Alexis is 8 months old

Alexis has been a joy again this month. She's getting big - real big - and that's because she's eating more and more solid food.  She isn't quite ready for little chunks of food.  We keep offering but she often tries a couple bites and then starts to cough and gag it all back up.  Maybe teeth will help her (at this point she is still toothless).  She's grabbing Cheerios all by herself and sometimes putting them into her mouth.  She tends to forget to release them once they are in her mouth.  We will think she has eaten them all only to find a fist full of slimy cereal.  

She enjoys playing with her toys, being read (and eating) books and talking (lots of ma ma ma ma sounds). She's getting up on her hands and knees and rocking back and fourth but no crawling as of yet.

An afternoon with the sprinkler

It was real hot this afternoon. Hot and sunny. It hadn't been both yet this year. So we decided to get out our little water toy for Evan and see if he'd play with it. We tried last year but he was scared and didn't really play with it at all. Not this year! Evan ran back and fourth, aimed it at himself and had a blast.

He even aimed some water at Alexis and got her a bit wet. She didn't seem to mind.

A new favorite spot

Jill took Alexis out to Pennsylvania to visit her family and sent me back this gem of a picture. When I asked her what exactly was going on, she went on to tell me that Alexis would sit in the sink for long periods of time playing with her toys. When she dropped them she'd just pick them up out of the sink and start playing again.

There was one complication however. Jill was icing a cake for her father and when she turned around Alexis had the frosting. And it was all over her. Alexis was happy as a clam licking icing off of her hands. Wish I had a picture of that!

Happy Father's Day

I had a great Father's Day this year. Evan and Alexis both made me cards and got me some fun presents (soap and new boxers). We spent the day together hanging out, which is exactly what I wanted. Thanks Evan and Alexis, and of course Jill for making it all happen!

Out to Lunch

It was a fantastic day out (for once) and we decided to eat lunch out on the deck. Technically Alexis didn't eat as Jill fed her baby food before the rest of us sat down for lunch but she did enjoy the view.

Not Quite Yet

Alexis has not started crawling yet but she is getting up on her hands and knees. She's actually quite good at scooting backwards and will turn herself around and scoot backwards towards whatever she wants. Good thinking!

Alexis is not even close to standing. That said if you stand her up she'll balance for quite a long time. Just thought this looked cute.

Evan and Alexis at Costco

Alexis is real solid sitting up now and she's been in a few shopping carts already but when I had the opportunity to sit Alexis and Evan next to each other in a mega cart at Costco I couldn't resist.

Evan at the Folklife Festival

Every year there is a festival called Folklife up at Seattle Center. We've gone for years and years in a row. This year I guess it just got passed us but coincidentally Jill decided to take Evan to the science center that same weekend. It's hard to miss the festival if you're in the area (you have to walk through it to get to the science center). Needless to say the plan changed and they spent the morning watching bands perform. Evan even got in on the action and played drums.

Alexis and Evan on swings

I took Evan and Alexis to the park and it occurred to me that since Alexis could sit up I could probably put her on the swing. Evan seemed to think it was a good idea so we gave it a whirl. She loved it. Tons of laughs and giggles. Here are a few videos for you.