Taking advantage of Ruby

Ruby is really into being a helper. She likes to hand us things and say, "here you go!" and help by carrying stuff around, looking for stuff, bringing us things. The biggest surprise, to me, is how helpful she actually is. The other day she got my keys out of a tight spot when I dropped them under our hall table while my hands were full.

Let the child labor begin!

Today while I was cooking dinner I had a view out the kitchen window of this cute Daddy-daughter duo doing some fall yard work.


And here's a nice swing/ nose-wiping shot from the park this afternoon. I don't know what's up with our camera settings. Everything is washed out.

More lake pictures

Summer is winding down here, although I think September is Seattle's nicest month. We've had a weird transition to fall because Nate's teacher's union is on strike. Usually we get back into a schedule when school starts after Labor Day, and seeing Nate filling out all those teacher gradebooks makes me want to go out and buy a bunch of mechanical pencils or something.
This year, he's walking the picket line. It's getting old.

Here are a couple of shots of our last summer fling over to the lake on Labor Day weekend. Ruby is such a goofball and loves to play games. She and my parents -- especially my mom -- were buddies. That's good because I wanted to read my book on the dock...

Driving the boat with Grandpa...

And playing this game, which only my mom could conceive: this bizarre plastic fish bowl has been at the cabin since my own early childhood. Ruby and my mom took turns wearing it around like astronauts.