Bathing Beauty

Although I keep hearing from my friends and family at home in Minnesota that it's still wintery cold... I cannot believe it. Because it's warm! And sunny! And feels like summer! Agreeing with me is Ms. V.



What? That picture is a tasty bite of summery goodness but you want an even closer peek? I'm nothing but an enabler of cute, so here you go.



I wish that sweet girl a lifetime of that kind of loungey comfort in a swimsuit, I tell you. How gorgeous is she?! Don't you just want to pick her up and nibble on her underarm?



And here is her favorite Auntie Amber... post underarm nibble. Yum yum!



I love that no matter when or where the picture is taken, it's always one of us getting as close to V as possible to cuddle or tickle or squeeze. She is kryptonite! Or catnip. Shoot, which is more positive??



Case in point, Uncle Chet just chillin' with Veronica and resting his arm on... what is that?



Ahhh, Chester. Like so many of us, Cheddar will take the lovin' however he can get it.



I leave you with this so you can squeal your way through the rest of your day!

Drea

Teething Time

Grandma Kathleen has been truly investing in Tummy Time since she's been taking care of Veronica and I can vouch - it's paying off in spades! Seriously, it's crazy how much she grows each week, turning herself over and being able to reach with her hands and hold eye contact. You're a star, grandma! Also a star? Godfather Nigel, who spent an hour assembling a Rainforest Junglegym for our girl V.



She loves it! Look at all the colors and toys... I won't lie, I would totally rock that thing myself.



Happy girl! Happy girl! Since Veronica is totally on the bottle more these days, she is welcoming different cradling arms to see her through. First on that list: Sarah B!



And to show her appreciation, and because she's teething and needs to work her gums over something all the time - and apparently what works best is a) a plastic French giraffe or b) a jaw bone, Sarah got some extra loving.



How jealous are you?? I know I am - good work, Sarah!

Drea

Wonderful, Magical, Posh-Sounding Godfathers

A couple weekends ago (I've really lost the ability to be timely, haven't I?!), Veronica's beloved godfathers, Ben and Nigel, hosted a little afternoon gathering at their place. Never one to turn down an opportunity to cuddle on V (or a good bowl of Irish stew), we turned out in force.



Look at that sweet sweetness! I don't know any little girl that's more loved, which is a wonderful thing to be able to admit.



Of course, she totally deserves it. Look how she sits! And beams! And is adorable! I also love that Amanda "Punk Rock" Gore has no shame about outfitting that little trinket in the most frilly, pink dresses known to man.



Smirk on, mama! You know you do it! AMANDA LOVES PINK.



Zia Hannah and Auntie Amber share in my mockery... although we'd dress her in pink ourselves in a heartbeat. And what's a "Zia" you ask? Oh, Hannah and I are Zias, thank you very much! Zia is Italian for "Aunt" and since we want to claim as much face time as possible with little V for the next 20-30 years (and we're not girls to deny our love of pasta), we figured we should title ourselves.



Of course, any outing with Veronica turns into a pass-the-mic scenario. But instead of being MC's, we're gooing admirers. And instead of being a mic, she's... well, she's a baby. Check out Stacie Phelps, rockin' the baby!



And I would not kid to you about the Irish stew, I'm still dreaming of it... how delicious does this spread look? Yummm. Maybe I shouldn't blog so close to lunch time.



Veronica wanted to try the stew thiiiiiis much, but Hannah told her to forget it. It's milk for you, baby! Talk to us when you have some teeth. (Incidentally, she's working round the clock on growing said teeth...)



See! This is where she's going to put the teeth when she gets them!



I love this picture, they're both so delighted to be there! Nigel and Ben are going to be such tremendous godfathers to Veronica, just seeing how they look at her (and look after her) shows me how protected she'll be.



Everyone say "stew!". Thanks again for having us over, I know we all had a great time (especially Laszlo, who made official his love of shoveling dirt).

Drea