Squirrel Hunting

Dear Grandpa Spencer,

Daddy took me squirrel hunting today. I told him I wanted to make sure you knew that I had learned the right thing about how we treat squirrels, so he took these pictures for you to see. As you can see, pink is the color of choice for squirrel hunting apparel. I wore my pink polka-dotted galoshes in case any of the rascals got squirrely around my ankles.

It sure is hard to catch squirrels. My technique got a bit better as the evening wore on. I found it best to ask Daddy to carry me within 15 feet of the quarry, then I'd lunge forward to run after them on my own. If I'd forgotten, Daddy would remind me to get my ammunition. . .acorns! Then I'd stare up at the tree, like this....and throw my acorns to try to knock the squirrels out of the tree. (One acorn came down and bonked me on the head, but it didn't hurt.)

I want you to know, Grandpa, that I tried for 2 hours to catch a squirrel for you. I marched Daddy around the yard, and we tried all kinds of tactics (like the one you see on the right). But after so long, I got hungry and Mommy called me into dinner. Anyway, next time I visit I'll bring my pink galoshes and my hat so we can rid your garden of the nasty vermin.

Love,

Sophie Mae

Labor Day

What to do on Labor Day? Sandy and I have long hoped to find a place near our home to spend a lot of inexpensive time outside. This would be a place we could enjoy God's creation as a family. A place Sophie would enjoy, and we could enjoy being with her in her element. The swimming pools run by the local park districts (actually they're more like water parks) would cost us over $20.00 per swim. I have a very hard time spending money to be in the water, particularly having grown up swimming in the many gorgeous lakes and rivers of the Northwest. Most of the lakes and rivers here in Illinois are not swimmable due to their stagnant nature and muddy bottoms. There are many, many Forest Preserves and parks around us at which Sophie has the opportunity to meet new friends and ride slides. But with the heat and pregnancy, Sandy can only take so much chasing Sophie up and down the slides (and I do mean up, because Sophie's favorite park game is to climb UP the slides).

A couple of weeks ago we found that we could pay $12.00 to park at the Lincoln Park Zoo and walk across Lake Shore Drive to the beach at Lake Michigan. The beach there is beautiful and ideal for swimming. But the drive is 30-45 minutes, and with the price of gas. So this weekend I decided to research beaches on Lake Michigan. The first beach that looked promising was in the city of Glencoe. However, it too required payment, not for parking, but for entrance to the water. To make a long story short, we ended up finding a gem. Rosewood Beach in Highland Park. 20 minutes from our home, free, and beautiful.

Sophie continues to amaze her parents and those she meets with her fearlessness. Belly laughs were common today as she ran, yes ran, headlong into the waves. She would get splashed or bowled over, get up, and run back to the beach giggling all the way. She certainly became a sandy mess. She loved her feet buried. At the close of the hours we spent there today, I took her a little further out into the waves. As each one rolled closer, her eyes got wider along with her grin; she would lean INTO them to get soaked, giggle, and look out for the next one. When I handed her to Sandy so I could swim out and get the sand off in preparation to go home, it was all Sandy could do to keep Sophie in her arms.

In any event, we found our "spot". Without a lake house, a motor boat (or even a canoe), we'll take our little free beach and enjoy it MULTIPLE times a week until the leaves change color and the water becomes too brisk for Sophie to enjoy the waves.

Cougs and Shoes

Sophie has discovered Mommy's shoes. You can almost guarantee that if a pair of Mommy's shoes are a lonely pair without a closet; Sophie will befriend them for QUITE some time. Here, Sophie pairs her love of shoes with her love of Daddy's office chair. Daddy's office chair means "Paint". Yes, she loves to use the "mowse" and help Daddy fill in the colors of various Winnie's in Re-Poohs or Disney Villainesses. We are so proud of her.

Despite her love of shoes, Sophie has also been baptized into Crimson and Gray. She says, quite audibly, "Go Cougs". When asked, "Where are the Cougs?" she unfailingly identifies whatever article of WSU clothing is in the room. And furthermore, she also recognizes any football game on TV as a Cougar game. Her first Cougar baptism was tonight, as she was allowed to stay up 20 minutes past her bedtime to hear the melodious voice of Bob Robertson over the radio. And on the 8th day God gave man the ability to invent satellite radio, and it was good.

In other XM news, Jacob is also listening to the Cougars this evening in Virginia as courtesy of my (yes, my) XM Radio. Since another wonderful invention is the ability to pay nothing extra for cell phone minutes after 9pm. Jacob's cell phone is connected to my cell phone, which is sitting an inch away from the speaker transporting Bob Robertson to Lexington, Virginia by way of Chicago.