Meg & Michael in NC

Mary Booth Rinehart

2009-08-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

Our little Mary was born on August 13th at 5:03 pm. She weighed 6lbs., 12 oz and was 20 inches long. We are getting used to the lack of sleep, and we are feeling so blessed to have this little one in our lives! Here she is after her first bath. Thanks to our mothers we have had a tremendous amount of help for the first two weeks. We are on our own next week...so the real fun will begin I'm sure!

The time is a comin'

2009-07-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe, but I am 36 weeks today! Once we hit 37 weeks I am considered full term. This has led to some anxiety about actually delivering the baby, but I am doing my best to take it all in and enjoy a few final weeks of rest before the arrival of our little one. The baby has dropped so I am breathing a bit easier. Here are a few pictures - we'll take another one today to document the final few weeks!

Here I am at 34 weeks in Charleston.

One week later- 35 weeks.

Riley breaking in the new chair! We just picked it up today. Sally ('Mimi') made the beautiful quilt in the background.

John ('Granddad') made this fabulous topper for the baby's dresser so we have a changing table built right in! The baby is lucky to have crafty grandparents.

Happy 30th, Michael!

2009-06-07T17:13:00.001-07:00

Thanks for the cake, Kym & RC!

Michael enjoys his presents.

Camden wasn't quite as excited about brunch as Michael was.

Fun sign courtesy of Aaron Cooper.

Baby Belly at 28 weeks

2009-05-22T19:11:00.001-07:00

We have officially started the third trimester! Today was my 28 week check-up. All of a sudden Michael and I are in baby mode. We started cleaning out the guest room tonight and even bought paint so we can get the nursery underway. Here are a few shots of the the baby belly!

Welcome to the Family, Meghan Rinehart!

2009-04-26T06:37:00.001-07:00

Here is the happy couple after last night's wedding! I couldn't be happier than to share my name with this gem. Why stick with one Meghan Rinehart when you can have two?? Congrats Meghan & Charlie!!

Aaah, spring!

2009-04-19T13:12:00.001-07:00

Riley's idea of a perfect Saturday.

We had a great time seeing everyone in Orlando over Easter. We enjoyed toasting Meghan and Charlie's engagement and celebrating John's birthday! Charlie will be deploying in early May. It's hard to believe it will be Christmas before we're all together again.

Father and daughter

Michael explaining to the family why Meghan was "more better" for Charlie than anyone he had ever known.

The happy couple. They could be models, couldn't they?

Future mother-in-law and daughter-in-law!

Happy Birthday, John!

Easter Sunday - the whole family

All of the Rinehart-Nash siblings!

Pregnant Meg

2009-04-04T13:37:00.001-07:00

Something has happened in the last few weeks, and suddenly Michael and I aren't the only ones who notice that I'm pregnant. I'm 21 weeks, and growing everyday! Michael made it home safely from his trip to Costa Rica. He says he'll post pictures later this weekend. He had an amazing time.

A fabulous new addition...

2009-03-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

Maureen, J.P., and Ellie welcomed Ryan Joseph on March 19th. He's already following little Ellie's footsteps in the cutie department. Here are a few gems from my brief 24 hour visit home to welcome the little guy.

Cuteness

2009-03-22T12:59:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year

2009-01-03T16:11:00.000-08:00

Alas, we are down to one final day before we return to school on Monday. It's been a great Christmas/ New Years vacation. We enjoyed spending one weekend in Atlanta, a week in Orlando with the Rineharts, and our final week at home in Charlotte.

Though it looks like sand, this actually Aunt Susan and Uncle David's yard in Carrollton. They have a beautiful house right on the lake. The "kids" played football on Saturday afternoon.

Charlie R, Quinn, and Charlie N. at Grandmom's

Riley loved spending the week with Lulu and Izzy (although we're not sure they felt the same way about her!).

Sally and John opening their fire pit on Christmas morning. You may be able to tell that the girls and boys wore matching pjs for the festivities.

Random, but funny nonetheless.

Thanksgiving in NJ & Christmas in Charlotte

2008-12-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

While I've no doubt neglected the blog for the last several months, we've had a busy few weeks so there are a few gems in this much needed post. We spent Thanksgiving with the Cooney fam in New Jersey. It was a busy and fun day with the family...in fact, one of the best Thanksgivings yet (save sweet Ellie's birth of course!). This weekend we celebrated Christmas with Mom, Dennis, J.P., Maureen, and Ellie. We are off to Florida for the week of Christmas, so pictures of the Rinehart fam won't be far behind!

The whole gang at Sean and Nan's.

Ellie all bundled up for a new event in the cousin Olympics, the bean bag toss.

