Wanting what we don't have...

must be hard-wired into our DNA. I notice it all the time with Kate: whatever she doesn't have, she craves, but when she gets what she wants, she's already onto the next thing. All the moms in baby group laugh because the babies spend the entire time stealing toys from eachother, and then immediately trying to get back the one they just had. The funniest for me, though, is whenever we let Hickory outside; Hickory comes right back and wants in, while Kate stares longingly outside, wanting nothing more than to get out there. Guess we can't help wishing for all the things we don't already have!

Yet more swimming...

Do you sense a theme here? The weather has remained lovely, so Kate has spent most of the time in her pool. As Ryan said, "the best $10 we've spent." She still loves it just as much as the first time and, yes, still throws massive fits whenever we go inside. If she had her way, she'd be naked and living outside. We've had to break it to her that she lives in the Northwest, so nudist activities are quite limited. We'll take advantage as long as possible, though!

Strawberries galore!

Kate went on her first berry picking expedition today and collected LOTS of strawberries. Six pounds to be exact! We even through caution to the wind and let her eat some...despite not yet being one (the recommended strawberry-eating age), she seems to have survived. We fed them to her while she was skinny dipping in the pool, which was fortunate since she made quite the mess. I kept catching glimpses of red afterwards and feeling a moment of panic since it looked like blood; when she licked the spots, though, I was reminded that she was not injured and has, apparently, discovered that strawberries are as good (and safe) as all the other ones she already eats. Our next farm mission: blueberries!

We also took an amazing trip to the beach in Port Townsend on Friday. Of course, I forgot my camera, but I can attest that Kate and the beach are a great combination. She laughed when her feet hit the sand, and just kept cracking up whenever she ran sand through her fingers. Her other beach favorites were all the kites, especially one with a big Barbie face....hmmm....wonder what that says about her? :)

Fun with daddy...

This is what happens when you get on the floor in our house; you're an instant jungle gym! So much for trying to stretch or do some ab work. Her 20+ pounds make for a pretty good push-up alternative, though! Hickory tries to get on the action too, but she's not quite sure what's going on. It's usually just a tangle of baby, parents and animals!

A wet weekend...

In Port Angeles, a "wet weekend" would normally refer to the weather, but this weekend it meant lots and lots of swimming! Ryan got Kate a wading pool and she took to it just like the lake. By day three, she'd already graduated to skinny dipping. We actually think she likes open water even better than the still pool, because she really likes it when we make "waves" in the water and she loves getting splashed (or splashing everyone and everything else!) She took one face-plant, but only cried for a minute and then wanted right back in. I'm glad she's not afraid, but she's REALLY not afraid. I half expected her to stick her head right under and start blowing bubbles....next weekend, perhaps... It was a fun weekend in the fun for all of us; Ryan and I commented that we NEVER thought we'd be out in our swimsuits in P.A.!

Lake Crescent

We had beautiful, warm weather today so we took a trip to Lake Crescent. It's an enormous, gorgeous lake that is only about 30 minutes from our house. There's an old, restored lodge with a sun porch that sits right on the water, and is the perfect place to sit in the sunshine and watch the water. Kate had her first swimsuit experience, and she is definitely a water baby! She loved the water and the rocks, and probably would have sat there all day, just letting the water lap around her. There were boats, swimmers and dogs so she didn't lack for exciting scenery. She even made a couple new friends. All in all, a successful first "swim" in the lake!

Kate's corner

One of my favorite things that Kate does is play by herself in this little corner of our kitchen. She has "her" shelf with books and toys, and she busies herself well. There's something about watching her "read" and explore when she doesn't know I can see her that makes me so proud of her. She sits a lot now and flips through books while babbling away, almost like she really is reading to herself. It's nice that she's learning to play independently...especially since it allows me to get a few things done and Ryan and I to have an actual adult conversation every once in awhile!