Namesake

On Friday, July 17, Blake's mother, aunt and grandmother came for a quick visit. This was the first time Connie and Nan met Evie (who shares Nan's first name, Evelyn). We had drinks at our house, then headed to Ruby Tuesday for dinner. Though very quick, we enjoyed seeing everyone.

Four generations (r to l): Nanny Evelyn (Blake's grandmother), Dorene (Nan's daughter/Blake's mother), Blake and Evelyn (in middle).

All the girls (l to r): Dorene, Aunt Connie (Dorene's sister), Nan and Evie (in middle).

Dinner at Ruby Tuesday

Nan and me

Beach Day

On July 11, our good friends Brian and Debbie invited us to come down to their beach house in St. Teresa for the day. We had a blast and felt very relaxed after our day by the sea! Thanks, Brian and Deb!

Evie: This is the life!

"Uncle" Brian and Miss Evie

Ready to go swimming with Daddy.

Evie's first swim in the Gulf!

What a perfect day!

Evie's First Fourth

Independence Day was extra special this year as it was Evie's first. We celebrated by having some good friends over for dinner (Maranda thank you for the awesome pork barbeque!). Then we walked down to our community's Central Park for a fireworks display that was (surprisingly) very good. All in all, a very happy Fourth of July!


Evie all dressed up for her first Fourth of July!

Evie to Daddy: Just take the picture already!

Ready to go see my first fireworks display!

Getting ready to hoof it to Central Park (l to r): Michael Kinsey, Lauren Kinsey, Brayden Foskey, Blake and Jonathan Foskey (not pictured but also along for the event, Maranda Foskey, Brittney Edgeworth, Kiley and Evie.)

11 Months

Evie turned 11 months on June 30. My how the time is flying! The latest development is that she has sprouted 4 teeth. The first (bottom right) appeared June 14. The second (bottom left) about two weeks later. She cut the top two on the same day, Thursday, July 2nd. Other accomplishments include waving hi (often with both hands, something her Mallard Grandpa taught her), saying Mama and Dada to the appropriate party, drinking whole milk and standing on her own for 2 or 3 seconds at a time.

As we head into the last month of her first year, it is simply unbelievable how much she has grown and changed. Babies and children are truly a miracle from God, and I feel blessed to be able to watch her grow.

Weekend Visitors

The weekend of June 25-28 was a busy one for the Mallard Family. The Chin Family "descended" on the 25th after spending a week at Disney World. Though they only stayed one night, we thoroughly enjoyed having them stay with us. After spending the morning of the 26th at our community pool, they headed back home. Aunt Kim bought the adorable outfit pictured above for Miss Evie at Disney World. Thanks, Aunt Kim!

Evie's Mallard grandparents arrived late in the afternoon on the 26th and spent the rest of the weekend with us. Blake had to attend his company picnic Saturday morning, so Dan, Dorene, Evie and I went to JoAnn's to pick out fabric for window treatments in Evie's bedroom and playroom (pictures coming soon). We went to Famous Dave's for dinner that night, where Grandma Mallard let Evie have her first taste of ice cream. Needless to say, she loved it. Dan and Dorene headed out the next morning.

Though it was a busy weekend, we thoroughly enjoyed having everyone here!