Brooke, Mary Grace, and Ellie

Here are the Charlotte pics:

Ellie really enjoyed the Christmas festivities...most especially the light of the Christmas trees.

We went downtown to see the "Bearstein Orchestra" in the Bank of America building. It provided a few minutes of entertainment.

Riley loved the excitement of having so many visitors.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday, R.C.!

2008-09-21T16:20:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe, but R.C. turned 30 this weekend. We had a great time celebrating with him in Charleston this weekend. Here are a few photos of the good times.

Quinn and Riley became fast friends.

R.C. and Quinn at the party.

Michael sports his sailor cap in this picture with R.C. While Michael bought the hat for Quinn, he couldn't seem to part with it for the rest of the weekend.

Yes, somehow we ended up bowling.

This alligator was 100 feet from our back porch on Wild Dunes!

Riley enjoyed her first trip to the beach.

Before & After

2008-08-31T05:17:00.001-07:00

It's amazing what a groomer can do! Here is little Riley befoer she went:

She was looking a little scruffy and had a bouffant thing going at the top of her head.

Here are the after pictures. We especially love her patriotic bandana! The groomers loved Riley so much they didn't want her to leave. What a charmer.

Good Times with the Fam & Adios Summer....

2008-08-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

It's official. Summer has come to an end. The school children of Charlotte are back in full swing and so are we. We kissed the summer goodbye with a fabulous weekend visit from the Rineharts. We were especially glad that Michael's Grandmom was able to make the trip. We had our handy man "to do" list for John, so he and Michael were busy much of the weekend. Riley now has fabulous flood lights to light her way (motion sensored!) when she needs to go outside at night. All in all, it was a great time.

Sally spoiled Riley with lots of love, toys, and treats. Riley was very sad to see her go.

Life just hasn't been the same for Riley since Sally left. Come back soon!

In other news, my weekend reunion with the DC girls in Cape Cod is off because Meaghan fell and broke her leg yesterday. Keep her in your prayers.

What a lovable pooch!

2008-08-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

Weekend with Dad

2008-08-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

Dad came down from New Jersey for a weekend in the warm south. On Saturday we drove to the quaint town of Blowing Rock, North Carolina. A few miles down the road was Boone, home of Appalachian State.

Go Mountaineers.

Today we had brunch on Lake Wylie. Good times. As always, the weekend went too fast and it was sad to see Dad go.

Honduran Hammock & Riley's First Bath

2008-07-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

Michael put up the hammock he bought in Honduras. While tying it to two trees might have worked there, we had no such luck here in Charlotte. We bought the hammock stand. The colors represent the Honduran flag.

We also gave Riley a bath a few days ago. She loves playing outside, so the time had come. She didn't so much love the bath, but we were happy with the results. Here she is right before we put her in the tub.

Here she is wet and ready to escape. Luckily she's still too small to make it out on her own.

All done!

Summer is slipping away

2008-07-28T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hilton Head was fantastic, only now that we're back we're beginning to face the reality that summer is slipping away. Michael is down to one week and I am down to two. It was bound to happen:). Kym, R.C., and Quinn joined us for a few days at the beach. We also celebrated our second anniversary. The time just flew.

Michael enjoyed having a playmate fora few days. Cute Quinn was glad to humor him.

Sweet glasses.

Quinn loved the beach!

The beach was the perfect place to celebrate anniversary #2.

Welcome Home, Michael!

2008-07-17T12:34:00.001-07:00

Michael has promised to update the blog soon with pictures from his trip, but for now I've picked out a few to post. Needless to say he had an amazing experience in Honduras with Heifer International. He's convinced me that we need to go to Central America together. It sounds like it was incredible.

Riley was delighted to meet Michael! We are glad he's back.

Loving Life with Riley

2008-07-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of the thousand or so photos I've taken over the past two days. Riley is adjusting to her new home and loving life in Charlotte. We're working hard on training! Michael comes home from Honduras on Monday- we are both very excited.

Fireworks, Welcome Riley, & Happy Birthday, Mom!

2008-07-10T16:55:00.001-07:00

The week in Virginia went too quickly. It was filled with lots of excitement as we greeted Riley, enjoyed some fireworks, and celebrated Mom's birthday.

On the 4th Charlie, Quinn, Charlie, and I drove up from the mountains to Virginia. Here we are welcoming Riley to the family. She was so little...but oh so cute. My mom had picked her up at National Airport the morning before. She actually came out on the conveyer belt (hilarious and slightly perfect)! Michael gets home from Honduras on the 14th...Riley is anxiously awaiting his arrival.

After a few hours of getting Riley acclimated we went to celebrate the fourth with some fireworks. Ellie was feeling festive (as usual) and ready to celebrate.

Mom celebrated her birthday on the 7th. Ellie helped her blow out the candles.

