Seeing Princesses

Recently, we flew to Charleston to see Opa Paul's son, Bryan, get married to his princess, Lindsey. Rory was very excited to see her first princess wedding!
Unfortunately, Rory was a little disappointed that she didn't get to accompany the princess in her get-away limo, which made our family shot a little hard to get right.
But Rory and Aven enjoyed their time with Grandma, pictured her at Fort Sumter.

Aven Is Cool

Aven Helps Mommy

Aven Loves Grover

Family Beach, 2010

For Independence Day weekend, Rory and her father drove down to Emerald Isle to enjoy a portion of Daddy's annual family beach week. (Click here for pictures from last year.) Aven (who is not currently a fan of her car seat) stayed behind with her mother, and they enjoyed the relative peace and quiet at home. Do note that Daddy misplaced his camera for most of the trip, and so we have no photographic evidence of the beach itself. Rest assured, he was still able to snap a few pictures ...

On the first morning at the beach, what could have pulled Rory's eyes away from her breakfast?...
... was it Handy Manny? Or was it the large inflatable turtle waiting for her as a surprise?
Mr. Tallulah the Turtle was a big hit at the pool. But Rory enjoyed her new swimming wings even more.
Those wings gave her new-found independence in the pool, so that she could hang with the other ladies of leisure (her grandma, great grandma, and great aunts).
Those wings even gave her the confidence to try and fly into the pool, accompanied by her cousin Emmy.
Rory and Emmy enjoyed a lot of fun together in the pool ...
... and out. What beach beauties! In their summer dresses and with their summer smiles.
Here's the family, pictured here enjoying a picnic dinner together.
Yes, Rory fit right in.
Rory got to try her first set of sparklers!
And plenty of quality time with her Grandma.
Yes, we had a great time!

While the parents are away ...

While Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a weekend by themselves in New York City, their daughters had fun with Nonna, Pops, and Aunt Sydney.
A was pretty excited to get some quality time alone with Nonna. (And to pose for Pop's pictures.)
Aunt Sydney schooled the girls in the fine arts of "chilling" ...
... and baking cookies.

Sommelier in training

"Hmmm, which one shall I choose?"
"Ah, yes, the Linden. Of course. A wonderful selection!"

Portraits of My Daughters

This portrait of Aven, taken by her father, captures her soft smile, her big eyes, her gentle spirit, and her fair hair. There are many facets of my daughter, but we most often see this side of her.
This portrait of Rory, taken by the punk artist herself, captures her rebellious, devil-may-care, "I can do it myself" attitude. Fortunately, we only glimpse these traits in fleeting moments. Do they portend her teenage years?

Learning to Walk

At 13 months, Aven began to take her first steps. Now, at 14 months, Aven can walk several feet unassisted!

For a video of our little walker, click here.

These are a few of Aven's things to do

"I like to copy my big sister!"

"I like to sit on little seats!... Seriously, whenever I see a small chair, stool, or (in this case) a play drum, I like to sit on it. It makes me feel like a big girl!

How do we beat the heat wave?