Sea Island

After spending a week at the beach with Tim's family, we enjoyed five days on Georgia's coastline for a work retreat with Tim's colleagues. We experienced five-star accomodations and service, but that didn't stop Rory from dancing the night away under the vaulted ceiling of her room with her mommy! The Cloister at Sea Island gave us a taste of the high life, with formal dining most evenings and an array of activities during the day.
True, we did have to make many clothing changes throughout the day, which allowed Rory to run around naked a little more often than at home (that five-star service would have included cleaning the carpets had Rory had an accident, right?) Seriously, our room was one of the best parts of the trips!... It combined old-world interior design with new-world conveniences (ask Sarah about enjoying the television over the bathtub).
We did, however, occasionally venture outside our hotel room. In fact, Rory took her first bike ride. Unfortunately, the helmet kept slipping over her eyes, so I can't say it was her most enjoyable outing. The island was beautiful, but bloody hot in the high summer months, which meant that most of our time outdoors was spent ...
... at the pool (that's Rory's butt sticking up in the air in the center of this picture). The new "beach club" had opened just one week before our arrival and boasted three separate pools, beach volleyball (Daddy's team came in third place), a jungle gym, outdoor dining, and much more. On the days that daddy was holed up in the "lodge" with his work colleagues, Rory and her mommy hung out with all of the other families at the pool.
In fact, Rory had quite the possy of other one-year olds, including Andrew (foreground) and Jack (background with his mommy, Katie). Many of daddy's work-related activities were kid-friendly, including this Southern picnic (don't ask Tim about enjoying the bourbon sours).
In this picture, Rory admires Andrew's stylish hat.
Rory especially enjoyed the lion fountains.
Yes, Rory was treated like the little princess on this vacation.
But at night, when Rory was fast asleep, her parents would hand her over to a babysitter and enjoy their evenings with the other adults!

Rory Walks

I just wanted to mark this date as the moment that Rory took her first stable, unassisted steps. At 11.5 months of age, Rory took five steps forward from the coffee table to her mommy, while clutching a toy in her hand! I'm sure that it will be several more weeks before Rory is running around the house (on her own), but it was just such a special moment that I wanted to share the news.

Beach Fun Continued

Why on earth would this child be tired?
Could it be the hours of soccer that she played with her Uncle Mike?

(That's whom Rory is looking at with such admiration.)
Could it be the hours of "cornhole" that she played with her cousins?

(Rory's t-shirt was a gift from Vicki and her boys, George and Clay, who are pictured below. The t-shirt reads: "Don't you wish your grandma was hot like mine?" The hot grandma is also pictured below.)
Could it be the long walks down the fashion runway?
Could it be pressure to perform funny tricks at every meal to delight her adoring fans?
Could it be the action-packed days at the beach?
Could it be all the gossip that Rory and Leah engaged in? (Yes, girls, George and Clay are pretty cute.)
Could it be all the standing that Rory practiced?...
....Or the crazy applause she gave herself when she was able to stand unassisted?
Could it have been all the long walks with her grandmother?
Or could it have been all the pictures that Rory had to pose for?

Rory's First Beach Trip

On Monday, Rory had her first taste of Emerald Isle! And she proved herself a true beach baby. This was the first year that Rory could join her father's extended family at their annual vacation to this North Carolinian destination. Rory, Sarah, and I flew from D.C. to N.C. on Sunday, and we were picked up at the airport by Rory's grandma and Aunt Chelle. We drove to our condo complex, where dozens of family and friends awaited.
In this picture above, Rory's cousin Leah helps Rory with her first few tentative steps on the sand. After only a few minutes, Rory dove right into the sand. Her grandmother ensured that Rory had many, many beach accessories from which to choose, including this set of sand toys. Rory had many fans on the beach that she delighted with her smiles ...
... and snot! Unfortunately, Rory is still getting over a little cold.
Eventually, Rory convinced her daddy to take her into the ocean, pausing at the water's edge for one last look before ...
... Taking her first step into the Atlantic ...
... and declaring the experience quite a fun one!
Rory enjoyed stomping around in the surf.
And she showed no fear of the waves. It was her daddy who had to hold her back!
Rory broke free and crawled out to the sea!
After all of that activity, Rory and her daddy took their first nap on the beach.
Rory proved the better napper, and ended up taking one of the best, longest naps in her beach tent.
She was such a good beach bum!
When our little dune duchess awoke, she and her mommy took a little walk before calling it a day.

Rory's First Fourth

"I celebrated my very first Fourth of July this past week! Mommy let daddy dress me for our big picnic in the park!... Can you tell? Apparently, blue t-shirts and brown shorts run in the family. At the park, we played on the swing set and the jungle gym, we ate a picnic lunch, and we walked in the woods."
"Unfortunately, a bad squirrel stole mommy's cookie (even though it was wrapped in plastic) and ran away with it high into a tree!"
"Back at home, daddy danced with me. A special patriotic jig. I'm a much better dancer ... and singer. Really, he should stop his craziness."
"But the best part of the day was when we went to Ian's house, and he let me play in his BIG POOL OF COLORFUL BALLS!!!!!!.... all by myself!!!!!"
"Daddy and mommy ate BBQ with the other parents while Ian, Renny, and I played in the BIG POOL OF COLORFUL BALLS."
"We had sooooo much fun at the Doerrer BBQ, I just had to give our hosts a big round of applause!"

Folk Life

"It's your weekend update from Rory! As you can see, mommy and daddy insist upon putting me in these silly sun hats when I tell them that I want to go outside. This weekend, I took my parents to the Smithsonium's Folk Life Festival on the Mall. Daddy enjoyed the beer in the 'Northern Ireland' part of the festival, and he showed me where my great-great-great-great grandfather sailed from Ireland to America a long time ago. Mommy liked the history found in the 'Roots of Virginia' section. And me?...
"I liked the interesting people that I met in the 'Mekong' exhibit, which featured the folk from Thailand and Vietnam. This nice man even let me play with his drum! A crowd formed around me as I sang a soulful song. Next year, the Folklife Festival should feature "Rory's Kingdom" and showcase the life and times of me, because clearly I'm a crowd pleaser!"
"Later, I entertained my fan club with a dance with Peacock Man. He rocks."
"I had fun with mommy at the festival, although she wanted to spend way too long in the 'fish traps' booth..."
"...Although the fish traps were pretty cool."
"On Sunday, I took daddy and mommy to a fundraiser for Justin Wilson, who is running for a place on the Alexandria City Council. My friend Renny hosted! We took this photo at her house. Renny's parents had a wonderful spread for friends and neighbors who came out to hear Mr. Wilson talk.