Here are a few more photos of Riley. She is growing already! The collar is taking some getting used to...she has to be heavily supervised while wearing it!

Table Rock Welcomes the Rineharts

2008-07-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

This week the Rinehart family was all together for the first time in two and a half years! We met in Table Rock, South Carolina. We welcomed Charlie back from his deployment and met his girlfriend (also a Meghan which is fantastic). Charlie and Quinn drove down from Virginia and John, Sally, and Grandmom drove up from Florida. We had a spectacular week together.

Here are a few shots looking out over Caesar's Head:

Michael and his Grandmom

Charlie and Quinn

Sally and John

Meg and Michael

We went on two hikes during the week. Here are a few good shots:

Meghan and Charlie...so happy!

Michael, Charlie, and John are in front of a beautiful waterfall, that I somehow managed to completely leave out of the picture.

Michael and Sally on the "Winds."

Charlie Nash promoted Quinn to captain in front of the whole family. It was a proud moment for everyone.

We managed to keep ourselves busy with hikes, games of Cranium, and a few other activities- most especially hunting for the elusive white squirrel. Hopefully this will become a Rinehart tradition...it was too much fun to be a one time only event!

John tries to get Grandmom to guess "Karate Kid" using his classic abstract approach.

Charlie as a tornado. Sweeeet.

We enjoyed smores as we told tales of the white squirrel, golden donkeys, and yetis. A uniquely Rinehart experience.

Meg provided each of us with our own miniature white squirrel...I couldn't think of a more fitting souvenir.

As you can see below, I had to save the best for last. The excitement over spotting a few white squirrels at Brevard College is palpable. We'll never look at squirrels the same way again.

Loved Charlottesville

2008-06-24T08:28:00.001-07:00

We just returned from a weekend in Charlottesville, VA, with my family. We absolutely loved the town, especially with Ellie in it. She's waving now, which is particularly spectacular.

Finally Getting a Pooch!

2008-06-13T05:48:00.001-07:00

Here's the little gem. More to come.

Happy Birthday, Michael!

2008-06-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Michael turns the big 2-9. I am thrilled because now he will have to stop telling everyone that he is younger than I am. We celebrated with dinner and some delectable cupcakes tonight. Tomorrow we're having friends over to barbecue and celebrate. It's supposed to be in the upper 90s here. These are the times I wish I still lived in Boston! In other exciting news, today was my last day of work! Yipee! Summer is here. I'm thrilled. Michael works through next Thursday and then begins his gig with the Teaching Fellows the following Monday, so he will welcome summer with a three day weekend:).

We're oh so happy.

We love our niece!

2008-04-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

This weekend Michael and I went to Virginia for sweet Ellie's christening. She was such a good girl! I've uploaded a few gems from the weekend. Here's the happy family.

Here are some snaps of the cutie in her christening gown. J.P. and Maureen made sure to dress in pink, too. Below is a picture of the main event at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Arlington. Alex and Margie (the Godparents) look on with Mo and J.P. as Ellie is baptized!

The family got together at J.P. and Maureen's before and after the christening to celebrate.

Ellie loves her Great Granddad.

Ellie enjoyed opening her gifts.

The balloon animals were a big hit. Uncle Buddy had a blast, as you can see.

Happy girl!

Danny and Michael

Good Times in Boulder

2008-04-02T17:25:00.001-07:00

Luckily Emily and I had the same spring break this year, so we were able to go see Sara and Scott in Boulder. One of the highlights of the trip was seeing Pete Snowdon again! He and his girlfriend, Katie, live in Denver. It was so much fun to be together again. Apart from being a lawyer, Pete hasn't changed a bit. Here's a shot of the Arlington reunion. We just need Mindy and Julia and we'd be back in high school again!

I was also able to meet the light of Sara and Scott's lives...Millie and Aspen. It was nice to finally meet these gems in person.

This is a great shot of Em, Sag, and the kitties, of course.

Sara and Scott took us on a short drive for a beautiful view of the Flatirons. This is what the Holladays see everyday. Wow.

It actually snowed our last night in Boulder. This was nothing for these Coloradans, but my blood has gone south fast. Turns out I don't miss the snow as much as I thought I did. It's cold!!

Building the Garden

2008-03-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

Meghan is in Colorado visiting Emily and Sara, so she asked that I take pictures as I put together the garden. This is my first time posting to the blog, so here goes nothing!

The planter box is in place. This was the easy part!

A trench was dug and the planter box is recessed into the ground.

The NC clay and grass are tilled. This was the hardest part!

Top soil is added on top.

The top soil and NC clay are tilled together. All done and ready to plant!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T17:13:00.001-07:00

We had a great St. Patrick's Day dinner with Quinn, Kym, and R.C. Quinn gets cuter every time we see her.

