Hatteras - A Place Like No Other

Well we had an awesome family vacation in Hatteras at our Frisco Kids beach house with Betty and the Billy family.  Rich realized that it was the 25th summer in a row that he had been coming to Hatteras. It truly is our special place and seeing Caitlin play in the sand where Rich spent his summers was truly a joy.  Amazing how the circle of life comes all the way around.  We owe it all to Rich's Mom and Dad who had the dream and vision to make this special place a Nowalk tradition when they took a chance on some land back in 1981!  Although Rich's Dad was not there in person we felt his spirit everywhere as we knew he was present to watch Caitlin for her first time playing on the beaches of Hatteras. If you have not figured it out by now Hatteras is our special place.  It is amazing that all the worries of the world seem to disappear once you hit the Island.  

Every year we talk about doing "different" things but once we get into beach mode we pretty much chill.  We did hit Manteo on the way down (see picture above of the whole family including Jeter and Brady at the maritime museum,

hit the lighthouse one morning for some surfing and fishing but besides that our vacation was filled with relaxing days of sitting on the beach, watching Caitlin (not to much sand in the mouth), reading books, 5 o'clock shrimp & beers on the beach, whiffle ball & fishing with the Billy boys and finally our annual trip to Breakwater for some live music!  

The hardest part is always leaving but we know we will be back next year and the year after and they year after that!   Also when in Hatteras beware of the pirates....although Rich secretly wants to move to the beach and be a Pirate along with his 1st and 2nd mate Jeter and Brady.  ARRRRRRRRGHHHH...oh lord!!

Cheers - The Nowalks

Girls Gone Wild - Nowalk Style!!

Jenn and I keep saying that we are going to blog more....but then our busy life always seems to take control.  The reason we hope to blog more is to use this blog as our journal to remember the growing years of our Lil C and soon to be Lil _____?  But we also don't want to be those obnoxious parents who brag non-stop with things like how Caitlin is only 8 months old and already reads the entire paper every morning - what don't believe us - see the picture!  Okay so we are just kidding....I think this paper was destroyed about 2 minutes after this picture was snapped!

So with that said we are happy to share the news that we are having another baby girl this November!  All signs pointed boy which is why we had Tyler already named and were preparing for his life as shortstop of the NY Yankees where he would of course be taking care of Mom and Dad for years to come.  But with the news that we are having a girl (which is a great thing as now that Caitlin has stolen my heart there is nothing better in the world then 2 of daddies little girls!) we are now busy bouncing around names and dreaming of whether she will be a pro golfer, surfer or tennis player..or whatever it is she wants to be in life as they will both always have the support of Mom and Dad.

So the past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind as usual but of course a lot of fun!  We had a couple fun gatherings with our Bedford crew, dinner with Joe and Jackie to celebrate the news of their upcoming baby girl (girls are all the rage), dinner with the Tuckers where we discussed fun family traditions among other fun kid topics, a special visit from Grandmom and Pop Pop, Caitlin's first birthday party invite (thanks Jensen) and now we are blogging from our favorite place in the whole wide world - Hatteras, NC at our Frisco Kids Beach House!  It is hard to believe but this is my 25th year in a row coming to Hatteras                             

for our summer vacation  and we owe it all my Dad who worked so hard to provide us this treasure of a place.  Even though he is not here to see Caitlin's first time playing in the surf we know he is close by watching her every move.  We will have lots of fun pictures to share from our Hatteras trip in our next blog....which will be soon...not in 1 month.  

Till next time....

Rich, Jenn, Caitlin and Jeter and Brady too!  By the way Jeter and Brady (our chocolate and yellow lab for those who may not know) still gets lots of love and attention and will soon have the blog all to themselves for a day...with pictures too!!

Where did May go? And June too?

Seriously where does the time go? We remember the days when we would have time to sit on the computer surfing the net or emailing friends or reading online articles! Well those days are gladly over as there is never a dull moment with Lil C and two happy dogs around. Did someone say Irish twins? Yes we are coming to terms with that as well...you know what we say...bring on the craziness because at the end of the day it is truly a gift!

