8 months

Sarah: Happy 8 months to my little girl! Here are some things to know about Adele this month:

She waves: It started as a slow-moving turning of the hand, grew in to frantic two-handed waving, and now it's a combination of both. We're not convinced she knows what it means, but it's cute and she definitely does it to get attention or in response to people!

She's crawling: A few factors contributed to this new trick. Carpet in the USA, and cousins who already can crawl and go after toys. All of a sudden, Adele decided she needed to be able to crawl to race her cousins Ash Ford and Benjamin Roth to the toys!

She loves to walk: With assistance, Adele shows off her walking legs by taking giant dinosaur steps all over. To wear her out, we'll take turns walking her all around the building.

She still loves to bounce: Are you getting the idea that this girl likes to be active? She loves to be bounced up and down all day, and giggles and squeals when that turns into being thrown up in the air by Daddy.

She has a new fascination with rocks: Ever since we let her suck on rocks in Colorado while we were hiking around to keep her distracted, she has decided she loves rocks. She loved to try to eat the rocks on the bottom of the lake in Spokane, and now crawls straight to the big rocks that hold our doors open at QERC when we let her loose.

She pulls herself up: Our days of Adele sitting still and playing by herself are over. If she's not going straight to the crawling position, she's pulling herself up into the standing position. We have to watch closely so she doesn't fall over and knock her head on the tile.

She can clap: Somehow along the way, her frantic waving resulted in her hands making contact and now she can (on occasion) clap.

Here are some pictures from the last month:

Vacaciones

Sarah: These past two weeks we spent in the good ol' US of A visiting family for our summer break. Instead of going to Iowa this year, we flew straight to Denver to meet up with my family in Estes Park. The whole gang came - my parents, my younger sisters Katie and Rachel, and my older sister Emily, her husband Greg, her stepson Hunter, and their son Ash. We had a great time all hanging out together, playing with the babies and spending time in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Highlights of the week include (but are not limited to):
~A short beautiful hike in RMNP to Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, and Dream Lake
~Horseback riding in RMNP through Moraine Park
~Ice cream at the Y-Camp
~Church service with large windows showing the beautiful mountains
~A drive up Trail Ridge Road
~Seeing lots of elk and deer
~Watching a coyote
~A beautiful long hike in RMNP past Alberta Falls, to The Loch, and a long (but beautiful) journey back
~Evenings driving around RMNP looking for wildlife
~Cinnamon rolls at Glen Haven
~Whitewater rafting the Poudre River
~The little creatures - chipmunks, pika, marmots
~Time with family!

And some pictures from the first week:

At Bear Lake

An elk up on Trail Ridge Road

Emily and Ash and Adele and me on Trail Ridge Road
Professional family pictures taken at the Y-Camp
Ash and Adele chilling in the grass
The hiking crew at The Loch

The second week we spent with the Hilles, also for their family vacation. We spent the entire week up at a cabin they rent right on a lake near Spokane, Washington. It was a week full of relaxation, naps, being entertained by many kids, and swimming in the lake when the weather and water warmed up a bit. David's parents were there, along with David's sister Jordan, husband Rusty, kids Gracelyn, Gabriel, and Benjamin (and another baby on the way!). David's sister Jenna was able to come over from Montana and hang out with us for our last night.

Highlights from the week include (but are not limited to):
~Fireworks for the 4th of July over the lake
~Cooking hotdogs over the fire pit near the lake (and s'mores)
~The 4th of July boat parade
~Huckleberry smoothies
~David's nature hikes with Gracelyn and Gabriel
~Walking to get ice cream
~Visits from Aunt Karen, Mort and Terry, Aunt Dian and Uncle Laurence
~Watching the sky change colors over the lake in the evenings
~Observing Adele get smothered by 3 cousins who desperately wanted to hold her and play with her every waking moment
~Eating dinners out on the deck in the warm evenings
~Horseshoes and croquet
~Swimming in the lake (or barely getting in for some of us wimps who can't handle cold water)
~Family time!

And some pictures from the second week:

Gracelyn and Adele having a conversation

Adele crawling with Benjamin cheering her on

David throwing Gabriel up in the air

David, Gracelyn, and Gabriel recording what they saw on their nature hike

Hanging out on the raft in the lake

In the (cold) lake