Beach

We had our first outing as a family of four this weekend; we went to Lake Elmo Beach on Friday, and everyone had a good time, although, as you can see, the excitement of the surroundings was pretty much lost on Charlie...here he is sound asleep in the sling:


But Ava had a blast swimming and playing in the sand with Daddy.




The beach is close by, just a 15-minute drive, so this is hopefully just the first of many trips this summer.

The Newest "Woodbury Walker"

Anyone who follows this blog should already have this info, but I'll put it on for posterity's sake...
Charles Joseph Walker was born on Sunday, June 7 at 7:44 P.M. at Woodwinds Hospital. Charlie weighed 9 pounds, 8 ounces and was 21 3/4 inches long.
We came home Tuesday afternoon, and it has been a pretty smooth adjustment. Ava adores him and is handling the change really well, thanks in no small part to all of the extra attention from her grandparents. She thinks he is super-cute and loves to stroke his hair and talk to him.
Charlie is doing great. He is an avid nurser, and in fact actually gained a few ounces in the hospital. So far, he is a content baby and does not cry much; when he does cry, he is easily soothed. I'm hoping this is an indication of his temperament and not just the newborn honeymoon phase!
Here are a few pictures...

Charlie


Daddy


Oma


Big Sister Ava


Eating lunch and watching a movie at the hospital


Grandma


Grandpa


Time to go home


I didn't direct this shot - isn't it sweet?


Opa (finally, a boy in the family!)

Feline Pedicure?

No, I didn't do this for cosmetic purposes...it's our last-ditch effort to avoid declawing Millie. They're called SoftClaws, and they're these little sleeves that fit over a cats' claws - it's been a couple of hours, and she seems to be used to them and all ten are still on, so keep your fingers crossed...



Hot pink was a great choice, no?

Brownies!

We made brownies the other day. I'm not sure which was messier:
Licking the batter (don't worry, no eggs in them!)...

Or eating them fresh out of the oven...

I'd say it's a toss-up; either way, they were delicious!!!

Family Portrait

Ava is getting pretty handy with a crayon - I thought this picture was just classic...



Daddy, Mommy & Ava, in case you couldn't figure it out! :)

Bowling

Ava has been bowling three or four times now, but this was the first time I remembered to bring my camera! Today we tried a bowling alley in Hudson, and let's just say...it was a little...old school, to say the least. (As in, you had to write down your scores on a piece of paper, if that tells you anything!) And there were definitely no handy bumpers that moved up and down per player. So, Joe got the benefit (and, yes, there was more than one occasion where he benefited) of the bumpers, too! Anyway, Ava was oblivious to the limitations of the facility, and she had a great time as always. :)



You only wish you had form like this!


A little to the left...


What can we say? Knocking down six pins at once is exciting!

Tinkerbelle Party

Last Friday, a Star Wars party; this Friday a Tinkerbell princess party...what can I say? Ava is an equal-opportunity partier. Thus far, we haven't forayed too much into the land of Princess, but I signed her up for this party through Parks & Recreation, and she really got into it.

Here she is all dressed in her Tinkerbell costume, modeling for Dad who met us for lunch beforehand. (We hadn't yet changed into the fancy shoes!)


There were about 20 little girls, all dressed in party attire. Here are Ava and a few others playing a matching game.


Making a fairy wand.


Getting a Tinkerbell 'do: green spray with glitter!


Ava and Tinkerbell!