The heat drove me into the lake

Some important information before you look at the pictures below is that for many years now I've been strictly a pool swimmer. At the risk of sounding very girly, lakes hold no appeal for me other than sitting in a boat on top of one or doing a bit of kneeboarding when I'm feeling adventurous. I don't like seeing fish swimming around me, the water is very dirty, and I hate it when the lake bottom feels mushy under my feet. After the backyard splash pool trial (see previous post) I knew that if I wanted Sierra to experience swimming (if you call it that at 11 months) I'd have to venture into the lake at Joe and Heidi's house. So we drove over today and without thinking about it too much I went right in and we had a great time. We floated around for quite a while and she had so much fun in the water and playing in the wet sand. I'm pretty proud of myself for overcoming my minor disgust for my daughters enjoyment. Oh and even though she didn't smile for the camera she really did have a good time.

Resisting the temptation to put her fingers in her mouth

'jumping' off the dock like the other kids

Fun in the Sun

Sierra finally had the chance to splash around in her baby pool a few days ago. To my surprise she wasn't as much of a fan of it as I expected. She loves splashing in the tub but outside the grass has much more appeal than the water. Since my soccer days I haven't been a 'play in the grass and dirt' person so I wasn't crazy about Sierra's preferred activities on this day. I will try hard to get used to the fact that kids like to get dirty though and let her have some fun. I could only stand it long enough to take some pictures on this occasion but next time I'll try to indulge her a little more. She also hardly sits still long enough for me to snap the picture which is why I haven't posted to this blog in a while (for those of you requesting an update). It's tough to get a good shot of this little one who is constantly on the move.

Happy 4th!

We hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July!

Climbing, the new favorite activity

In our office we have a love seat under the window. Rob and I were sitting there with Sierra last night and she must have been feeling adventurous. She set her eyes on the window and proceeded to climb right up me, over my shoulder and right onto the window sill. She was pretty proud of herself. When I see all these new things she can do I'm so amazed at how quickly these little ones grow and learn. It's so fun to watch....the first time. I'm sure she won't be satisfied cuddling on the couch with me anymore though.

Weekend in Maine

This weekend we vacated to Maine where we enjoyed some fun in the sun. We joined the Farris family at their new vacation house, which is located on Horn Pond, right over the NH boarder. We ate, slept, fished, boated, read, played Catan, relaxed and just had an overall good time breaking in the house.








This weekend was especially productive for Sierra, she learned how to walk. Well, not by herself, but with the assistance of a wheeled highchair. You can witness this spectacular event in the short video below.


I know what you're thinking: "she's only 10 months old!" Well, it is becoming apparent to us that she is not the type of kid that likes to sit around and just play with toys. This girl is on the move! She is going places--and fast! I guess it is about time we baby-proof the house and buy one of those baby dog leashes so we can keep track of our little cutie.

The Downside of a Milestone

Enough said.

Major Milestone

Sierra crawled today! She was enticed by some mango peach applesauce and kept crawling after it as daddy kept moving the spoon back farther. She's been on the verge for at least 2 weeks now so we're pretty excited that she managed it. Excited for now anyway, check back with me in a few weeks to see how excited I am then. Yeah Sierra!!