We welcomed Laurel (Rory) Kathleen Evans into the world on September 15, 2010. Her name derives from the Laurel tree--an evergreen with a sturdy branch and a beautiful flower--which was associated with Apollo, the god of sun, reason and music, and was used to crown winners of the ancient Olympic games. Rory is a traditional Irish name, but can also be a nickname for Laurel and other names with the "aur-ah" sound in the middle.
Getting ready to fly to Wheaton, IL for Christmas with the Resslers and Belmonts:
Christmas Eve at the Belmonts' as Grandpa reads the traditional "The Night Before Christmas" story to the kids:
Christmas Day!
Presents from Santa!
And then, time to party!
"Grandpa, I don't think that's how you use that!!"
A true Christmas treat... Her first taste of ice cream!
All tuckered out at the end of a great Christmas hosted by the Belmonts.
And of course, the famous Ressler/Belmont Christmas portraits (with and without disguises):
And to start off 2012... too much chocolate on New Year's Day with the Evans family:
As always, just lookin' cute (this time during the holiday, including sporting some of her gifts from around the globe (including Spain!)):
(Viva Real Madrid!)
Finally, (1) a video of Rory being cute in the tub, (2) Kate providing fateful evidence of what Rory will be like in years to come... accordingly, The Dying Swan ballet (Oh Lord), AND (3) an extended video of the Ressler family Christmas featuring Rory!
It has been a busy couple months at the Evans household, and we are way behind on our blog! Yes, since our last update Rory has learned to walk and even talk a little, mostly some "mama" and "dada"s with a "Copper," "thank you," "baby," and "good girl" thrown in here and there. She's starting to walk rather well, and constantly carries around plastic spoons as sceptors--don't ask us. We think maybe this sign Grandma and Grandpa got her is going to her head...
We have also been dealing with an unexpected kitchen remodel, which made for a few interesting weeks around Pine Hill... but that hasn't stopped us from having fun!
Early Fall and Halloween:
In mid-November, Mom, Dad, Uncle Scott and Laura went away for a long weekend to visit Disney and Harry Potter World in Orlando. It was Mom's first time away from Rory, and Grandma and Grandpa came down from Connecticut to take care of her. Everyone had a wonderful time!
We enjoyed a family-filled Thanksgiving in both Harpers Ferry, WV and Herndon, VA. Rory celebrated the day by playing with her many cousins and feasting on chex mix, stuffing, bread and cookies.
December has been a busy month of getting ready for Christmas and celebrating with family (including cousin Angie who came all the way from Texas to visit) and friends.
Uncle Scott took some photos of Rory in her Christmas dress for our holiday card... we were very happy with the results!
And of course, we had to make sure Rory met Santa for the first time. She wasn't afraid of him, but also wasn't very interested in sitting in his lap. But she was very impressed by his shoes and his bells!
Generally looking cute:
Here's a pic of Rory's Great Grandmother; see any resemblance?
And here are a couple videos; one of her dancing and walking, and one of her on a nature hike...
It's been yet another busy month since our last post. Let's start the blog with a bang-- below are some of the amazing results from Uncle Jonathan's professional photo shoot of Rory.
Rory went to the mall with Mommy, Grammy, and Grandad to buy shoes, something Daddy will have to get used to for years to come...
Rory and Mom went to the Waterford Fair for the first time where Rory enjoyed her first funnel cake! Needless to say she enjoyed it immensely. We enjoyed some football with our friends Tracey and Tim and their little boy Gabe. She also had a playdate with her friend Matthew where she went to the playground for the first time. She even met her newborn friend, Gillian Sandhu.
The Ressler and Evans families met up with the Cook family at Temple Hall Farm Park to get lost in a corn maze, eat fair food, experience a true working farm, and shoot old trucks with a propane powered apple gun!
(Rory has somehow learned to "smile" for the camera...with always interesting and varying results...)
She continues to eat more and more interesting foods. She even ate chocolate cake and then lost all control as evidenced in the video below:
Grandma, Uncle Scott, Aunt Laura, and the pooch Olive spent a weekend at Pine Hill. We enjoyed pictures from Scott and Laura's recent trip to France, ate some great dinner, then the ladies went to cousin Heidi's baby shower while the guys ate chili and watched football. Rory even tried on her Halloween costume and some new winter clothes...
(She played piano for the first time at cousin Heidi's shower)
Of course, she caused trouble and generally got bigger, cuter, and smarter! (Daddy even taught her how to play a kazoo in a couple of minutes, as evidenced below):
Here's a pic of Mommy as a little girl, looking much like Rory...
And the gran finale, I finally caught Rory in her post-nap, unbridled excitement to be alive! It's contagious when you're around her...
