England (Uncle Adrian and Aunt Helen's wedding)

Ez is a world traveller! She made her second trip to England for a very exciting event...her Uncle Adrian and Aunt Helen's wedding! It was a truly beautiful day and the bride and groom couldn't have looked happier.

The ceremony took place at a church in Bushey. This church is very special to Adrian and Helen because both Stuart and Miles were christened there and it is where Helen was confirmed.



I love this picture. We forgot our camera at Stephen's parent's house (go figure- me forgetting something!) and had to rely on Richard and Jill's camera. They got some really nice shots.


The proud Parents of the Groom


Auntie Norah and Grandma Jill


Mama and Esme Jean


Cousin Miles and Cousin Stuart


The second prettiest lady at the wedding (coming only behind the bride, of course!)


Brothers. Stephen read a Shakespearian sonnet during the ceremony.


The beautiful venue. The Grim's Dyke was home to Gilbert and Sullivan and was very lovely. We had a spectacular room as well!


We were lucky enough to be invited to stay with Grandma Jill and Granddad Bailey while we were in England. Jill is a fabulous host and spoiled us with lovely dinners and endless pots of tea!

The exterior of Richard and Jill's home


Granddad and Esme (check out Ezzy's shiner on her forehead!).


Ez, Gram and Auntie Norah


The Bailey Family


We went on a few walks and even found a playground with swings!

Happy girl on a walk




Daddy loves pushing Ez on the swing. In this case a super odd English baby swing... :)


We put Ez in this spinny thing...she loved it! I would have been ill!


Gram, Daddy and a sleepy baby! This was half way through our walk along the Flitch way (to this sign and back)!


We also met some distant relatives on this trip. Jill's cousin Betty and her daughter made a trip to Little Dunow for dinner and and a good long visit. Betty made some beautiful jumpers for Esme before she was born and gave us another when we met her. She is a lovely lady and extremely thoughtful.

Esme at 8 months

Esme's 8 month doctor appointment went well. She is developing well and is meeting and exceeding all of her milestones. The only noteworthy thing at this month's appointment was the fact that she didn't grow! She gained two ounces and a quarter of an inch. If I am being totally honest, I think the nurse at the previous appointment made a mistake with her measurements. The scales at my doctor's office are ancient and don't look entirely accurate.

The doctor said not to worry- Esme is a healthy weight and height for her age. I do like my doctor's but I do not think that their office is up to par. If I could do things over again, I would probably choose a doctor with a more modern office and more modern tools.

At 8 months

Esme can...

Sit up from laying position
Crawl
Pull up sporadically (she pulls up regularly at 8.5 months)
Feed herself finger food
Babble non stop (mama, dada, baba, nana and other things)
Entertain herself (she loves books and stuffed toys)
Clap
Wave

Esme likes...

The cats- she lights up when she sees them.
Baths
Little Gym
Going for walks
Playing with Savannah
Straws (coincidently, the cats like straws too and she teases them with them!)
Water bottles
Mama's keys and phone
Food!
Standing up or turning around in her stroller
Sleeping on her side or stomach
When Daddy gets home from work

Esme Dislikes...

Having her face wiped
Diaper changes
Lentils and plain yogurt
Bonking her head
Getting out of the bath
Having her hair brushed
Sitting still

At seven and a half months, Ez decided to stop sleeping through the night. I have had a charmed life since she was been born with her sleeping through the night and now I really appreciate it! I don't know what the solution is but I need to fix it ASAP!

Bring your kid to Work day (Aug 26,2010)

Stephen's workplace, Barclays Capital, hosted a bring your kid to work day. Stephen was really excited to show off his beautiful daughter and signed her up straight away.

We rode into the city as a family and spent the day at Stephen's office. Stephen no longer sits at a cubicle and has been given an office to share with one other person. It is a very nice office!

Ez and Daddy at his desk


There were a lot of arts and crafts to do (mostly geared at older children) and daddy helped Esme with hers. She made lots of things but her favorite activity was the balloon man! He made her a pink elephant!


A sneaky shot of daddy "helping" Esme make sand art


Esme is really into her food these days. She loves to make a mess and loves to try new things.


She loves to make and mess but she HATES being cleaned off. She shrieks like a banshee!


The kid LOVES water bottles. Give her a bottle and she is in heaven!


Esme is an amazing little girl. She has the most joyous and loving personality I have ever seen in a baby. She plays to the camera, shows off to strangers and is an absolute joy to have around. I love her so much....and she is darn cute to boot!

Her cheeky smile


I'm ready for my close up...


Take more pictures of me, Mama!

Bell Ringer BBQ in Brooklyn (July 31,2010)

One of the learner Bel RIngers at Trinity decided to throw a BBQ for the rest of the ringers. Martha, the host, and her husband Tigger have a beautiful home in Brooklyn and were kind enough to have everyone over. The food was plentiful, the drinks were flowing and we were even lucky enough to have some entertainment thanks to the host and her husband!

