howdy

sorry for the lull in posting. i really have no excuse except that, well, it's summer.

and it's been a very rainy summer. cucumbers are out of controll in the garden, so clearly they are thriving in all of the wet weather. the tomatoes, unfortunately, have taken a beating. we are finally seeing small broccoli heads form on some of the broccoli plants, though. and i think this weekend we will be making a big batch of pesto. and probably pickles.

we are in the middle of some big painting projects: pete took this week off to paint the framed section of the house. and we are about 40% finished painting the kitchen, too. (a bright yellow. goes well with the cherry cabinets and soapstone countertops. at least i think so.) hopefully those projects will get wrapped up in the next week or so.

aubrey is so! close! to full-on walking. you should see her speed along with her cheapie plastic walker! it's one of the cutest things i've ever seen! she's really good at steering, too. so the first independent steps could come any day now.

she is also rapidly expanding her vocabulary, and impressing us daily with her discoveries. the other night, while in the bath, she successfully pointed to her: ears, nose, eyes, mouth, and head. wow! i was floored! we are also very good at identifying animals and making their corresponding sounds. she is especially good at woofing and panting like a dog. she can also squawk like a monkey and mooooo like a cow. ; )

now if i could only get her to grasp the concept behind the word "no." hmmmm....