This year, we dressed Mallory up as an owl and kept our fingers crossed that she would keep the costume on and not want to take it off. We decided to do the same thing we did last year and just bring Mallory to our parents so everyone could see the costume. Surprisingly, she seemed ok with leaving the costume on long enough for everyone to take pictures. The expression on her face when we "unveiled" her to everyone was priceless. The only thing I can think of to describe her expression is "deer in the headlights"!
Here are some more pics from the Astriabs visit. I will be posting more pics from the Merriman visit in another post shortly....
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. It's been a crazy month with work and other obligations but we still have found time to welcome the Fall season with some outdoor fun. This past weekend we met up with our friends Greg & Heather and their two little ones Will & Tess for a trip to Goold Orchard in Castleton. It wasn't as sunny and warm as we hoped for but at least it didn't rain. We kept Mallory in the stroller for a little while and then finally let her loose. She seemed most fascinated by a little orange traffic cone that was near some of the bouncy rides. I tried to pick her up and move her far away from it, but she kept walking back to the same spot. We eventually made it over to the pumpkin patches where we attempted to get some pictures with the kids. Will and Tess had no problem posing for the camera but we had a little trouble getting Mallory to look up. She was more interested in sticks and hay from the ground. It was a fun time and we snuck in one or two cider donuts before we headed home.
Michol and I booked a week in Newport Rhode Island for our first official family vacation. Even though we have been going down to Newport for many years, we didn't know what to expect since we have never travelled with Mallory and our 2 pups for an extended amount of time. Our first hurdle was packing up the car. Since the dogs were going to take up the entire cargo area of our wagon, we had to borrow a Thule carrier that secures to the roof. In addition to the carrier, which held all our clothes, we secured 2 dog crates, a pack & play for Mallory to sleep in, and her stroller. We tied everything down with bungee cords and crossed our fingers.
The Ol' Family Truckster!
The trip down went as well as can be...we only had to stop once to change Mallory and let the pups so their business. We hit very little traffic as we approached Newport and made it down in less than 4 hours. Upon arrival, we unloaded everything and then had to go back out to make a couple of purchases. We did not bring Mallory's high chair or plastic play pen due to the limited space in the car so we decided to buy them in Newport and then return them at the end of the week.
House at 38 Atlantic St
The house we stayed at was really nice. It had 2 bedrooms, full kitchen, nice size living area, and was only a short distance from the ocean and downtown shops. The only drawback was the "fenced-in yard" wasn't as secure as we would've hoped for so we could let the pups loose in the yard. To keep them active, I took them for runs in the early morning. They were beat after each run!
Pups and Mallory hanging out in the Living Room
Overall the week went really well and the weather couldn't have been better. It was about 75 degrees and sunny most of the week. Michol and I walked with Mallory just about everywhere. One day we walked about 8 miles along the Cliff Walk and through Brenton Point State Park. Mallory basically took her daily naps in the stroller as we walked around Newport. We didn't know what to expect when we took her to the beach, but she loved every minute of it. It was great seeing her try to walk on the sand and get her first exposure to the ocean water. We captured every moment on our camera and camcorder. Here are some of the many videos captured on the beach. Check out more videos on the YouTube site (link on the right side of the page):
At the end of the week, we took Mallory out for dinner at the Brick Alley Pub, which is a favorite or ours. Mallory chomped down on some pasta and rice and we finished the night off with a stroll to Ben & Jerry's for icecream. It was the perfect ending to a perfect vacation. We packed up the car on Saturday morning and headed home. We made it the entire way without making one stop beleive it or not. Mallory was asleep most of the way...probably dreaming of the sand and shells...
Now that Mallory is showing no signs of slowing down and with her days in the play pen numbered, we picked up a gate on Saturday that will help keep her in the family room when needed. The gate has a nice feature on it that allows the door to stay open so we (and the pups) can get through. On Sunday, Michol was up in Lake George with some friends so it was just me and Mallory for a good part of the day. At one point I grabbed the camera and just followed her around the house. She pretty much covered every square inch of the first floor. After lunch, we stopped by the Merrimans for a visit and Mallory had a nice encounter with her favorite feline.
Michol and I participated in the Warrior Dash up at Windham Mountain this past weekend. This was my second time participating and Michol's first. We raced on Sunday and apparently missed all the thunder/lightening that occured on the Saturday event. We had the first time slot of the day which helped us avoid the heavy crowds throughout the course. For those not familiar with the event, it is a 3.5 mile course up, over, and down the mountain with 14 grueling obstacles along the way. Over the course of 2 days, about 14,900 people participate. As you can see by the pictures below, there is absolutely no way you can stay clean! Michol and cousin Jeanette ran together and did really well, considering it was their first time participating. Both came in at about 1 hour and 18 minutes and finished with big smiles and a few scrapes. I just missed beating my time from last year, but given the course was more uphill (or up-mountain) and muddy, I was definitely happy with my time of 36:05 and 64th place over the two days.
Since Mallory was only a couple of months old last year, Michol was able to carry her in the Bjorn and pretty much slept the entire time I raced. This year we decided to leave her behind with the Merrimans. Unfortunately, she missed seeing us all muddy and wet, but had a great time hanging with the Grandparents.
Sorry for the lack of posts lately...It's hard to believe we are already in August. Where does the time go? Well, since our last update, Mallory has been getting closer and closer to walking on her own. Right now she takes about 3-4 steps without assistance and then drops for the crawl. This "transition period" from crawling to walking is proving to be a challenge for us since she really does not want to be held for very long but at the same time she is not able to walk wherever she wants when we are outside of the house. The good side of this is that she does like to walk while you hold her hand and she is able to cover a lot more distance. Only a matter of time before she is off and running on her own!
In addition to the walking, Mallory is getting more and more teeth. She has the top and bottom front set and the back corners are already coming through. She certainly likes to test the teeth out on her Mom :) Luckily this emergence of teeth has not affected her sleeping patterns. She is still sleeping through the night and lately has not wanted to get up in the morning. We're so lucky...
Finally, with all this hot weather we've been having, Mallory had a chance to get her first experience in the "big" pool at the Astriabs. It was not for very long, but Michol took her in (with the assistance of cousin Jeannette) and she seemed to like bits and pieces of it. I think she prefers to play in her kiddy pool and water table for now.
We hope this isn't how an older Mallory is going to act when she doesn't approve of something. She actually has been doing this for a while but we had to capture on camera. Not sure who she got this one from...hmmm. Turn up the volume on your speakers and enjoy!
