Eleven months.

This is the first month where I couldn't get her to sit still for the picture. She is on the move...well actually she stands a lot but doesn't go anywhere. Just stands and squats and stands. Her balance is excellent so it's a matter of time before she realizes she can do more than stand there. She has quite the personality emerging. She likes to get a reaction out of me but either racing over to the stairs for a climb and then trying to get up as far as she can before I get to her (which is not that far but she laughs and laughs) or biting down on my leg with her little teeth. She thinks it's hilarious when I say "ouch". Good times...

She loves a cuddle and certainly seems to scream a bit more than her brother did at this age but can't really remember. She tries to mimic sounds we make and I like sticking my tongue out and moving it around to see her follow. It's cute. She could eat blueberries til she was blue and she likes Cabot sharp cheddar. She still only has her bottom two teeth and I can't see her top ones coming at this point. 

Her and Lars have been playing together a lot more today. He, of course, likes to try and drag her and "love" her but she lets him know what's what with little screams and grumbles so he never gets that far with her. She stands her ground. He is super sweet with her and has been saying recently, "Rocky is the best ever in the world." which is obviously something he has heard said but still cute. 

He had his first day in the big pre-school class at his school and did great then headed to the Barber shop to get his hair cut and sat in the chair totally still all  by himself. He's flourishing in his independence--it's nuts.

These shots are from a couple walks we've taken this week. That first set was taken right before it started POURING sheets of water. Mike has been mountain biking around the trails by our house but last night we walked his route. We are trying to enjoy these last summer evenings before they are a memory. It's been a great summer. 

Wingaersheek Beach

On Friday, a good portion of the family headed to the Ocean in Massachusetts. Wingaersheek Beach is North of Boston. It's a little cape and when the tide goes out you can walk our for at least half a mile which also make the area perfect for finding fresh clams. I wish I had a picture of our tent set-up because we had 2 big awning tents that we brought and all sorts of stuff. We basically moved to the beach for 7 hours. We had such a great time and my girl loved eating the sand. The kids all go back to school next week so it was a fun last hoo-rah before we all get back into it. 

10 months.

Here she is in all of her 10 month glory. She is so. much. fun. Her personality is emerging to be feisty and flirty. She reserves the biggest smiles for her brother, it seems. Her hair is getting longer and my nieces inspired me to put some cute little clips in her red locks. I really like this age as their personalities emerge but they are still your wee ones. She is a rockstar little eater and prefers feeding herself so much  more than she took puree foods. She's got her two bottom teeth and is seeming to be longer and leaner to me. She can pull herself up on things and stand unaided for a second or two. She wants to walk, this girl of ours. I totally have a crush on her. 

Summer in Normal

We are gearing up to head east to Windsor. It's been so good spending time with our family here in Normal, Illinois. Our girl is 10 months today but I will do her picture when I get home. 

Last couple of weeks

   

     

                     

Roller girl from CL Cammock on Vimeo.

Dance spaz from CL Cammock on Vimeo.

When my sister and her family were heading back to Illinois, I decided to caravan back with them. So I packed up the car and headed out. We split the 18 hour drive into 3 shorter days and the kids actually did really well. We had lots of stretching breaks through Ohio and Indiana and made it to Normal all in one piece. 

It has been HOT here (104 degrees today) so we've been staying cool as best we can. There are a ridiculous amount of fun playgrounds so we try and hit those up as much as we can. There is a fabulous Children's museum that the kids really liked. We went to a movie (that shut off 5 mins from the end because the theatre blacked out) and played at the pool. We were also lucky to cling on to a very cool family event that Joy & Hafe attend in the summer at their friend's place. It's called the Illympics and it is two days of events for the kids to participate in. It started with an opening ceremony and flags-- then a passing of the torch. Then we headed to a track where the kids did sprints, hurdles, long jump, soccer kick, baseball throw, and a long distance run. Lars got right into it competing with the other three year olds. There was swimming and pony rides and bowling and a bunch of great toys (like that little roller car)--such a treat of a time for a kid. I will post some pictures from that later. 

Last night I had a fun visit with my friends from my summers when I lived here. They are super cool and am soooooo glad I got to see Deb & Jonna. My boy had some pretty sweet dance moves last night. Mike arrives tomorrow and we will have a few days all together before heading back to Vermont.