Miles takes a walk through downtown Charlotte...

we made it!

Yesterday was quite the travel day with these two little rug rats. 3 hour flight, 3 hour layover, 2 hour flight. But, thankfully, they were great (ok, they had their moments) and we finally arrived in NC late last night.

To quickly recap, we had am AMAZING couple months in UT - thanks mom, dad, pj, and uncle keith! We're also soooo happy to be reunited as a family again. I know, I know, I have yet to post pics of the UT mountain-side waterslide ... and of our uptown Charlotte high-rise apt. Actually, I have yet to post a lot of summer pics. Man, there's nothing like a perfect UT summer and unlimited babysitting to keep me off the computer and thwart my blogging efforts.

Oh, and ps, I'm without my phone charger once again ... and my battery is dead. I'll get a new one Monday. Until then, just know I'm not screening my calls. I swear.

ah geez

we have a thumb sucker

I suppose it's not a good habit ... but there are worse things, right?

and they call the thing rodeo

Well, it's official ... I love the rodeo. For starters, my mom and dad took us to Gunnies Western Wear to get Miles ready for the big night. Here's what we came up with.


Oh, so darling. And, he adores his boots. He actually wore them to his first trip to the dentist yesterday (which he handled like a rock star, by the way ... that is, assuming rock stars are great at their dental appts)


I've never been to a rodeo before and I'm completely hooked. I don't know, there's something in me that always wants to wear a cowboy hat. No, seriously, I love them. So, it was FAB to finally cut loose and pretend I was a cowgirl. And the rodeo itself? So funny. Yes, yes, poor animals. But, the entertainment value far outweighed any animal rights notions I have.

Mutton Bustin?
check.
Wild Cow Milking?
check.
Barrel Racing?
you betcha.

They even herded a couple buffalo on top of a semi truck for a little half time entertainment.


The only thing that could have made the night better would be if we were with Scottie. Thank you, sweetheart, for all your love and hard work. I (we) miss you!

Bake a Pie!

I've decided it's time to learn to make a good pie crust. For my first experiment, I opened up my mom's old Betty Crocker Cookbook from 1969. I burst out laughing when I read the following heading. I just had to share.

"What's the American man's favorite dessert? Most people would agree - it's pie. And heading the list is apple pie. Followed closely by cherry pie, and peach pie, and lemon meringue pie and a lot of others. If you care about pleasing a man - bake a pie!"

Ha! awesome.

Anyway, if any of you Marthas out there have tips, tricks, or recipes to share, I would LOVE it! Thanks and wish me luck!

Go get em!

Well, day one of 5-weeks-without-Scottie is coming to a close. He spent the day driving Eastward and we spent the day trying to get over how much we miss him. I just can't wait to hear about his adventures in Investment Banking ... and to get our little fam back together again in July!

Go get em, sweetheart. We miss and love you like crazy!

-Alli & the kiddos

Summertime

Happy Summer! Man, I love this time of year. We have a lot of pics and videos to post ... but for now we'll just start with another picture of Mia in a basket. Ridiculous, I know. There's just something about putting a baby in a basket that really tickles me.

Anyway, we're here in Pleasant Grove, spending a little time with my fam. Scott finished up his first year at Berkeley and will be leaving for an internship in NC next week. The kids and I are going to kick around UT for the next month or so and will join Scottie in July. We are all LOVING it here. I call it the Eckert Postpartum Resort and Spa. It has been quite fabulous. Did I mention my brother PJ created an insane water slide down the mountain in the backyard? More posts to follow ...