It opens!!

Banks has taken his cruising to a whole new level, the drawers and cabinets actually open! Banks was very excited to learn this fun bit of information.

Suprise Mimi and Gator!

Seth, Banks, Rocky and I decided to make a suprise visit to Vienna. We decided to take advantage of being so close to Mimi and Gator. To make the trip even better, the Ennis' came for dinner on Saturday night. Mimi and Aunt Mary gave us the night off and gave Banks his bath.
Janey and Doh got Banks some new shoes. It's getting cooler every day here, so Banks is going to have to get used to wearing shoes and not walking around barefoot, here he is checking out his new kicks.
Banks likes to do all of his new tricks for his dad. Here he is showing Seth that he can clap.
And finally, a day of play is not complete without a round of tug of war between Rocky and Banks. Rocky won this round... But I'm thinking Rocky's days of domintation will end soon...

Texas Roadhouse

We were very excited to find the Texas Roadhouse right here in Virginia Beach. Seth and I went on our first date there seven years ago, so it's always been a favorite of ours. Banks enjoyed getting to know Andy the Armadillo.

Standing

Banks has figured out how to pull himself up. Seth went to get him out of his crib one day and he was standing up, holding onto the bars.

The Beach

Banks loves going to the beach. We took Jay to the beach on Sunday and had a great time. Banks is interested in Body Boarding and loves playing in the sand (and sometimes eating it too).

Visitors

We were very lucky to have Mimi and Gator come in for the weekend. We had a great time and Seth and I were even able to seek out on a date! Thank you Mimi and Gator!
Uncle Jay came up from North Carolina to see us. Here he is reading to Banks in the tub.

Everything in the mouth!

Banks has been waiting for seven long months, but finally it has arrived--his very first tooth!

While Dad was in Maine...

Banks and I stayed very busy. Banks is becoming a very good eater. Here he is enjoying some sweet potatoes. We visited the Virginia Beach Aquarium. The Discovery Channel was showing Shark Week and Banks had such a great time watching, that I thought he would enjoy the fish in real life! We started going to storytime at the local library. Banks made a new friend named Clark. We have already had them over for lunch. We missed Seth so much, so Banks wore his "I love Daddy" outfit to pick him up at the airport.

Maine

Seth had a class in Maine and was gone for two weeks. He found time to grab some lobster while he was there.

Lucy

We are very excited to have a new niece, Lucy Jane Byrum. She was born July 21st, and weighed 9 pounds!
The next day, Seth and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. We spent the day at the beach and then went to a cute little restaurant for dinner. Banks saved a little energy for his favorite time of day-bathtime with his duckie!

Gator

Gator came to visit us this weekend. He brought a present for Banks. The picture in the background goes perfectly above his crib and is a big aligator with flamingos. Banks loves the picture and tries to roll over and look at it every time I try to change his diaper, which makes diaper changes pretty intersting. We had a great time with Gator and look forward to him getting back down here very soon.
Yes, that is Banks trying to crawl! He's definitely got scooting down!
Banks loves playing with his choo choo train, which reminds of our cute little nephew that we think he will have a lot in common with. :)

Mimi and Gator

We went up to Vienna to visit Mimi and Gator. We are really enjoying living so close to them. Mimi had a blanket up in Rocky's favorite spot on the couch. Mimi, Banks and I went to Leesburg and did a little shopping on Friday. Saturday night, we had a dinner party and got to see a lot of great friends. By Sunday, Banks and Gator were exhausted and took a little nap before we headed home. Not only did Banks sleep then, but he slept three and a half hours on the way home!

Rocky

Banks LOVES Rocky. Originally, Banks would only laugh when tickled, but Rocky can get a laugh just by walking in the room! I'm pretty sure Banks like Rocky more than Rocky likes Banks...

He's sitting up!

Seth, Banks and I went to the beach on Friday and Banks did a little trick for us...he sat up all by himself! He loves the beach, we sit with him right where the water comes up to his toes, he loves to splash around. He also like to put sand all over himself, which is a lot of fun to get off. We still find it in his ears several days after we go, just in time for us to get back to the beach.

Around the house and at the Beach

Banks is really enjoying Virginia. He loves watching Price is Right in his chair. He also enjoys bouncing in his jumper. We went to the beach the other day and let Banks splash around. He's eating rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and bananas (which are his favorite). He weights a little over 16 lbs. now.