State Fair

Last weekend we went with my friend, Lisa, to the Maryland State Fair. We enjoyed funnel cake and Lucy had her first taste of a corn dog. It was fun to people watch, and believe me there were plenty of let's say "interesting" people there. The best part was that Lucy was able to see lots of animals. I never knew how noisy sheep could be. It was a little alarming actually. One of the farm kids even let Lucy pet her rabbit. Although I hope that it was OK for her to pet the animals. Is that even sanitary for a toddler?

I think these were part of the goat exhibit, although now I don't really remember which species they were. Maybe they were sheep that had been sheared?

We asked Lucy which t-shirt she wanted and as you can see from the picture above she pointed to the one that she liked best! The picture below was of a mama cow and and her baby that she delivered only 3 hours before. She was actually still passing the after birth by the time we got to the exhibit. I thought it was best to crop off the after birth part of the picture!

The picture below is Lucy's classic grimace/scowl face. I guess she did have reason to scowl. I mean it's a real bummer when you get stuck in a bowl and can't get out!

Beach Bums

So the last entry was Don's contribution, and now it is my turn to expand upon our Outer Banks trip. Of course I am the type to provide lots more words and pictures, so I apologize ahead of time for the long entry. So the picture below is how Lucy spent most of the trip. We would try to get her to put her feet on the sand and she would just cry. I was initially a little worried about her fear of sand because our home was not just near the beach but the entire area is surrounded by sand. In fact it was pretty remote and it was quite an adventure getting there. You actually had to drive on the beach to get to your house which was pretty fun.

Lucy enjoyed playing with her daddy on the beach. We spent the days either swimming in the hot tub and pool at the house or lounging on the beach. We would drive to our beach spot and then could keep all our gear in the car, which was very convenient.
Grammy and Lucy had lots of quality playtime!. Grammy tried to get Lucy to help her make a sandcastle, but Lucy wasn't that into it.
My Grandpa, my Aunt Nancy, and my Uncle Gregg, joined us for three days. It was great to have them there. And I know it meant a lot to my dad to have them a part of his 60th b-day celebration.
Here is the crew swimming in the pool at the beach house. Milo was a trooper and was actually really calm in the water even though it was pretty chilly at times.
Lucy going for a ride in her floaty.
Don got a kite for his birthday, which was a great gift idea for him! Don and Eric had fun flying the kite.
Lucy's walking abilities really took off when we were in the Outer Banks. Probably because she was so intrigued by the new atmosphere and unfamiliar surroundings. She was exploring everything and sometimes would get stuck in spots and would need help getting out.
Aunt Kristin with Lucy and my Uncle Gregg, Grandpa, and Aunt Nancy.
Don and I had a master bathroom with a jacuzzi tub that made lots of bubbles for Lucy's bath. Although these days she spends more time trying to get out of the tub rather than staying in.
What a good looking group!!
Milo loves to take naps in his Bjorn.
We had a lot of fun using the ocean kayak that we rented. I ventured out really far and braved some of the toughest waves before I wiped out (and I have the bruises to prove it). There was no more room in the truck, so one of us would ride in the kayak on the short ride from the beach back to our house.
One of the highlights of the week for me was hearing all the little sounds that Milo makes. He is so noisy (in a good way). He sounds like a little cat with all his squeaks. It is so precious and totally melts my heart every time.
Milo was always decked out in the cutest outfits. And of course he always has some adorable socks or hat to match.
Thanks to my dad's 60th we had a excuse for this awesome vacation. We made lots of great meals, and spent a lot of the week cooking up a storm. Kristin came up with a great ahi tuna recipe for my dad's b-day meal. And we made him some strawberry shortcake for dessert.
What a little munchkin!!
Since where we stayed was so remote, it was rare that we actually left the beach house. However one day we did go on an excursion to take my dad and mom parasailing as part of my dad's birthday present.

Acting silly with daddy!

This girl is such a water baby. She just lights up when she is in the water.

And finally on the last day...

She walked on the sand!!

Outer Banks, NC

Last week we were in the Outer Banks, NC with Kim's family to celebrate her dad's 60th birthday. We basically rented a house on the beach, ate good food, and hung out. One of the cool things about our place was that there were wild Spanish horses that inhabited our area, and often came right up to our house.

Lucy was still not a huge fan of the sand, but she still had fun on the beach.

Here she is debating whether to venture out onto the sand.

Here is the house we stayed in. It had plenty of space for all of us, including Kim's aunt and uncle and grandpa who joined us for a few days. We certainly didn't want to leave.

Crazy Little Lu

This summer Patterson Park (which is right by our house) has been having Music in the Park nights where you sit in the park and listen to live music. We have enjoyed picnicing with friends, while enjoying the music and playing with our kids. Also, Don and I had fun last weekend taking Lucy to another outdoor music/picnic time at Belvedere Square. Although we can't use our table because Lucy pulls everything off. So basically our picnic table now serves as something to occupy Lucy as she spends her time circling the table while we try to enjoy our food and wine. Notice how there is no food or beverage on the table. Lucy is so thrilled by her new found walking skills! She gets such a kick out of going from one end of the crib to another. I think this video speaks for itself.

She Walks!

Wedding Weekend

Last weekend I flew to Minneapolis for my cousin, Bronwyn's wedding. Don stayed back home with Lucy, where he was able to indulge in some quality father daughter bonding time. It was so hard to leave Lucy (and Don) behind, but it was nice to get more free time with my little nephew. Bronwyn's wedding was gorgeous. She has such impeccable taste! From the flowers to the amazing cake, every detail was just beautiful. Here I am at the reception with my cousins and my sister. I held Milo for most of the reception. It was great to actually have time to focus one-on-one with him. Normally I feel so distracted with little Lucy needing my attention as well. Check out his adorable party pants.
Here's the beautiful bride with her new husband, Kevin. The electricity went out right due to a rainstorm and the entire neighborhood was out of power. But at the very end of the ceremony, the power came back on. It was such a relief, I don't know what they would have done without power for the reception!
My mom and dad and my sister and I.

I was also able to see my dear friend Jenna for lunch the afternoon of the wedding. And she came over to our hotel for a dip in the hot tub on Saturday night. It is always great to catch up with her. She is pictured above with her daughter, Jillian, who is four days younger than Lucy. On Saturday we went to my aunt's house and watched Bronwyn and Kevin open their wedding gifts. We were also took a ride on the pontoon boat, which was really relaxing. Here I am with my Grandpa on the pontoon boat. My Grandpa was actually one of the groomsmen in the wedding. BTW, I know this post has a lot of pictures of me which may be a little much but that is only because I don't have any of Lucy and Don from that weekend. Maybe I should have titled the post "all about me" :)

Precarious Places

Now that Lucy is mobile, we often find her climbing into some strange spots. Here she is on our living room shelf (after clearing off all the books first).

That childproof gate is working out nicely...








On another interesting note, I recently went grocery shopping since we were all out of stuff, and I was overwhelmed by the list of dairy products consumed in our household now. For Lucy there was: one gallon whole milk, whole milk yogurt, cottage cheese, and string cheese. For Kim and I there was: skim milk, yogurt and cheese for lunches, skim cottage cheese, and 1/2 and 1/2. I got home and told Kim we should just buy a cow instead.