Chillin', Grillin' and Picnicin'!

We have been finally settling into our new home in Salem.  Now that the nice weather has finally arrived and thanks to a very generous gift of a gas grill from Grammie and Grampie Baptiste and Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris, we have had a few really awesome afternoons in our new backyard.  Here is Daddy, enjoying the pasttime we have only dreamed about for so many years - grilling!

Here is Alice, getting ready to head out for Uncle Dan's birthday party.  Check out her super cute flip flops! :)

Over Memorial Day weekend, we ate our lunch in the backyard - picnic style!  Here we are, relaxing on the picnic blanket:

Then it was time for the sticky watermelon!

Yum!  (Time for a bath!)

Here are Alice and Daddy, relaxing later that afternoon:

Now that we have a backyard, Alice can practice things that were not really possible in our condo - like throwing and catching!

And, of course, riding her tricycle, which she is enjoying very much!

Here are some more photos from the recent Memorial Day weekend good times.  Enjoy!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Alice!

Our little Alice is 2 - it is so hard to believe that it has been two years already since she made her appearance!  She is talking up a storm now and is very active and enjoying "school" very much.  We are so proud of the Little Girl she is becoming!

As have become standard for us, her birthday celebrations were filled with lots of fun and lots of friends and loved ones.  This year, we did a combo birthday/housewarming party.  Prior to the party, she opened some presents over Skype with Grandma Marcia and Papa Pete:

She also opened some gifts over Skype from Auntie Vicky, Uncle Brandon, Miranda and Baby "Ijah":

On the morning of her birthday, she opened a toy ceramic tea set from Mommy and Daddy and has had a great time hosting tea parties daily.  Here are some shots from the first of many such tea parties:

She also opened an easel from Mommy and Daddy - the chalk board has become her favorite part of it and she spends lots of time drawing on it each day:

(The flip side is a white board):

Auntie Chris and Uncle Dan were so excited for Alice's birthday party, they arrived early to help us get ready (and to give Alice her presents!):

Soon, the festivities began.  Alice was so excited to wear her "birthday party hat" and to welcome all of her friends and family to her new home!

The birthday girl:

The first of (hopefully) many fun get-togethers at our new home:

Alice and Grampie, having fun with the chalkboard at the party:

Alice's birthday cake - the theme of the party was that of one of her favorite books "If You Give a Pig a Party" by Laura Numeroff:

Every room was filled with laughter, fun and great conversation:

Alice received a tricycle from Grammie and Grampie - she was quite excited about it!

Alice and Mommy, enjoying the party:

Alice's was born two days before Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris's anniversary.  There is now a lot to celebrate in Mid-May!  Happy Anniversary, Uncle Dan and Auntie Chris!

The next morning, Alice was still so excited about all of the fun from the night before.  Here she is enjoying her new tricycle, in her new house - what could be better?

Here is the whole album from Alice's 2nd birthday.  Many thanks to all who have surrounded Alice with love over the past 2 years - we are so blessed to have such a great group of friends and family around her - much love to you all!

Bike Riding

Mommy and Daddy took the week off from work following our arrival in Salem to get settled and acclimated to our new life outside of the city.  Since we intend to continue the lifestyle we have enjoyed without owning a vehicle over the past 10 or so years, we decided to purchase a pair of bicycles to help us get around our new town - to help us do errands, take Alice to daycare, and explore our new city.  Daddy has purchased his bike first and has been taking Alice out on some rides to help her get used to riding on the back of his bike.

She has been a bit nervous riding on the back of the bike so far, but is warming up to it, especially when she gets to ride the bike to get ice cream!

Mommy is still deciding what type of bike to get, but Daddy has enjoyed his bike so far.  Here are some additional photos from the early days of our new bike-centric lifestyle!