"Beach" Day!

With it being so hot lately, we decided to take Aubrey to one of the beaches in Rhode Island. We ended up in Warren at a place that can only loosely be termed a "beach," but it had sand and water (and wasn't at all crowded), so Aubrey had a good time. And that was the point, after all.

She started with a little sand play.

And apparently she didn't love all the photos.

But she did find a cool shell and bring it to us!

Eventually, we worked our way out to the water.

And even though it was cold, Aubrey was a fan. She started out slow.

But she really got into it after awhile!

 And then it was time for a snack on Daddy's lap. In her super cute hat.

I think we wore her out a bit...

So we ended our outing with some ice cream sundaes at Friendly's! Aubrey had only two bites of ice cream, and this is what she looked like after. Awesome.

As the summer heats up even more, I'm sure we'll be hitting the beach with more frequency. Next time we'll have to try a place with actual waves! That should be interesting...

Memorial Day Parade

This year, I felt pretty strongly that we should spend part of Memorial Day actually remembering and honoring those who have died fighting for our country. So we went as a family to the parade and memorial service in Attleboro.

Here we are waiting (in the shade!) for the festivities to start. Aubrey missed the family photo memo, apparently.

But we managed to get a solo shot of her cuteness.

Aw, we're matching in patriotic red!

Aubrey got bored waiting for the parade to start, so Daddy took her for a walk.

And another family shot...

For some reason, the Attleboro YMCA had a float with the Avengers on it. Here are Aubrey and Daniel with all of them. But who is the chick in the red coat on the left?

Aubrey didn't last for the entire memorial service after the parade, but we got to at least be there for a good chunk of it. Here we are waiting for it to start.

I feel now like I should have gotten parade photos too, but I didn't. Oh well. Anyway, I think we'll make this a family tradition, so maybe I'll snap some shots next year!

Texas and California Trip

In April, Aubrey and I had the opportunity to visit my side of the family in a whirlwind tour of the U.S.

I was terrified about taking several long plane rides with a 1-year-old who considers sitting still to be a form of torture, but I was blessed to sit next to wonderful, patient, child-friendly people and meet many Good Samaritans on my way. On a Southwest flight, one woman did make eye contact with me, ask if the middle seat beside me was open, and then say with great disdain as she reached my row, "Oh, you have a baby" before walking away. But she was the exception, thankfully.

And hey, I even got Aubrey to sleep on the plane! Aww, isn't she sweet?

And the airport provided many new distractions, which was helpful.

Our first stop was Dallas, where we got to hang out with the Nelsens. We had a picnic (Aubrey's first!).

Where Aubrey got to try Oreos for the first time. Yum.

Cousin Colin even let Aubrey wear his jacket when she got cold! 

And we hung out with some cute boys.

And Aubrey, despite having roseola while we were there (poor girl!), managed to do lots of laughing.

Next up was a visit to the McEuens in San Jose. While we were there, we of course had to visit the beach. It was Aubrey's first time, and she loved the sand.

It was also very windy (hence the face)...

And here are all of the cute McEuen boys with Aubrey!

A shot of Mommy's and Aubrey's feet. Awww. :)

Here's Aubrey's first time touching the ocean! It was a chilly day, so we only dipped her little feet in.

Aubrey also had her first taste of macaroni and cheese (which you can barely see at the bottom of the photo below). She's a big fan.

The last stop on our tour was Grandma's and Grandpa's house in San Diego.

We got to visit the zoo and see the animals:

And even pet some!

The goats were all fine and good, but one fluffy sheep sent Aubrey into hysterics. Go figure.

We also had lots of fun just playing outside at Grandma and Grandpa's house. The warm weather was such a nice change from all the snow and cold we left in Massachusetts.

And, of course, Aubrey got showered with affection by Grandma and Grandpa. 

She loved being the center of attention. And we can't wait to see everyone again in August!