The Dowding's Go to the Paw Sox

Thanks to a Groupon deal and me feeling the need to occasionally organize group outings, 19 of us attended the Pawtucket Red Sox game tonight. We were undecided during the day as to whether or not we should go because Evan wasn't feeling well. We thought due to his new teeth coming in so we decided to go anyway. We had a pre-game BBQ and then stayed for the game. It was Evan's first live baseball game and also the first time Bruce had been to the Paw Sox. We tried to take a pre-game photo with Paws but Evan was a little afraid. I should have taken my cue from Danny, who, at four years old, didn't want to go near Paws either. It was a cool but nice evening for the game. We ended up leaving before the post-game fireworks so I think we will have to go another time when we can stay for them.

Getting Ready for Omi and Grandpa

We have spent a lot of time over the last few days getting ready for Omi and Grandpa to arrive and also for Evan's first birthday and party. Much of this time has included cleaning. I decided it was a good idea to spring clean as I cleaned for our visitors and the party...in hindsight...not so much! Oh well, at least I had a little (and a big) helper!

I will help you vacuum, Mom.

Goofball!

Today at Gramma and Papa's, Evan was exploring in the kitchen and found a yellow colander that he thought was fun. Later in the afternoon he found a new use for it!

Let's see, what can I do with this?

Perfect! A hat!

Playing Outside

Now that the weather has been getting nicer we have been trying to take advantage of it and spend time outside whenever we can. It has been a little difficult trying to find a good place for Evan to play. Our top deck (as you can see from the pictures) needs to be painted, the bottom deck is sagging from the snow load this winter and gave Evan splinters the other day, and the lawn has been really wet. But even though we have been a little limited, we are still getting out and having fun! Evan doesn't really like the feel of the grass too much and it turns out that Evan likes to crawl in the rock garden the best...Ouch!

Happy Easter!

Hoppy Easter everybunny! Today we celebrated Evan's first Easter with dinner at Uncle Glenn and Aunt Chris's and then dessert at Aunt Diane and Uncle Pat's. It was nice today to remember just how pregnant I was last Easter. I remember being very uncomfortable all day but not this year! This year we had a great day. It was a decent day weatherwise so we were able to play outside at Uncle Glenn and Aunt Chris's house. We didn't quite have enough people for the annual wiffleball game but the little boys had fun playing anyway. It is so nice that the next generation of kids get along so well! Then on to North Attleboro where Evan participated in his first Easter egg hunt. He only found one egg but it was a big one with five rolls of smarties so he was satisfied. Evan also enjoyed all of the goodies that the Easter Bunny left at various houses. It's a good thing too because Mommy and Daddy's Easter Bunny only brought Evan a book!

Tired Little Monkey

Tonight we went to a party in honor of Amy and Mark who were visiting for the weekend from Texas. We were able to see so many friends who we do not get to see nearly often enough. Evan fell asleep in the car on the way home and didn't even wake up when I brought him in the house. What a tired little monkey! Partying is hard work!

Evan grabbed Curious George as soon as I put him down

And didn't let go all night!

A few photos from the evening.

Double Fisting

Tonight at dinner Evan must have been really thirsty. He doesn't generally drink at all while he eats but tonight, he wanted his juice and his milk at the same time. Such a goof ball!

The Playground

Anytime we leave our house and go north, we pass a ball field and a playground. I don't know why but for some reason just the other day it dawned on me that we could probably walk to it. We looked it up on Google and sure enough, it is just over a mile from our house. A short little walk to a nice big playground! Today we decided to go check it out. It was a little chilly and windy but still nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air. I don't think Evan knew quite what to make of it and I think Bruce and I may have had more fun. I'm sure there will be many more trips to this playground in the future, trips where Evan will really enjoy himself!

