David takes 3 steps

This morning David was hanging out in the living room with me. I was on the floor and he was standing next to a chair. He took three steps to me. He was just as proud of himself as I was. In the afternoon we got him to take a few more steps on his own:

Relaxing with Daddy

After dinner David likes to relax with Daddy and watch a little bit of TV.

Felchs in New York

Last weekend we made the long trek down to New York. David was great and was such a trooper as we gallivanted all around the city. We stayed in a really nice hotel in New Jersey and took the bus into the city. David really enjoyed people watching on the subway. The highlight of our trip was watching the Dodgers play the Mets at Shea stadium. Even though it was one of the hottest days of the year, it was really fun. We had seats in the shade, which made the 99 degrees + humidity bearable.

David all smiles at Toys R Us in Times Square

David enjoyed watching the carousel at Bryant Park

I'm smarter than these robots

Mr. Met flinging t-shirts

David walks with his toy

Last week, Andrew convinced David to let go of his hand and grab on to a push toy walker. At first he just went straight down the hall, now he maneuvers all around the house, even picking up the toy to go around junk on the floor.

Playing at the boat playground

Earlier this month we stopped at a playground on the way back from the farmer's market. David had a fun time climbing around the boat and walking the plank. It's a little exhausting, but good exercise. Notice we are wearing sweatshirts and you could hear the wind in the video, it has gotten a bit cool already.

Vacationing at Cape Ann

Last weekend we spend some time at the beach in Cape Ann. This area is the northern area of Massachusetts, just 4o minutes or so from Boston. We had such a great time playing at the beach and relaxing away from home. David did great in the car and really enjoyed spending lots of time with his Daddy. At the beach we took turns "walking him" up and down the beach and splashing in the chilly water (even though it was 90 degrees out in was still cold water :) David also loves playing in the sand and feeling the different textures through his fingers. As Andrew and I are looking at the pictures, all we can think of is that we just want to go back again this weekend, we just had so much fun.

Felchs in Rhode Island

Uncle Richard Felch getting to know his new nephew

We had a wonderful visit with Andrew's great uncle Richard and his wife Carol in Rhode Island. We left early on Friday morning and arrived in our hotel in the afternoon, if it had not been for Cape Cod traffic, it would have been faster, we're actually pretty close to each other. The first couple of days we relaxed and spent time as a family at the beach and the mall. On Sunday we met up with Richard and Carol and they showed us the history of the Felch family in Rhode Island. Richard was nice enough to drive us all over the state, highlighting all the important landmarks, what a treat to hear all the wonderful stories. We thoroughly enjoyed their company and their hospitality, treating us to such delicious treats like clam cakes and yummy creamy ice cream. We look forward to seeing more of our family here on the east coast.

having fun at the beach

the East Coast Felchs

Remembering Don Felch,
the bay where his ashes were put to rest

the high school where he played football

Fun in Maryland

Last week David and I spent a few days visiting our good friends, the Ontiveros, in Maryland. It was a great time to just relax, hang out, and catch up. Their new home is so roomy and in such a nice neighborhood, walking distance to a lake. Jen and I went for a few walks, minus the kids, and on the 4th we all went for a stroll. After the kids were in bed they had a pretty spectacular fireworks show over the lake, which we could actually enjoy from their parking lot. It was nice to see the kids play together. Anneliese is walking around everywhere and David was trying to crawl to keep up. He was especially excited anytime Danny would walk into the room, he really enjoys watching older kids. Danny was very helpful with David, when I asked Danny to keep an eye on him for me, he took it literally. I sneaked a peek to see what he was doing, he wasn't even watching TV, he was watching David and giving him toys and hugging him, it was so adorable, he took it literally.

On the move!

In the past couple weeks David has just taken off. He is finally crawling. I was in the kitchen and he just showed up with a huge smile. He still does his belly crawl when he is a bit tired and he still has some coordination issues, but he sure loves to get around. He just crawled to me and pulled up on the chair to say hi. David is also more vocal, he loves to squeal, especially when Daddy comes home. His latest saying is "awa, awa", either for agua or for what :) Here are a couple of little videos of him on the go.

Daniel's Graduation and Party

On June 17th it was our youngest brother, Daniel's graduation from UC Irvine. It was very exciting and we are all very proud of him. The whole family gathered together and worked hard to get a party together at Anthony and Awnie's new home. It is the perfect party home, pool and all. It was great to see everyone enjoying and celebrating Daniel's special accomplishments. Along with Daniel's graduation, it also happened to be Father's Day, our friend Edie's birthday, and Keith and Mary's anniversary, so much to celebrate!

the birthday girl hiding behind two Davids

the Valenzuela Family

the Valenzuela clan

Yeah, Tio Daniel, the grad!

Checking out the pool

Marissa with the anniversary couple

Marissa posing with the grad

Yazmin and Tio Jose made the trek from Mexico

David stealing Don Howe's hat
lots of yummy food
Marissa spent so much time in the pool, we though she was a mermaid :)
Even Anthony enjoyed time in the pool

David's Birthday - CA edition

We celebrated David's first birthday with a big bash in California. It was great to see so many of you. It was a little rough for David, he needed a nap but we made it. In the end he got the "sillys", otherwise known as the "Marissas", giggling and smiling a lot. Here are a few of the pictures.

cozy with my cousin
thanks Tia for helping with my party
my Tia Lisa
playing with Grandma Mary
So fun
I can eat this Mickey!

I've had it!

more fun with Marissa

Hanging out in CA

We returned last week from spending some time with our family and friends in California. It was a great visit, very busy with parties and graduations. Baby David did well on the flight over and it only took 4 days of waking up at 5am with him to get him adjusted to the west coast time. It was a bit exhausting for me as he wanted to only be held by me at first and in every "new" situation, but eventually he warmed up and enjoyed the arms of the rest of the family. Some of the best times were spent just hanging out at home. Anytime David was a little fussy, Marissa knew how to cheer him up. I guess she has that affect on most people :)



Storytime with Marissa



dancing to "El Raton Vaquero"

Strolling thru Fashion Island

checking out Bebsy kitty

playing at the park with Hailey

playing with Daddy in Hailey's backyard