Such a cute Irish lass!

My birthday was fantastic. I can't believe I'm 29. My students brought me flowers on Friday, so we have a small flower shop in our living room. It smells fabulous! Here are some shots Michael took of me opening my presents. I was definitely spoiled.

Love the clothes, Mom. I wish you could have been here to open these with me!

I love the sign! Thanks, Ellie!! It's perfect for our family room.

Here are some pictures from our first fire last weekend. We've been waiting to use this fire pit for months. More fun days to come with this puppy.
If you look closely you can seen a mini marshmallow on Michael's stick. It was a good effort.

Welcome Home, Quinn!

2008-02-18T11:23:00.000-08:00

We had a great time in Orlando with Sally, John, Quinn, and Charlie this weekend. It was so nice to welcome Quinn home from Iraq after 13 months! Here is the sign John made (I'm impressed). Charlie and Quinn- back together again.
On Saturday we went bike riding on the West Orange Trail. The weather was beautiful. We make time for a swing break during the ride.

Michael had a little trouble with his bike.

He was off again in no time.

Izzy was also very glad to have everyone together.

Still trying to figure out how to write this blog...

2008-02-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

I have started off very weak with this blog, I admit. I am going to try to do better. Downloading pictures has been a nightmare. I am hoping that when I see Sara and Emily next they can give me a tutorial. Aaaah!

Since our last post things have been busy. Dad came to visit for a weekend in January to see the house, which was a lot of fun. Mom came a few weeks later and delivered a bed and dresser for the guest room. Despite the fact that she and I were both sick all weekend, we had a great time.

This week we finally got a couch for our living room! Getting it into the house was quite an adventure. It involved me, two moving men, and a lot of frustration. Not only does the couch weight 250 pounds, but it is extra long because of the sleeper bed. It just couldn't make the sharp turn into the living room because of the wall in our foyer. So, we were forced to go the long way, through many small doorways and several rooms. Michael couldn't make it home from work in time, so he missed the fun. After over an hour, the movers ended up leaving the couch in the kitchen for Michael to finish the job. It was a mess! On Saturday morning Michael and a few friends were able to get the couch into the living room, after removing a door and moving some furniture around. I was impressed. It's nice to have somewhere to sit now:). Now we just have to paint a few places and sand the doorways to make up for the mess! Who knew that getting this couch into our house could be such a monstrous problem?? It is a little too reminiscent of our refrigerator woes.

It's a start!

Here we are today after church enjoying the paper and drinking coffee (clearly one of my favorite pastimes). We've been keeping up with the election, which has been a major topic of conversation lately. It's hard not to be energized with all that is going on in the world.

Headed Back to Charlotte

2007-12-29T17:59:00.001-08:00

Here are a few highlights of our fabulous Christmas week in Virginia. Ellie, as you can see, was the star attraction.

Maureen and I admire Ellie. It's hard to get enough of this little pumpkin.

Mom and Dennis make the house look festive. Michael enjoys his home repair manual, courtesy of Sally and John.
Mom and Michael enjoy lunch at the local Vienna pizza place.

While out to lunch with the Santoli fam Alex taught Mo how to use the sling. It was pretty funny to watch. Alex clearly knew what she was doing while the rest of us were clueless! Mo soon got the hang of it and we couldn't get over how cute Ellie looked all snuggled up inside!

Mommy and Ellie.
Ellie was happy.

Everyone enjoys the book Alaina and Brayden gave Ellie!

We had a great time at Brian and Christy's on Friday. Granddad and Janice were in town. Mary Grace and Dennis are as fun and entertaining as ever.

Granddad introduces Ellie to "Granduck."
Ellie and her cousin Dennis.
Mary Grace shoots a game of pool with the fam. She and Uncle Brian won. Of course.
Uncle B and Great Granddad.
Michael tries to give pool shooting tips as he bonds with Ellie.
It was hard for Aunt Meg to say goodbye at the end of the night.
Great Granddad, Janice, and the cutest little bundle ever.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T18:35:00.000-08:00

Wow~I have finally started a blog! In my mind Michael will be interested in this blog and decide to post to it as well, but I am feeling doubtful. I decided that I've got some material after being home for Christmas and seeing family, friends, and my adorable niece. My sweet new camera (thanks, Dad!) will hopefully make this easier. Here we are enjoying a few presents from John and Sally. They spent their day flying up to Maine and meandering around LLBean. We missed them, but we know they're having fun in the snow.

We heard from Charlie today. Here is a fun picture of him on the ship. Michael was also able to talk with Quinn in Iraq and Charlie N. (in Arlington!) which was nice.

One of the highlghts of the trip has been seeing everyone in Arlington. Here are a few good shots.