USA! USA!

World Cup fever has hit the Sikes house, and it was especially intense yesterday with the US playing England for their first game. Most of you who know Dan are aware, but for the rest of you, I will enlighten you- my husband LOVES soccer!! He played growing up, then on the club team at Tennessee Tech, and as I type this, he is playing soccer in the over 100 degree heat index in an adult league. He loves to watch soccer on tv as well which is particularly annoying to me. We found a happy medium in the first few months of our marriage which was no soccer channels allowed on the bedroom tv.

All that to say that I don't like soccer, but lucky for Dan, Cooper does!!! He is into anything that his daddy likes these days which includes World Cup! Yesterday, Dan and Cooper got decked out in their matching USA soccer gear, kicked the soccer ball around, and had fun watching the game on tv. I am just thankful that I don't have to pretend to be interested anymore!


and a picture of sibling love just for kicks! R.A. looks both happy and terrified!

9 Months

Reese Ann is 9 months old! I know I say this every month, but time is just flying and we can't believe how old she is! She is so much fun these days, and she loves discovering new things every day! She is saying several words including da da (of course- even though she is such a mama's girl!), bye-bye with a wave, and the most recent is hi. Kind of a strange word for a 9-month old, but her favorite by far!!! She is still not full-out crawling, but she can make it around the room with a combination of scooting and an army-crawl-like move. She is pulling up some and loves to stand! She is still a little- bitty thing, but is eating lots and lots these days trying to catch back up and regain a little weight she lost while fighting a nasty two-week cold.

Here she is hanging out with the girls while getting hair and make-up done for the wedding


and with her friend, Marin- Uncle Eric's other niece, and Marin's mom, Stephanie, and myself right before the wedding

The last week or so...

around here has been absolutely crazy, but lots of fun! We took the kids to the river for Memorial Day weekend, and Reese Ann loved her first trip to our favorite summer getaway!



She and Cooper had so much fun playing on the top of the boat in the kiddie pool.



After the relaxing weekend at the river, the wedding madness began! I do not have tons of pictures to share, but we caught a few moments of the week & weekend. This was Cooper's pre-rehearsal ring bearer practice-





He did well at his own practice, horribly at the rehearsal on Friday night, but he pulled it out at the wedding! This momma was very emotionally composed until I took my place on the alter and turned around to see my little boy walking down the aisle exactly like we had told him to- then I turned to mush!

A few more pictures from the wedding weekend...











and last, but not least, the happy couple- Natalie & Eric- at the rehearsal dinner