Happy Early Birthday

Evan won't be one for still a little over three weeks but he has already received some early birthday presents. He got a lawn mower and tool bench from Mom and Dad and a ride-on giraffe and a sports center from Gramma and Papa. He must have been a good little boy! It will be a little while before Evan can really play with the mower and giraffe on his own but he is having tons of fun with the sports center (especially when the music plays) and loves it when we push him around on the giraffe. Happy early birthday, little guy!

I Love My Papa!

Can't you tell?

Hello?

I don't often let Evan play with my phone but I did tonight and he had a great time.

Just making some calls and having a snack

Can't a guy get a little privacy around here?

Ok then, I'll pick you up at 8. Bye!

Daddy's New Toy

I am usually the one taking most of the pictures of Evan. 1. Because I spend the majority of my time with him, 2. Because I want to capture everything and already feel like I am forgetting things he used to do and 3. Because I just can't be enough! But that will soon be changing because Daddy has a new toy! Bruce has wanted a digital SLR camera for a while now and finally got one. I know nothing about it other than it's a Sony and has a Carl Zeiss lens...which I guess is pretty nice. Here are some of the first photos taken with it. They really are pretty nice. Guess I will have to learn to use it too!

Welcome home, Papa & Gramma!

Tonight we babysat for Danny and Sean while Uncle Dan and Auntie Karin went to the Boys & Girls Club auction. It also happened to be the same day that Gramma and Papa arrived back in RI after a wonderful winter in Florida. I know they were sad to leave their Florida friends and the beautiful weather but I also know they are glad to be home with their three grandsons (and maybe with the parents of those grandsons too!)! We had a fun night at Uncle Dan and Aunt Karin's house even though they weren't there with us.

Eleven Months Old

Evan was eleven months old yesterday. We had a long day visiting the Carlone's and when we tried to do our monthly photo shoot, this was the result.
We knew it wasn't going to get much better and so we opted to postpone the pictures until today. As you can see, it was a wise decision!

Evan is wearing his Red Sox "jersey" in honor of the home opener at Fenway. It also happened to be the Sox first win of the year. Evan must have brought them luck! He is quite the little fan and loves to dance when Wally sings! But doesn't like it when the song ends. Just one more month until our little guy turns one!!

Visiting the Carlone's

Today we went to visit the Carlone's. Ben is home visiting from Thailand for the month and he hadn't met Evan so we went to visit. We spent the afternoon just catching up and having fun. We were also able to see Ashley, Rich and Kay. Evan sure has changed quite a bit from our last visit with Kay. It was a long day for Evan but he, as always, was a trooper! Maybe we will take Ben up on his offer and go visit him in Thailand before he decides to move back home.

Month 11 in Review

Just a small collection of photos that didn't make it into another blog post but are still super cute!

Faux-hawk

What do you think? Is this a good look for me?

Mommy's Little Helper

I can help you unload the dishwasher, Mom.

Ooo, look at this plastic container.

Where does the steamer belong?

Aren't I doing a good job?

I am hoping that Evan's willingness to help and do chores continues well into his teenage years!!

A Mouse in the Cupboard

I think there is a mouse in this cupboard. I heard a squeak coming from inside.

But wait...I don't think mice have opposable thumbs? Do they?

And I've never met a mouse who likes Apple Cinnamon Cheerios.
Maybe it's not a mouse. But what could it be?

Oh, it's an Evan! Silly little boy!

Cousins Weekend

This was a cousins filled weekend! We hosted a Kavanagh cousins Appetizer Throw-Down on Saturday night and had a sleepover with Uncle Dan, Auntie Karin, Danny and Sean. The appetizer throw-down was full of fun, great company and wonderful food. Congratulations to Christi who took home the first place prize with her fancy deviled eggs, with a second place finish going to Scotty and his fried ravioli. On Sunday, we went to the Ecotarium in Worcester. I had been wanting to go for a while now and thought it was a great thing to do on an early spring day with Danny, Sean and Evan. Everyone had a nice day!

The next Blue Man Group in the making