Evie's first office picnic and BBQ, all in one weekend!

Evie got to experience quite the weekend, full of tasty treats and meeting lots of people. First off on Friday was Mommy's office picnic, where everyone loved Evie's cheeks. She enjoyed the music and walking around, was nonchalant about hanging around Andrew, but most of all liked her little bite of ice cream.

Here is Evie enjoying her first bites of watermelon!

Then on Saturday we headed over to Jules' house for a BBQ. Before the thunderstorms came, Evie enjoyed playing with the bubble machine and watching the big kids, Alex and Ryan, run around. After awhile she even got used to Guinness, Jamison, and Indy, the doggies. She was tuckered out at the end of the night, falling asleep on the cozy Yankees blanket.

Here Evie is with Mom, Jules, Maya, and Lori.

Up to Pennsylvania, Philly and the Amish countryside

Evie loves walking around the table, and goes pretty quickly when Mommy is chasing her!

Everyday Evie is picking up new talents, like pushing her Radio Flyer wagon by herself and holding her sippy cup. She was particularly proud of her ability to drink her water by herself, so much that she would then spit out the water between her teeth. Which was all good, as it gave her something to amuse herself as the family hit the road this weekend.

The family took a roadtrip this weekend up to Philly for two big celebrations - the return of the Sareen family to the East Coast and little cuz Molly's baptism. On Saturday we picked up Auntie Mel and Uncle Brian in Philly before heading up 467 to the new home of Priya, Amit, Sonali and Sachin. Sonali was so nice to Evie, handing her toys and blocks, and Evie was fascinated with Sonali's toy lawnmower. We all had a lovely time.

Here is Mel (with baby only about 6 weeks away), Priya, little Sachin (2 months old), mommy and Evie.

Sonali handing Evie a block. What a cutie!

Brian had a great time with Evie - especially when he kept poor Misty (the dog) away.

Then on Sunday we traveled to Chester Springs to celebrate Molly's big day. Molly didn't make a peep during the whole ceremony, and was such an angel. At Aunty Karen's and Uncle Wally's home, Evie loved walking around and exploring all the cool new toys.

Who's this cutie? Little Molly in her baptism dress gives a coy smile to Great-Aunt Dellie!

Evie in her polka-dot party dress!

Summer means fountains and fireworks, popsicles and the pool...

Evie showing Molly how her toy works

This weekend Uncle Wally and Aunt Karen brought down cousin Molly for a nice visit. The families had a great time wandering around Old Town, especially in all the cute kids' shops. Evie showed Molly the big fountain by City Hall where we had just been there this morning at the farmer's market, buying fresh corn and peach and blueberry pie, and then her favorite playground down the street. After dinner outside, the sleeping babies laid in their strollers as the family went down to the waterfront to watch the fireworks for Old Town's birthday celebration, which actually were quite impressive.
Sunday got off to a big start when Evie demonstrated the first time she rolled from her back and sat up all by herself! Later that day she even pulled herself up to stand for the first time too!
After some delicious banana-stuffed French toast, made by Daddy the gourmet, the family waved goodbye and safe travels to Wally, Karen and Molly and all settled down for a nice nap.


But we got energized in the afternoon, and decided to head over to Ba and Opa's neighborhood and check out the South Run pool. Evie loved standing and walking through the baby pool - she must have been in there for an hour. She played with her toys and met some new friends at well. By the end of the night, everyone was pooped and went to bed early.

Evie celebrates the Fourth w/blueberry pancakes, baseball, and the beach!

What a wonderful holiday weekend! It started with a visit from Mom & Dad's friend Julie, where Evie could show off her walking and blueberry pancake-eating skills.

Evie loves walking around so every visitor gets the lucky opportunity to hold her hands while she runs around the house. It's very nice to give Mom and Dad's backs a break!

Thanks Jules for snapping this great family pix!

Later that day we were off to see the Nationals play the Braves with Emily and Paul. Thomas Jefferson won the race today, and did a little moonwalk to commemorate Michael Jackson. Unfortunately the Nationals lost (again), but it still was a pretty exciting game to the end. Evie also liked the music and was doing her little up & down dance.

Here is Evie yelling "we want a pitcher, not a belly itcher!"

The next day Ba and Opa were knocking at the door at 6 a.m., because it was time to leave for the beach! The family piled into the Volvo and headed off to Rehoboth, DE, where it was a perfect day for the beach. Evie enjoyed eating her Cheerios, walking around all the chairs and cooler, running into the waves, and destroying Opa's attempt at a sand castle. It was a fun day for all, topped off with some Snickerdoodle frozen custard from the Dairy Godmother in Del Ray.

Are there more Cheerios in here? Let me at 'em!

Evie navigating walking around the beach chairs.

On Sunday the family was recovering from all the fun over the weekend, but it was also a notable day because Evie took her first steps by herself, walking back and forth between Mommy and Ba. Exciting but scary!

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.