Some of the Ressler clan, from Grandma and Grandpa (Connecticut), to Uncle Jon and Aunt Kathy (Boston), to Uncle Scott and Aunt Laura (DC), and even great-great cousin Bob (L.A.), were in town to celebrate Rory's Bday, along with us and Grammy and Grandad Evans (Virginia). Rory was amazing. She enjoyed and really investigated and appreciated each present without crawling away, and she ate her Birthday cake only after some encouragement by us, and she refused to eat it without feeding herself by fork. That's a lil lady in the makin'... Enjoy pics of the Birthday weekend below:
First, Mom and Dad gave Rory a new Winnie the Pooh chair on her actual first Bday, Thursday, September 15, 2011:
(with some presumed monologue in Rory's head courtesy of Uncle Scott while she watches Sesame Street in her gift):
Now for the real sha-bang!
The excitement and time with some loved ones:
The cakes:
The gifts:
And the big moment! Eating her first piece of Bday cake:
All weekend, we enjoyed time during early Fall at Pine Hill:
A professional photo shoot from her artist/portrait photographer Uncle Jon, and more pics of Pine Hill from Uncle Jon:
And Rory wasn't the only one to have a Bday this month. Grandad had one too (September 10), which we celebrated here:
(and if there was any question whose Bday it was...)
Grandad's big gift:
Grammy and Grandad went to DisneyWorld this month and brought back many wonderful gifts for us and Rory:
And Rory otherwise enjoyed life at Pine Hill:
(first pickle)
(trademark roar)
And Daddy, tired after it all (rubbing his eyes, just like Rory)...
Finally, for those who really appreciate some cuteness, the videos:
Uncle Jon egging Rory to dance, and Rory letting Aunt Kathy know not to let the music stop once she starts:
Grandpa teaching Rory to clap her hands, with help from a new toy:
Rory in her jumpy chair learing to clap hands and groove to the beat:
Rory showing off and playing fish with Mom in the bathtub:
(Daddy's favorite) Rory dancing and making it abundantly clear--don't clap or talk during my JAM!
Rory turning into a big girl--watching her favorite show, dancing, and eating some snacks:
And Daddy showing off how smart his babygirl is--she learns to play the kazoo right away while singing in tune:
Well, it's been more than a month since our last post, and Rory has been as busy as ever. She experienced her first earthquake, first hurricane, first petting zoo, first Lucketts Fair . . . and in just a few weeks we'll be celebrating her first birthday! Check out the highlights and day-to-day happenings below:
Rory loves to play with her friend Copper regardless of a special occasion, or not:
She helps around the house.
And just look at those hard working, chunky legs!
Sometimes "help" is a subjective term...
Rory loves to play games as well! Whether she knows how to play them matters not:
She helped celebrate cousin Pat's 40th birthday in her pretty party dress.
Rory has mastered getting up and down a stair! "Tushy first, Rory."
Kate's friend Alyson came to visit for a weekend, and we all went to the Lucketts Fair, where Rory went to the petting zoo. It was a bit chaotic, but Rory did a great job.
After the fair we headed to a farm party down Bald Hill Road at a farmhouse that had been moved from West Virginia and rebuilt here.
Uncle Scott and Laura with their new "baby" Olive! A very good pooch.
Enjoying some quiet time with Grandad, and also walking with Grandad, Grammy, Aunt Pattie, and Daddy (while making hilarious faces and showing off her two teeth):
And watching Daddy prepare for Hurricane Irene
Some pics of Rory's Mommy at a young age...
And finally, lots of hilarious videos, including Rory getting crazy in her jumpy chair, dancing to Jay-Z and Kanye West, playing peek-a-boo with Mommy, and learning to play drums with Uncle Scott. There are more videos than usual, but they were just too good not to share! See you soon...
From pool parties to beach vacations, Rory is livin' it up this Summer. She's enjoying it even more because she can crawl like a champ. Enjoy the pics below!
Rory teaches us that material things are worthless; all you need is a flip flop and dog treats to make you happy. Also, she learns to share her new fort with Copper...
Rory enjoyed a pool party with the extended Evans family to wish her great cousins Neil and Jeanne a bon voyage to San Diego!
Rory also got to go on her first beach vacation!
Otherwise, generally lookin' cute:
Finally, a video proving that this little girl is almost ready to stand tall...and walk (gulp)...
The festivities kicked off with a visit to Uncle Scott's and Aunt Laura's sweet apartment in the big city--DC! It started with gifts and creature comforts, exploring DuPont, appetizers at Sette Osteria, and a dinner of Scott's famous red sauce pasta with sausage, followed by a dessert of looking over the city from a rooftop deck and Leesburg style farm-fresh apple pie. In the morning, Scott made us breakfast burritos, we walked all over Kalorama, and we ended the stay with sangria and paninis at a local hot-spot! (Pics in chronological order below.)
