She's rarely fussy and is easily settled. I enjoyed spending a weekend with her and Viv and visiting Annalise and Angela.  What a special weekend with all three nieces!

Before Edyn was born, Viv spent a week at Grandma and Grandpa's house while her mom got some much needed rest. We enjoyed baking together, bell choir rehearsal where she helped conduct, and a short visit to Fort LeTort. 

One Step at a Time

In December, I began a journey to help me out of my depression. Specifically, I made it a goal to live a healthier lifestyle. Running was a new challenge, one that came with a lot of struggle but also with a lot of feelings of self accomplishment. I used an interval training app to get started, running 10 seconds and walking 50 seconds every minute, for a total of thirty minutes. I slowly increased the amount of running and I'm proud to say that I'm running more than walking now. This is, in large part, due to Remy's motivation when the buzzer in the app prompts us to start the running interval. He won't let me skip it!  Running is still not "fun" but the challenge has been good. My weight has also benefitted and I've lost more than twenty pounds so far!

This first photo was taken about two months after starting my journey and officially marked my "one step at a time" photo series. Every walk and run was captured in a selfie as a personal motivator and to help with accountability!

Happy Birthday, Annalise!

Annalise turned one on March 18th! We attended her birthday party at her maternal grandparents' house outside of Philly. She was a very happy girl that day! She especially enjoyed it when we sang Happy Birthday to her! Mom contributed a huge princess castle cake (with help from me and Pinterest)!  It turned out great and was delicious. Of course, Steve made an awesome array of food!

Happy Birthday, big girl!

Catching Up

I'll try to catch up on a few things that have happened since my last post. I can't believe that was 2 months ago!

As an extension to our Christmas gathering, the whole family came together over Valentine's day. Mel and Thom hosted. We enjoyed some good company and shared a few gifts.  Steve invited us to his restaurant for Sunday brunch. So many flavorful, delicious foods were brought to our table!

The following week, I returned to Philly to babysit Viv. We had a fun day, made even more exciting when I discovered Natas ate a big tub of coconut oil!  Never a dull moment with the Clark family!

My handsome guy, Wilbur, turned 15!  I adopted him as my very own first pet. He was found when he was about four months old, left at the door of the pet store where I was working over the summer. He's been with me since my junior year at Penn State. He's such a cool, social cat. Everyone loves him and he usually doesn't have much trouble requesting your attention, asking for a lap or some food. 

Shortly after his birthday, Wilbur became quite ill and wouldn't eat. We began treatment for lymphoma, kidney failure and anorexia. It was a very rough time and with that diagnosis, I couldn't help but think of Fred who I lost to lymphoma less than 6 months ago. Thankfully, we're now almost two months since starting treatment and while he's still underweight and taking several medications, Wilbur is eating good, healthy food regularly and enjoys extra snuggles on my lap. Every extra day with him is precious to me. 

Of course, my nieces are growing up quickly!  Viv is two and a half and Annalise just turned one. Viv is still full of endless energy and loves spending time with Aunt Laura. 😍 Annalise is just about ready to walk. She's starting to share her opinion more frequently, much to the pleasure of her parents!  They're used to the perfect baby, Annalise!