Birthday Party in Connecticut

Eating watermellon!

My brother John, sister-in-law Alisa, and their new puppy Jamie

Eating dinner down by the lake

Opening presents with Aubrey's cousins Ellie and Noah.

Eating birthday cake, yum!

Four Generations of Blue Eyes

Happy First Birthday, Aubrey!

A year ago today our little princess made her debut. She was a sleepy little bundle then. Aubrey sure has changed over the course of the year! A lot has stayed the same though: loves to eat, loud, chubby cheeks, button nose, and no hair.

Now she is getting to be such a big girl. She has ten teeth, has taken a few steps, and eats all "grown-up" foods. Aubrey waves, claps, dances, and says bye-bye, hi, doggy, yum, thank you, daddy, mama, that, and yuck. She also loves to kick, roll, and throw balls. We have been enjoying every minute of being parents to our big girl with the big personality!

the gang

Clockwise starting in lower left corner: Charlotte, Aubrey, Karis (crouching in toybox, you can hardly see her), Noah (sitting behind Peter), Peter, and Jocelyn who is sitting down front. Thanks to Kelly for the picture--it was hard getting a shot with all the kiddos in it because they were all in motion!

Aubrey's first sport

We bought Aubrey a Nike soccer ball--not only does she like rolling it which is why we bought it, but she loves to kick it too. Maybe we have discovered the reason she is such a big girl--Women's U.S. Soccer Team 2028!

The picture of innocence?

What was the question? Did I just stuff five goldfish crackers in my mouth? Does it look like it to you?

Silly Face

The three of us took a trip to the zoo today--Aubrey's first. We knew she probably would like seeing all the animals, since one of her favorite activities is playing with Dexter. We were right it was a hit! In the picture above she is pointing at a bear--Aubrey did a lot of pointing and squealing, doggy! She also really enjoyed watching some really giant Amazonian prehistoric looking fish swimming around, they were seriously huge, at least 7 feet long. Her absolute favorites were the meerkats whose antics sent her into gales of laughter. The other people at the zoo were having more fun watching her than the meerkats. It was in the 90s and very humid out so we were drenched in sweat pushing her stroller up and down the hills, but we really had so much fun. Next on the list is the Baltimore Aquarium--she will love it there based on how much she loved the fish and the sea lions at the National Zoo.

Eating and Sleeping

Ah, so deceptively peaceful.

A ripe peach makes a huge mess, but a very happy baby!

summer mornings

Every weekday morning it is my habit to take a 2-3 mile walk with Aubrey and Dexter. Since it has been so hot lately we take the walk right after breakfast so that we can get back around 9am which is when the humid air really starts to heat up. Walking around the neighborhoods I enjoy spying on other people's gardens. I haven't had much time or motivation to do anything with mine in so long it is nice to see what other people are doing with their yards. A couple days ago we got the Bradford Pear tree in our front yard trimmed and now it is letting a lot more light through so I may attempt to make the front look a little more presentable. Another benefit to walking so early in the morning is that we see a bunch of cute baby bunnies along the way. Aubrey likes to point at them and squeal and says Doggy! because every animal is a doggy to her at this age. This morning was also the first time that we heard the buzzing of the cicadas. No other sound captures the essence of the summer days where the humidity blurs the horizon and the heat ripples the air that sluggishly rises from the sidewalks. Life just slows down and you dream of watermellon, iced tea and the smell of sunscreen.

Summer Treat

Cold!

Hmmm...should I try more?

mmmm...yep, yummy!

Not sure if Aubrey thinks she is a dog or if Dexter thinks he is a person. Maybe a little of both.