August

August was a busy month for us and I should have been writing blog posts as we went along but as you know if you've been faithfully clicking on our link that has not happened. I apologize to our friends and family for not filling you in and for now giving you a very abbreviated post of the past month but I will at least attach a picture with my brief descriptions. Here we go...



It started out with my 7th and possibly last appearance as a bridesmaid. My good friend and former roommate Kristy married Andrew Walker on 8/3 and it was a great day. God cleared away the thunder storm just long enough for us to hold the outdoor ceremony and then as soon as the guests returned to the building for the reception the clouds let loose and it rained again. The timing was all His.






Next we took our first family vacation as the three of us to a place in upstate NY called Camp of the Woods. We went with a few families from our church and had a great time. We also got to celebrate Sierra's first birthday there. We have great video her enjoying her slice of birthday cake that I hope to upload to our dropshots.com website soon. The camp is a fantastic place for a family vacation and we hope to return someday when Sierra and any future children can participate in the many activities offered. Unfortunately that week was the last of what seemed like a month of rainy, dreary weather in the Northeast so we didn't get in as many beach activities (lounging in the sun for me) we hoped for but we still had a great time there with our friends.


Following our vacation we had a great visit with my family at our first Baillie Family Reunion in Mass. (That is my mom's side of the family for anyone who doesn't know, and where Sierra's middle name comes from.) My family drove up from PA and stayed a few days with us in NH. We entertained ourselves at our house by cooking meals together, eating more birthday cake for both Sierra and Austin (2), watching the end of the Olympics, holding some rather competitive contests at Mario Kart and bowling on Andy's Wii, and trying to teach Sierra how to share her toys with Austin. That last one is going to need some more work. It was so nice to have them here!

That wraps up August. Now it is the 5th of September and I have officially started my new 'at home' job. Trying to figure out how much work I can get done during Sierra's naps is challenging right now but we'll get the hang of it soon.
Thanks for the patience and I'll try to get some more posts soon.

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.