9.09.2012

Audrey Podrey Puddin' 'n Pie

Our little Audrey turned ONE!! Oh, what to say about this girl?? Everything she does is cute, even when it's not. She is fun-loving and feisty. She is adorably mischievious, incredibly intelligent, and heart-meltingly sweet. She loves babies (real and doll), books, being outside, water, blueberries, eating in general, music, dancing, climbing, and laughing. She is super busy and keeps us on our toes (as do all one-year-olds I suppose). At some point in each day I exclaim, "Audrey, you are crazy!" But each night when I peek in at her sleeping before I go to bed I secretly hope she will stay this age forever. 'Cause life is just more fun with one-year-old Audrey around. 

 She climbs on everything!
 She loves to read, just like big sis.

Birthday Celebration:
We had a pinata while we were camping with the Maldens which was super fun, but my camera was dead so I didn't get any pics.  On our way home from camping we stopped at my mom's and had another little party for the girl.
I wanted to have 12 pictures of her displayed, one from each month of life thus far, but I just couldn't narrow it down. 
 The cupcakes were decorated with characters from one of her favorite books, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?
Bryn 1st birthday cupcake was her very first taste of sugar...Audrey, not so much. She is familiar with the good stuff and she loves it.

Some of the party guests:
 Sophie and Bryn
 Uncle Cody and Daddy (who both like each other and really enjoyed celebrating with Audrey despite what you may be inclined to infer from this picture) 
Opening Presents:
 Stackable cups...whoo-hoo!
Army men from Uncle Casey
 A bubble gun!
 And a little red wagon
We love you, Audrey!!

8.23.2012

Camping at Juniper

Camping in days past: Read, relax, enjoy peace, calm, and beauty of nature.
Camping in days present: Keep 1-year-old from fire pit as she attempts to make her way there every. single. second.
Really, manning Audrey made it so our camping trip was far from relaxing, but thankfully we were camping with Monty and Denise (aka the best campers EVER) and didn't have to worry about much more than Audrey.
Lake Juniper...so pretty! Jena and Bryn braved the freezing water.
 Grandparent spoilage:
Oma treating Audrey to her first taste of cheese balls
 Papa treating Audrey to her first taste of licorice
Daddy and Audrey having fun
 Bryn helping Jalene with the cooking
 Ready to head out on the canoe. We have yet to find a comfortable baby life jacket...poor Audrey.
 Hiking, Day 1
We should have shown muscle arms in this picture to show how tough we are. This hike was not easy. Bryn was a trooper, but had to be carried for some of it. There were times when Justin was carrying both girls--one on his shoulders, one in the baby carrier. Thank goodness for Uncle John and Aunt Sheris who also took turns carrying Bryn.
 We made it to the top of Mt. Harkness!
 Hiking with Alvies cousins and Uncle John
 Bryn was a super easy camper. She loved playing with her cousins and spent a lot of time "planting a garden" at the campsite
 The girls were exhausted by the end of each day
 Hiking: Day 2
What?! There's another day of hiking on the itinerary? There was a bit of a misunderstanding on this day. Justin and I thought we were headed to a hot springs swim hole. The perfect consolation to our aching muscles from hiking: day 1. Alas, no swim hole, lots more hiking. Luckily this hike wasn't as difficult as the first, and everyone pitched in to help us with the girls again. And, we saw a bear. Like, up close. It was a bit terrifying in the moment, but really awesome after the moment.

 Bryn and Oma
 Dirt or oreos? Who knows? She ate unbelievable amounts of both.

Thanks for a fun camping trip, Malden fam!

8.05.2012

Independence Day

Daddy and Audrey at the parade. Audrey is modeling her homemade patriotic dress.
 Kylie, Bryn, and Mommy with red, white, and blue fingers and toes.
 The Malden Family enjoying one of our favorite holidays of the year.
 With the flag prop (note homemade dress, using a pattern from pinterest)
 Without the flag prop
 Audrey's first fourth of July
 One year ago on this day, at this parade, this little one was in my belly
 Camped out for the fireworks show. It was chilly!
 Snuggling with Daddy, awaiting the fireworks

Kylie Week!

Kylie came to stay with us for a whole week. It was awesome to have her with us. She was super helpful with the girls and asked for so many chores we nearly ran out of things for her to clean. After the first day of her stay, I had decided I never wanted her to go back home!
We love you, Kylie!



 We went to the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens while Kylie was here:










 And we played at the park:
 We also went to the Lawrence Hall of Science:




 And then there was Mission Delores Park and Bi-rite ice cream in S.F.:



Oh, and homemade GAK too. Fun!