Lazy Days of Summer

Here we are in the middle of a summer heat wave, and I long for the cool air of fall. Of course, the cool fall always brings about the frigid cold winter winds and then I long for summer again. I need to stop wishing my days away and cherish what is the here and now. That said, the here and now is flying by. Julia went in for her 6 month check up at the beginning of July and all is well. She has had her 3rd round of shots and is now nearly immune to all that she was getting vaccinations for. Whoops...that was poor grammar...Mrs. Means would be mad. Anyway, Julia is up to 16.5 lbs (50%) and 26.5 inches (75-90%). We are working on waving bye-bye and peek-a-boo. She has fully mastered sitting and rolling and is on her way to crawling. Right now she does this rock-n-roll belly flop when she gets frustrated with her lack of progress. I've found that her biggest motivator to move is the dogs. She flips out when they are around. Here are a few new pictures to show her progression to being a "big girl".

Here is Julia hanging out with neighborhood kids. They are enjoying the wonder that is "Mister Softie"

Getting into position is easy....it's actually moving that causes the problem.

Nothing like an ocean-frong resort....

It's time for some splashing fun!!!

First Beach Day!!

We took Julia to the beach for the first time last weekend. Here are some photos!

Ok Mommy, I'm all ready!

Total cuteness, of course.

Here she is with her Pop-Pop.

Get this darn hat off!

Neal Family Beach Party!

Proud Papa with his the little one.

MMMMM, shovel!

Grammy, Pop-Pop & Julia....there might have been some wind that day.

I know....I can harly believe how cute she is either.

Ahh, relaxing in the water.

Half-way to One!

So life has been gotten busier and busier as the days grow hotter. We've had a few occassions that I think should be shared. On June 18th, Jason was raised as a freemason. Congratulations Babe! I've tried to get him to show me the secret handshake thingy I've heard of, but he said he'd have to kill me if he showed me. Oh well. On that same day, our little Julia hit the 6 month mark. The time is just flying by! She is becoming more independent with each passing day, but still loves the chance to be a snuggle-bunny. We have finally come close to completing work on the new addition at the shore. Only a few more minor things to do and we'll be all set. Oh, and our air conditioners died. Yes, plural. We have dual zones and both went....ouch, that was a nasty $10,000 hit in the wallet. Anyway, here are some photo updates for you all. Also, I'm including our portraits ... the family and Julia alone. My mom thinks Julia should be a baby model. I'm thinking I might look into it and keep the $$$ for her college account. Of course, we're all biased in thinking she's gorgeous, so impartial opinions would be great!! Thanks.

We're still waiting for those teeth to come in, but as you can see...she'll eat anything!

The addition to the shore. We expanded the deck, put on the new room, laid stone, new lights, etc.

Julia with my cousin Kyle at his graduation party.

Getting ready for her first swim!

Julia's first swim! She had fun with Grammy!

Here she is in her froggy cover up after her swim.

Sometimes she needs a little encouragement, but she holds her own bottle.

Mommy and Julia

Daddy corrupting young minds with beer....note the Masonic Ring.

Ok, that is just one cute kid!

Family Photo - June 2007

Look at the smile!

And those eyes!!!