Summer Lovin'

Avery's first summer is off to a great start!  (Well, yes, technically summer doesn't start until June 21st, but I consider the first nice weather streak to be the "real" kickoff, especially in San Diego!)

Avery had a fun playdate with Mr. Nicholas Wilkie and there were a ton of precious moments caught on camera...

What is Avery more excited about?  The cute boy in front of her or the fact that she can almost fit the entire block in her mouth?!

It may be a little too early for a first kiss, but...how will you know if you don't try?

Mirror me!

Fun playdate!  We LOVE the Wilkies!

Avery is very social and loves being around people, so this playdate was especially fun to see how excited she got to have a friend to play with.  Watching the two little ones play together definitely reinforced the idea that babies know when they see other babies...the way they look at each other and interact is very unique and intimate on a whole different level.

When Avery gets excited, whether it's playing with a new friend or going on walks and seeing new people/things, she flaps her arms like a little bird.  Too cute for words, so a video will have to do!

We spent the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend at the Goad's with some friends and secretly, I was hoping that Amanda would go into labor, because we cannot wait to meet Quinn!  She'll be here any day now and the anticipation is intense.  As much as Avery loves all of her boyfriends (at this point, all of our friends have boys!), there's something to be said about a girlfriend!

What a beautiful group of friends!

Memory lane...Simpsons and Goads pre-Avery and Quinn!

We spent the morning of Memorial Day with my parents at the Mount Soledad Memorial in La Jolla.  It was more moving than I expected to read through all of the plaques and see pictures of the men and women who fought for our freedom.  And, there were quite a few "family" plaques that paid tribute to entire families and generations of soldiers.  One of the more heart-tugging plaques was one dedicated to four brothers who all died in WWII.

It's important to Jeff and I to continue the tradition with Avery that my parents started years ago...taking time to reflect upon the importance of the day, as well as pay tribute to all those brave men and women who put their heart and sole on the line for their country and our freedom.

I like that all the "famous" soldiers were not given any special placement or exhibit...you had to look hard to find any celebrities.

A beautiful day at the top of La Jolla!

Hanging out with Dad and reflecting on the day...

We spent Memorial Day evening hanging out with our neighbors and enjoying some delicious food.  We are lucky to live in a neighborhood with so many young children and fun parents!  Avery loves watching the older kids ride their bikes up and down the street and kick the soccer ball around...she'll be out there with them in no time.   

We have been taking Avery in the pool for about a month now, but this past Saturday was her first official swim lesson at the Y (as official as a swim lesson can be at 8.5 months).  She LOVED it!  She is very comfortable in the water and loves to splash! 

Avery and Jeff chatting about how much fun they're having! 

She'll be surfing in no time...

Practicing the butterfly.  :-)

On the milestone front, Avery can roll around and scoot backwards with the best of them, but still hasn't managed to get onto all fours to start the crawling phase.  All in due time!  She is a fantastic eater and can't get enough of peaches and sweet potatoes (who can?!).  She loves books and gets a kick out of the narrator when they make animal noises ("moooooo" is at the top of her list!!).  She also loves banging on things...I think our new toy will have to be a tambourine! 

Funny picture time...

I'm a model.  This is my "fierce" face.