With some baby-sitting from Grammy and Grandad, her new "sleeping habits" have made for some snuggly naps on shoulders, much to Grammy's delight in the pic here. Those cheeks are natural pillows:
We put up a new swing on the back-deck, which her and her great friend Copper seem to enjoy:
And Grandpa and Grandma sent a pic from the past of Mommy looking just like Rory, and seemingly enjoying the presence of animals just like our daughter:
Grandpa also sent info on Rory's star, as procured by him and Grandma for their sweet granddaughter:
Rory took a trip to DC to meet a new friend for a playdate at the National Gallery of Art. She's a very cultured baby indeed.
Grandma (not pictured) came down from Connecticut to spend time with Rory. They went swimming in the pool, took a trip to Harpers Ferry, and enjoyed an ole-timey basebell game in Leesburg.
Rory relaxed by the pool with the Fouad family (Daddy Samir, Mommy Christine, and kids Gabby and Nora) while enjoying the beautiful 80 degree weather and mostly sunny skies.
Highlights of the Fouad family vist include:
Being happy in Mommy's arms.
Grabbing on Daddy's arms.
Watching Samir and Daddy (and the Moms to a lesser degree) shovel down pounds-and-pounds of crab legs with melted butter and Coronas, courtesy of Uncle Geoff Cook who sent me (Daddy) those crab legs for my birthday!
Enjoying swimming with (from left to right) Nora, Gabby, and Christine.
And enjoying a kiss from Gabby!
Grandad and Grammy babysat some and took this picture of us.
Uncle Scott and Aunt Laura came over to take Daddy out for his birthday at a local vineyard while Grandad and Grammy babysat. Afterwards, we partied with Rory, as the pictures below will attest.
And Uncle Scott even took this panoramic shot of Pine Hill's backyard. Just click on it to enjoy it in a more "full" mode.
Grandpa sent pictures of Mommy as a baby, looking just like Rory:
Rory continues to enjoy her play groups, one of which was pictured below.
This last picture even unspired us to find her cartoon doppleganger, which we've decided is Droopydog (pictured right below)!
Rory has finally realized that she doesn't have to just "lie down" in her crib, which is making naptime interesting. But as you can see, she's very proud of herself!
Finally, Rory's been working on blowing raspberries in the video below, BUT don't forget to see the video below that one to see how it's inspired one of my favorite old rap groups "The Fat Boys" to make a comeback:
The Fat Boys were known for their "beat boxing," meaning making rap beats with nothing but their voices and guttural sounds. They were popular about 25 years ago. However, Rory has inspired them to come out with a new song, featuring everybody's favorite baby! See The Fat Boys new video below, as mixed by Rory's own Uncle Scott!
It's been a busy couple of weeks and despite having a little cold towards the end, Rory continues to have fun every day!
An afternoon on the deck with the Cooks:
We headed off to a barbecue on Memorial Day so Daddy could meet all of Rory's playgroup friends (and their parents). Rory showing off one of her many summer dresses:
Rory and Mom met Auntie Erika for lunch this week too and Erika couldn't believe what a big girl Rory was!
As always, lookin' cute:
Becoming quite the swimming swan:
And her first KFC, with Granddad, Aunt Pattie, and Grammy (not pictured):
And finally, a short video of Rory enjoying (or something) our pool!
Rory continues to spend tons of time with family and friends, as you'll also see captured in this post. Enjoy!
May 23rd was Kate's birthday, and Grandpa sent some pics of Kate when she was Rory's age. The resemblance is uncanny, as you will see. Guess who's who???:
Rory with Grandpa!
She met new friends Josie and Neve, respectively below, who are the beautiful children of Chris and Jessica O'Connell. They came out to visit us and play at Pine Hill, and were good sports as we went to a kinda weird antique festival in Lucketts. Although it was hot and crowded and we almost got stuck in the parking lot's mud, Neve doled out kettle-cooked popcorn and Chris ate a fried Twinkie (which we all tried). Back at the house we swam and played in the newly opened pool (although it was a little too cold for Rory), we soaked up some Spring sun, and we generally rambled about the property and relaxed:
As always, lookin' cute (with her favorite purse):
(and shakin' her tushie)
While Grammy and Grandad babysat, Mom and Dad went out with Uncle Scott and Aunt on Sunday for lunch at a local restaurant, Vintage 50. We enjoyed homebrews, wine, burgers, lobster Caesar salad, lobster grilled cheese sandwiches, wings, pierogies, and, saving the best for last, funnel cake fries.
Grandpa and Grandma got Rory her own star for generations-to-come to explore on their telescopes (and, someday, spaceships):
We welcomed Laurel (Rory) Kathleen Evans into the world on September 15, 2010. Her name derives from the Laurel tree--an evergreen with a sturdy branch and a beautiful flower--which was associated with Apollo, the god of sun, reason and music, and was used to crown winners of the ancient Olympic games. Rory is a traditional Irish name, but can also be a nickname for Laurel and other names with the "aur-ah" sound in the middle.
