Who is that star under those shades?

It's Evie! But those sunglasses were off in about two seconds!

Father's Day Celebrations

Lucky Evie got to spend Father's Day Weekend with both families. We were in Spring Lake where all four McDonald brothers and now four babies gathered on Saturday for a Father's Day celebration - where we celebrated four fathers! Here is Evie and her cousin Julianna. Poor Jules, the oldest baby, had to deal with some crying cousins while taking pictures!

What I did on my summer vacation by Evie McDonald

Make way for ducklings? Make way for Evie!

This week the family took off for our first vacation, National Lampoon-style. We headed up the coast to New England, trying to escape all the rain. First stop was Spring Lake, where Popi and Grandma Bee-bee loaded us up with ham & cheese sandwiches for our trip up to Boston on Sunday. We visited Katie and Christian in Somerville where I had my first encounter with a cat.We had a lovely time walking through the old haunts, from Faneuil Hall through the Downtown Mall to the Boston Common to Newbury Street. We had dinner at one of Mom & Dad's favorites, Tapeo's, but I slept through the pitchers of sangria and tapas.


The next morning it was a little cloudy and dreary, so we explored the new parks above the Big Dig before heading to the New England Acquarium. We saw penguins, sharks, and lots of jellyfish. I had the most fun at the touch and feel tank, where I put my hands right in the water to feel a starfish. Then Mom and Dad shared their favorite Boston foods with me - an Anna's Taquiera burrito and Dino's meatball sub from the North End. Then we were off to the Cape!

The sun was shining so our first activity after checking in was a trip to Pirate's Cove to play some miniature golf. I came along in my stroller and laughed at Mom's and Dad's moves on the putting green - for some reason I found their actions hilarious. The next day we had breakfast in Harwich at Bonatt's, home of the melt-away. I ate a whole bunch of hashbrowns all by myself, and about, oh, 35% of them got into my mouth and not on the floor. The sun had come out by the afternoon so we went to the beach in the afternoon, and then at night we drove out to Wellfleet for my first drive-in movie to see "Up"! Well, it still counts if you sleep through it, right? The next day was beautiful so we spent lots of time on the beach before checking out a Cape Cod League baseball game.


On our last day in the Cape, we took the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, where I took a ride on the country's oldest carousel. At first I was a little scared but thankfully Mommy held me tight.

Off to C'ville for a reunion!

The family traveled down to Charlottesville to celebrate Mom's reunion at UVA. Mommy was able to see lots of friends and visit her old stomping grounds, including her first-year dorm, Dabney, and Newcomb Hall, where she spent many hours. Here is Evie in her UVA hat. Evie was a real trooper and enjoyed attending the parties before she konked out. She also loved showing off her walking skills on the Lawn... and even walked right past Katie Couric!

On Sunday it was a hot day so we tried out Evie's new baby pool at Ba's and Opa's, while Ba Co and Uncle Minh looked on. At first the water must have been a little cold as she tried to escape (see video), but then she was playing in it happily just like her bath. This week she has picked up two new habits: growling and grinding her teeth (it looks like her two top teeth are coming out!).

Fun in the Sun and Sand!

The family was off to Spring Lake this weekend to visit Popi and Grandma Beanie. Daddy ran in the Spring Lake Five race (5-miler) on Saturday morning, as the family cheered him on at the 4-mile point. Out of nearly 9500 runners and walkers, Daddy came in 17th place - not too shabby! What a fun tradition to kick-off the summer!

Surfer Girl Evie!

Then taking advantage of the beautiful weather, the family went to the beach where Evie seemed to like the sand and surf. She walked up and down the beach with the help of Mommy and Daddy and even walked eagerly into the water despite the chilly 50 degree temperatures! Mom and Dad were squealing but she seemed to like it, even when a big wave came and splashed her in her stomach! She didn't seem to mind sitting in the sand either. Looks like she's going to be a beach baby for sure...

Exploring a big sand pit with the Spring Lake pavilion in the background.

A Hawaiian girl just like her mommy, chilling under the umbrella just like her daddy...

Yes, that is Mommy shrieking, not Evie, at the cold water.

It was otherwise a very big week for Evie, as three new friends arrived this week, and they're all boys! Cousin Stan arrived on Monday, healthy and happy, and his sister Julianna must have been happy that they wouldn't have to share a birthday. On Wednesday, Mommy's friend Beth Jeronimus had another son, Jake. And then on Sunday, Mommy's other friend Priya had a little boy, Sachin, all the way in California! Sachin's joining another big sister, Sonali. Phew! Should make for some fun play times!

Sunset Wine Festival at Mount Vernon

Whoops, Mommy has been a little delinquent on her postings from last week, but the family had a fun-filled weekend that started Friday with taking Ba and Opa to a wine festival at Mount Vernon. The sunset view was quite pretty as the music floated over the lawn, although some of the Virginia wines we tasted were... interesting. Evie seemed a little nervous around all the people and was a little scared of Martha Washington, but overall seemed to have a good time. She was fascinated with the sheep kept on the grounds.


Auntie Mellie and Brian were then in town to visit, and we went to a Greek restaurant followed by another Nationals vs. Phillies games, but this time we had great seats four rows about the Phillies dug-out, thanks to Mel's dad. The game was going great until the sixth inning when the sky opened up and we got poured on! Yikes!

A Day for Mothers!

Lucky Evie got to celebrate Mother's Day with THREE mommies - Mommy, Ba, and Grandma! We had beautiful weather to enjoy Daddy's great brunch of quiche, sausages, chocolate chip pancakes, cinnamon rolls and fruit salad - all of mommy's favorites. Everyone was all smiles as they thanked their moms for always being the best.