So with that said the last 45 days was filled with non-stop action...Lil C is rolling over, scooting backwards, sitting up, screaming with delight, laughing out loud and even gave Daddy the best Father's Day present of all by saying Da Da. Who knows if she meant it but she said it! There is no doubt Caitlin's little personality is blossoming as she wakes up the world.

Caitlin hit the beach again and this time she went right for the sand (with a little help from Dad who is the original sand monster)! We officially have a little beach bum as she loves the water, sun and the sand. Father's Day was awesome as Jenn and Caitlin spoiled Dad with breakfast in bed and the best Caitlin book of photos you have ever seen. Jenn is doing awesome and feeling great. Sometimes we kind of forget that baby #2 is on the way as we are so focused on Caitlin. But we will find out what we are having on July 17 so stay tuned....I am thinking boy here but at the end of the day we just want to be blessed with another happy healthy baby!

Thanks for tuning in and as our goal is to figure out how to find the time to update this thing more often!!

Cheers - McDaddy #21!

April went fast but did not pass without big news!

They are not kidding when they say time flies - especially when you have a growing baby who everyday does something new or sees something cool for the first time. Caitlin has kept us very busy this month..mostly busy at the Dr's office as she has been in and out of being sick. All is well though as she is just building that immune system for the later years and Mommy and Daddy have been building it as well. They were not kidding when they told us Caitlin would bring home from day care every sick bug you could imagine. Overall though we are blessed to have a happy healthy baby as even when she was sick she still slept through the night!!

Okay well what happened in April....well lots of little things but lets cut right to the chase. Caitlin found out in April that she is going to be a big sister!! Wait back up here....she is only 5 months old which means she will be only 1 years old when the new Nowalk arrival hits the scene. Well to the surprise of Mommy and Daddy we did find out that we are expecting baby # 2 this November. Get this - the due date is Caitlin's exact original due date - November 27! After the initial shock wore off we are very excited and are now busy justifying why having babies back to back is actually a good thing! Here is a not so good quality ultra sound picture from our 8 week appointment!

Other then that all has been good as Caitlin continues to keep us busy yet mesmerized with her development and fun loving attitude! Here are some fun pictures from Easter and just hanging! Stay tuned for baby updates as we are finding out the sex (although Dad is very confident it is a boy!!) Stay tuned for updates in the exciting life of Lil C and soon to be baby _____________!

Cheers - The Nowalk's

One Busy March!

Well March has been a very busy and very fun month for Caitlin and the rest of the Nowalk crew!

- We already gave you the scoop on our fun trip to the beach with The Breeding's.

- Caitlin celebrated her 1st St. Patrick's day in style. From the fun party at Aunt KK's and Uncle Sean's house (Dad drank a little too much Guinness!) to Dad's very own Sheppard's Pie dinner Caitlin quickly learned that St. Patrick's Day will indeed be a holiday we take very seriously!

- Well probably the best part of March is good old March Madness! March has been a great month for Caitlin's favorite basketball team - UNC Tarheels! From the big win over dook (thank you Danny Green for a priceless moment - see picture) to winning the ACC Tournament (thank you Tyler for hitting a last second shot to beat VA Tech) and last night Caitlin's Tarheels secured a spot in the Final Four with a huge win over Louisville. Again Caitlin watched her favorite player Tyler Hansborough step up and take the game over and will the Heels to victory! Daddy is convinced that Caitlin is the good luck charm and even has "You'r a little Tarheel song" to go with it.

- Other highlights from the month include Caitlin starting school 3 days a week, her first cold (not a highlight but a first none the less), a great Easter with Grandmom and Pop Pop Bonnell, Mimi and the Billy's and some perfect spring NC weather which means more time outside with Mom, Dad and the dogs!

Looking forward to more updates in April! - The Nowalk's