Doggie Door

It was inevitable that Molly would some day find Blue's doggie door and now that day has come. She is totally in awe of the thing and really likes to explore its reflection and movement.

She likes to pull herself up and push her hand through the door, this usually makes her laugh a lot.

Sometimes I go on the other side of the door to play which really cracks her up.

There was an unfortunate doggie door incident last week while I was at work. Molly was playing with the doggie door as usual, but at the same time, Blue came inside. Sadly, this knocked an unsuspecting Molly to the ground. Blue was apologetic and had his tail between his legs while cowering under the table even though it wasn't his fault. Thankfully Molly was much more scared than hurt. I said to John, well at least this will end her fascination with the doggie door. "No, she went right back to it as soon as I put her down!" he replied. She is one tough little baby.

Bake Sale

For those of you that don't know, I started working for an after school program at Downer Elementary School coaching soccer and working on community service projects. On Saturday we had a bake sale at our soccer game to raise money for Share Our Strength charities dedicated to fighting childhood hunger.

Here are some of the girls hamming it up for the camera. They made delicious baked goods and raised $117!

Molly and Micheala.

The girls making some sales.

You can kind of see Molly in the background.

An action shot.

Trip to Hilton Head, SC

We just returned from a great trip to Hilton Head, SC to spend time with John's parents and sister Gayle. We swam each day and had beautiful weather, but mostly, we enjoyed time together.

Here we are at The Cypress where John's parents live. This was taken outside of the dining room in front of the enormous bird cage. There were a dozen or so beautiful birds flying around in their home behind us.

Meeting Grandma Ruth for the first time.

They became fast friends.

Enjoying the ribbon after opening a christening present.

Molly's first introduction to her grandfather George. They hit it off immediately.

Sizing each other up.

Molly loves standing these days and pulls herself up like a champ.

Don't let this face fool you, she had a great time with Grandpa George.

It was actually grandpa's idea to put Molly in this basket and giver her rides around the room. She loved it!

Here is a shot in front of a fountain on the impressive grounds of the Cypress.

Molly is thinking of auditioning for The Rockettes this winter.

The Christiansen's drove down from Aiken and we met up for a delicious meal in Bluffton. It was so nice to catch up with them and see how much they are enjoying their retirement.

After dinner we took a walk around Old Bluffton and ended up on this dock right before the sun set.

Hanging out with Aunt Gayle in her beautiful home in Bluffton. Thanks for putting us up and for putting up with us Gayle!

Palling around with Grandpa George.

They had a lot of fun together.

John's favorite restaurant logo was the Crazy Crab for obvious reasons.

We went to the top of the lighthouse in Sea Pines, a resort town on HH Island.

Our first attempt at a self portrait was a bit of a failure.

The second attempt worked out somewhat better.

Ruth, John and Gayle walking around Sea Pines. When they lived here in the 70's, they were one of the only houses around, now it is an overdeveloped haven for tourists. All the same, it was a beautiful place and a nice way to spend the day.

Some of the local wildlife. Here is one of the alligators that lives at the Cypress. We saw him or someone who looked just like him almost every day.

This is an Osprey that we spotted in its nest not far from John's parent's house.

Our goodbye lunch was in honor of Gayle's birthday which is Sunday.

Molly loves the outdoors and really enjoys being able to support herself without our help.

On the bow of the boat.

Molly loved playing with Grandma Ruth's hat.

A parting family shot.

It was such a beautiful week. Thank you Geroge, Ruth and especially Gayle for being such a great host, tour guide and chauffeur.

Easter

The classic Easter Bunny cake from my childhood was resurrected this year.

The girls had a hard time cutting into the cake while looking into his sweet face.

Not a bad haul this year. The bread was baked for us by our friend and neighbor Verna and was delicious. The eggs are dyed and then baked into the bread, it was beautiful.

The Aquarium

John was taking his second grade class to the Aquarium by the Bay on Pier 39 in San Francisco last week so Molly and I decided to crash the field trip.

Here is a goofy picture of John with some of his class.

I was surprised at how focused Molly was on the animals. Here she is checking out some jellyfish.

The best part by far were the two walk-throughs where the fish swim all around and over you. Molly was enthralled and was tracking the sharks swimming overhead.

Molly and Jenny enjoying what is left of the sea lions.

Fun with Presents

Molly had a great time with the beautiful baptism gifts from Suzie Collins. First, she enjoyed reading, and eating, the card.

Then, she untied the pretty purple bow.

And then it was time to rip off the paper!

Who knew we could have such a good time without even opening the boxes! Thanks for all the fun Suzie!

Backyard Fun

Thanks to the many hours of effort from my family, our backyard is actually a nice place to hang out! So Molly and I have been enjoying the beautiful weather outside lately.

This is another one of the beautiful outfits sent by Aunt Barbara and Uncle Luke. Thanks so much for all of the beautiful clothes.

Love this face!

Exploring the birds of paradise plant in our yard.

Pleased to make your acquaintance.

Laughing it up as usual.

Molly loves to clap these days.