Here's Looking at You!

We've had some nice fall weather lately so Chris and I decided to take Evelyn to the zoo again.  It was a quiet morning at the zoo, which made it nice to walk around and enjoy some of the exhibits that we haven't seen this year.  So far, Evelyn has slept through most of the zoo visits over the summer, but to our surprise, this time she was able to watch the animals as they walked around in their exhibits.  The bears were especially active, and Evelyn watched as they stood up and walked around.  It was so fun to see her taking interest in the zoo and makes us look forward to our visits next summer!

 

Bon Appetit!!

Chris and I have been so excited to start feeding Evelyn solid foods.  We noticed that whenever we ate something in front of her she would watch us scoop up the food and bring it to our mouths.  It was fun watching her curiosity to food, but it has been even more fun introducing her to cereal!  Below are some pictures of her first two times trying rice cereal.  Bon Appetit!!

Please check back soon for a video!

Neighborhood Block Party!

As summer officially ended last week, our neighborhood welcomed Autumn with a neighborhood block party.  It has been four years since our last block party, so this summer a few of us decided to start planning the get together and making it an annual party.  We had a perfect day with sunny skies and a high of 75.  We started the day by setting up tents, tables, chairs, and a large smoker grill for ribs, chicken, and a brisket!  Between 3 and 7 I counted anywhere from 60-75 people from the neighborhood!! We had more than enough food and had so much fun meeting new neighbors and catching up with old friends.  This year the adults and kids participated in a water balloon toss.  It was such a great day; we are still hearing positive feedback from the event!  We can't wait for next year!

2013 Summer Olympics

Each summer my neighbor, Jenna, and I co-host a mini Olympics with our friends.  We each invite friends to join our team, then we spend one Saturday afternoon in a battle for the trophy :)  This year we played volleyball, kickball, corn hole, beer pong, and flip cup.  It was a beautiful day, and we all had so much fun playing games and having a large grill out with great food.  I'm proud to say that this was the first year that our team took home the trophy!!  

 

 

 

Hilton Head, Here We Come! and... Evelyn is 6 months!

This September Chris, Evelyn and I were given the opportunity to join our friends, Katie and Kam Hau at their family's condo in Palmetto Dunes, Hilton Head.  We, of course, jumped at the invitation and packed our bags to head out on September 7.  We rented a mini van, and it's a good thing we did because we filled it to the max!  Evelyn did surprisingly very well on the 12 hours drive to South Carolina!  She got a little fussy towards the evening, but we stopped to put on her jammies and got her ready for bed in her car seat.

The first toy she played with in the car.....and asleep 5 minutes later

We made it!  Pictures below are of the lagoon behind our condo and the beautiful Spanish moss.

Our first day we headed to the beach and enjoyed the beautiful 85 degree, sunny weather!  Evelyn was a bit cranky due to the long day before; so she didn't last very long in the ocean.

On Monday, we rented beach bikes and took a ride to a marina for lunch.  Following lunch we rode to a bar on the beach known for their frozen drinks.  By this point, Evelyn was exhausted so I took her back to the condo for a well-deserved bath and nap.

I caught a baby lizard while we were out for a walk.

Later that night we went out to Wise Guys for dinner, and Evelyn sat in a big girl high chair for the first time!

 Katie and Kam took a day trip to Savannah on Tuesday, but Chris and I decided to stay behind in order to give Evelyn a normal routine day of naps and play.  It worked out well because it happened to be Evelyn's 6 month birthday!!  The three of us headed to the beach bright and early for some 6 month photos by the ocean.  It's hard to believe it's been half a year with this sweet little girl!

 

Six Month Highlights:

* I can roll from my back to my tummy, then roll on to my back again

*  I am wearing 3-6 month clothes and a few 6-9 months clothes

* I like to make raspberry noises with my mouth

* I like to chew on everything

* I can hold my bottle by myself

* I get sad when Mommy and Daddy are not with me

* I sleep with a small blanket in my crib

* My favorite song is the Itsy Bitsy Spider

* I am starting to pull myself up to my knees!

 

While Evelyn was taking her nap, Chris rode his bike up to Walmart and bought a fishing pole.  He spent the rest of the morning fishing in the lagoon, where he made a new friend, Al.  From Tuesday to Friday, Chris caught over 20 fish!

Throughout the rest of the trip Chris and Kam caught fish and fed them to Al.  Take a look!

 Later that afternoon, Chris and I took Evelyn to the pool where she tried out a raft and the baby pool.

The rest of the afternoon Evelyn played; then Kam helped her get ready for bed.

It was a bit cloudy on Wednesday so we packed up the van and headed to Plantation Dunes to see the Light House and the Salty Dog Cafe.

 We made sure to go to the ocean and pool on our last day in Hilton Head.  Evelyn was loving the beach and the ocean and had a great time swimming in the pool with Katie and Kam.

 

 

 We had a really great time on our vacation; it was especially nice to share it with such great friends!  Thank you, Katie and Kam, for inviting us to share your Hilton Head vacation!  We look forward to years of memories ahead :)