Seven Months Old

These past few weeks have been filled with family visits! Twin cousin Amelia and her mom, Monica and her grandma Maria came from Orlando (and Thailand) to visit and we got to spend some time with new cousin Lanna and her mom, Yoko and dad, Chris, as well. It is always fun to see Amelia because she and Everett were born on the exact same day. Everett thought she was especially tasty as he kept trying to take a bite out of her (but she quickly crawled away during each "attack"). We were hoping that watching Amelia crawl would inspire our little man, but no such luck. He is happy as can be just sitting and chewing on ANYTHING he can get his big hands on.

We just returned from four days out in Boulder, Colorado visiting Jenni, Will and our adorable nieces, Lucette and Violet. We always love going to Boulder, the weather is always sunny and crisp and we truly enjoy the little ones. We got a chance to see WVU play Colorado and although we had a wonderful time at the game and at dinner beforehand (the kids stayed home with a babysitter, so it was rare night out for Ben and I), WVU lost in overtime :( Thank goodness my parents are currently on a cruise in Europe and did not have to watch the game live (I don't think my mom could have taken it!).

Everett was a good traveler (although he refused to sleep on either flight!), and got three teeth while we were in Boulder, which translated into a few tough nights for mom and dad. He is such a happy little man and continues to be the light of our life. How did we get so lucky? We ask ourselves that each day. Everett truly amazes us. Here are some pictures of our trip and visit with Amelia and Lanna!

End of Summer

I cannot believe how quickly time has passed these past few weeks! The summer flew by and Everett had his seventh month birthday over Labor Day weekend. We spent a few days up in Long Beach Island, NJ with Abby, Ben's uncle, John, his wife Linda, his cousin, Amy and her husband, Dan and their kids Peter and Katie. We had the best weather and a great time. This time was much more fun with Everett on the beach. When we were in Pawleys, he was not yet sitting up, but this time he was! He sat on the beach for hours and played in the sand (ate a lot of it!) and watched the waves. We went on a few walks, ate a bunch of yummy meals prepared by Linda and Amy and just enjoyed being with family. Here are some pictures of our trip!

In other exciting news, my little sister, Emily got engaged to her boyfriend, Matt Reinert. We could not be more excited, we love Matt already like he is a member of the family! They have not picked a date yet, but probably sometime next fall. So happy for them, they make a wonderful couple. As co-matrons of honor, Jenni and I are thrilled! Lots of planning ahead.

This morning I co-hosted a surprise baby shower brunch for my roommate from law school, Marcela, who was in town from Puerto Rico. We had such a good time and pulled off the surprise- which is hard to do in this information age! I cannot wait for baby girl Jenkins arrival in mid-December.

We are also looking forward to an exciting fall, a visit from twin cousin Amelia, a visit from one of my dear friends from Arizona (via Thailand), a trip out to Boulder to see the LeMaires and a trip to Morgantown for some Mountaineer Football with Emily and Matt and my parents in early October. Everett continues to be the light of our life, having such a good time with him!

Viva Las Vegas!

Ben and I just returned from our first weekend away from Everett! We went to Las Vegas with our dear friends, Jess and Cliff, for two days of fun in Sin City. After a rough start on the outbound flight (four hour delay!) we arrived in Vegas on Friday night. Had a wonderful time, ate at great restaurants, got a wonderful massage at the Bellagio Spa, won a little money playing black jack, hung out at the pool....and of course lots of time missing our little man. My parents spent the weekend with Everett and by all accounts had a wonderful time. I think they really enjoyed spending so much time with Everett and he loved it too! It was great to get away for a little while with each other. We cannot believe how quickly the summer has gone by. Everett is now sitting up by himself and is getting more fun and interactive each day. He continues to be a very happy child, a wonderful eater, and the world's best sleeper-- we are truly blessed!

Here are a few pictures of our trip to Vegas.

Dis Bugdayi

Our very dear friends are Turkish and this past weekend their little girl had what is called a Dis Bugdayi party because she had cut her first tooth. Well, since we were there to celebrate her milestone and Everett has cut his first tooth too, we put him on the blanket to see what profession he will have when he gets older. The result? An engineer! He had a lot of options (artist, lawyer, writer, architect, etc.) and our little guy chose the protractor. See you at MIT in 2026!

Six Month Birthday!

Everett had his six month doctor's appointment today and is a healthy, growing boy! His measurements are 21 lbs (95%), 27 3/4 in. long (90%) and 18 in. head circum (95%). He did not even cry with his shots and even smiled at the nurse when she left the room (she said that was a first!). We cannot believe he is already six months old. He truly has been a blessing in our life and we are so thankful every morning when we see his smiling face. Here is a picture of Everett smiling at his daddy. We just love him!

Pawleys Island

We just returned from 10 days at the beach in Pawleys Island, South Carolina and had the most wonderful time! I have been going to Pawleys every summer for the past 32 years and it was very special to bring Everett for the first time and share with him all the positive memories I have of the island. Every year we go with my sisters, brothers in law, aunts, uncles and mom and dad. It is a fun filled week of family dinners, hours at the beach, long walks and playing poker and card games. Everett was such an amazing baby the whole week, he slept like a champ and had so much fun being held by all his family members. I loved spending time with my family, especially my adorable nieces, Lucette and Violet. They are such sweet caring little girls and I had such fun with them. Here are some pictures of our trip!

Water Babies!

Since I spent so much of my childhood at the pool and on swim teams, I want to get Everett introduced to the water early....well, maybe I have started a little too early :) Arlington County offers Water Babies classes for children from 6 months forward. Well, since I seem to think Everett is advanced at all things he does (don't all mothers?), I signed him up for a class that began when he was 4 1/2 months. Well, it turns out there is a reason they want the kids to be six months-- any younger and they simply are not into it and do not get much out of the class. Nevertheless, Everett seems to like the water (although he just stares at the rest of the kids splashing and kicking and picking up rubber duckies) and generally is very pleasant in the water. Here are some pictures of his first two classes, you can see that mom and dad take turns being in the water with him. We continue to have so much fun with the little guy and love him more each day! Here is our little Olympian in training :)