We are having so much fun with Maddie - she is such a joy! She is talking up a storm and is now starting to use mama and dada when referring to David and myself, rather than in the midst of babbling. When we're eating too, I've been giving her her own spoon to play with and she's able to bring it up to her mouth - so she has the beginnings of being able to eat on her own! True to my California roots, she is loving avocados and she eats a half avocado every morning on the weekends when I have them in the house. She's now eating graham crackers and cheerios too and loving them both!
Here we go on our picture parade...
Auntie Dawn gave Maddie this adorable dress for her birthday and it was warm enough on Easter day for Maddie to wear it. She looked so darn cute!
Here's a great family shot...
And one of the Dawson and West girls...
The weekend after Easter we went to a local park to play. You can tell it had cooled off a bit...we went from having Maddie wearing a sleeveless dress on Easter weekend to a fleece top and jeans the following one! Here she is enjoying the swings - she loves to swing!
We also slid down a slide with her for the first time - it was an instant hit! Here we are after our first ride down the slide...
And a Daddy and me moment too...hanging out up high in a tree!
Enjoying the grassy area at the park...
Last week we rented a house in Bethany Beach, Delaware and my parents flew out to join us on our first family vacation! The weather didn't end up being the greatest, so we weren't able to enjoy the beach and outdoors as much as we had hoped, but it was wonderful to just hang out and relax for a week. I would love to go back again! The house we stayed at was amazing too! Here's a picture of the back of the house, taken from the street between the house and the beach...
The Sunday after we arrived was Mother's Day and it was so neat to spend that with my mom and Maddie! That was the first Mother's Day we'd spent together since I moved away in 2004, so it was long overdue! Mother's Day is so much more special now that we have Maddie. It has always been a wonderful day to tell mom how much I loved her, but after having Maddie, the day has a whole new meaning because you now realize just how much your mom loves you and the insane amount of love, time, nurturing and care she has given you. Thank you to all of you moms!
On Mother's Day we visited a neighboring town, Rehoboth Beach, that has some amusement park rides on the boardwalk. We lucked out that the weekend we arrived is the weekend that the boardwalk and rides had opened up for the summer season. Most of the rides were geared towards kids older than her, but there was a cage ferris wheel that she and I went on, and also a merry-go-round that she and David went on. She seemed to love the rides! I have a sneaking suspicion she is going to love roller coasters when she gets older!
Here we are on the ferris wheel and merry-go-round...
In the downtown Bethany Beach area, there was a great park with a lot of kiddie swings and little slides. We went there a couple times and Maddie loved playing and watching the other kids that were out there too. She and Papa Bob had fun riding the horsey that was there too!
We also visited Ocean City one day and walked along their boardwalk. Along the beach there are wooden play structures that the kids can go in. Here Maddie, Papa Bob and me climbed into a big 4x4 truck and pretended we were four-wheeling down the beach! Just off the back side of the truck is a little kiddie slide that she loved!
Our last full day there turned out to be beautiful! It was our one day of sunshine and we didn't waste any time getting outdoors and enjoying the beach! This was the type of day we had hoped for all week long and I'm so happy we were able to soak in one day of sunshine and sand!
Here we are hanging out on the beach, with Maddie all suited up for the sun with her hat! We wanted to protect that peaches and cream skin and keep the peaches from turning into strawberries! Even with SPF 70 sunblock on her she started to get a little red after about 30-45 minutes. She has definitely inherited my "no tan, only burn" skin! Maddie, I am truly sorry for this!
Here we are getting ready to dip Maddie's feet into the ocean water...
And the smiles that came afterwards!
There weren't really any waves that day, but David had a great time playing in the water and bodysurfing (hence the wet suit since the ocean was still about 55 degrees I think!)!
And last, but not least, one of Maddie, Grandma Paula and Papa Bob on the beach...
We hope to post a lot more pictures this summer and I promise to work harder at getting them up in a timely manner!
We love you all!
Nile. David & Maddie