Martha took Esme into the pool they have in their backyard and Ez couldn't have been happier! She loves the water!







Great Grandma Marcia and Great Grandpa Glen sent Esme a cute little summer dress. We took some pictures of her in the outfit to show Great Gram and Gramps and I think they turned out pretty cute!

My little Strawberry angel!




Esme is now on the move. At about 7 1/2 months she was able to scoot around on her bottom to get where she wanted to go. These pictures were taken when she started to do a bear crawl position and got on all fours and attempted to crawl.

Esme's bear crawl stance


Trying to escape!


I snapped this picture really quick and, as you can see, was a little off! This was her first real stand. No more sleeping in the bassinet!


Cute as can be...with rock star hair to boot!


Showing off her skills


Here is one of Ezzy's first attempts at crawling. The fact that meal ol Mama had her in slippery pajamas probably didn't help.

Surprise...

Esme Jean is going to be a big sister!

We found out on July 29th that we are expecting baby number two! I am hoping for a little sister for Esme...I think having two little princesses would be absolutely perfect! Especially if the next one is as perfect as Esme is!

I didn't believe the first test so I bought one with words...


Once reality sunk in.


My first sonogram was on August 5, 2010


The second sonogram 8/19/2010


I had my first trimester scan on 8/31/10 and I heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time. It was pretty exciting!

Seattle part III

BBQ on the Hill

We had a great BBQ on the hill and invited a lot of family and friends. Ez was the bell of the ball (as usual) and had more attention than she knew what to do with.

We didn't get many pictures (we were busy talking and catching up) but here are a few...

Ez with Grandma Michelle


Ez with "Uncle" Al


A quick snap shot of the BBQ- Uncle Ken holding Ez


We took a trip to Chateau St.Michelle to get a special bottle of champagne for my friend Michelle's wedding. Ez had a good time feeding the ducks with Grandma while Mama and Daddy looked around the wine shop...it is such a beautiful setting!







The next exciting thing we did was spend the day at the Woodland Park Zoo. This was extra special because my youngest cousin, Bradley, got to join us. Stephen, Ez, my mom, Brent, Jenise, Joey and Bradley and I had a great time at the zoo. Ez really loves animals and cant get enough of them!

My little cousin is the biggest ham I know. He had fun playing with Ez and posing with all of the statues in the park!

Cousin Brad holding Ez, Joey up front


Joey and Jenise (Jenise is engaged to my cousin TJ)


Ez sleeping with her new "Sophie" from Grandma and Brent


Brad and Joey


Brad being...Brad


Mama and Esme


Brad and Esme


The gang at the zoo


That evening, we had dinner with Pap Franz at Olive Garden. We didn't get any pictures (I forgot) but he had a really nice time and it was great to catch up.

After dinner with Pa, we met up with Tiffany, Paul and some of his friends for a pub quiz at Jamers work. WE WON! We won a total of $68 between 8 of us and had an absolute blast. Tiff def found a great guy!

On our way to meet up with Dave and Vicki in Leavenworth, we stopped off in Marysville to see my paternal Great Grandma Edith (Ezzy's great great grandma). My Dad, Grandma Billie, Cousin Noel, her daughter Faith, Aunt Peggy and Uncle Tom were also there. It was really great to get 5 generation pictures...not many people have the opportunity to do that kind of thing! My uncle Tom, Noel and her daughter Faith also took five gen pics. Very exciting. Grandma Edith seemed to be in really good shape and she enjoyed playing with the babies.

Five Generations


Two Sets of Five!


Great Grandma reaching for Ezzy


Great Great Grandma, Grandpa and Esme


Great Grandma Billie meets Ezzy for the first time


We spent a night at Dave and Vicki;s cabin and, as usual, had a great time. Vicki made some killer Spaghetti and we had a good laugh. We even made a trip over to Kathy's house for a dip in the pool. Fun stuff!

Playing with cousin Zachary


In her playpen


Kathy's beautiful indoor pool


Daddy and a very sleepy Peepers


Esme and Grandpa Dave


The most exciting thing on our to do list this visit was Greg and Michelle's wedding. Michelle is super eclectic and quirky and I knew her wedding would be amazing...it was! It had a fab location, great food and good people! The bride looked stunning. Little Aves looked like a princess and the whole event was perfect. It was really nice seeing friends from the past that I haven't seen in a long time. All in all a perfect day!

The Ceremony


Mama and Ezzers


Meg, Julie and Esme


Ez fell asleep in god mama's arms


The second prettiest lady at the wedding (second only to the bride, of course!)


Daddy and Esme


We ended our trip with a relaxing day at Grandpa John and Grandma Gale's. Esme had fun swimming nakers in the pool and we had a nice visit.

Grandma Gale and Ez


Peepers


Grandpa and Ez