I heart family.

I got to go to the lake this week!

But the best part about it was that I got to hang out with my family!

Cousin Ansley was there...

Cousin Avery was there...

It was a blast!

I totally love swinging...

And we had a contest to see who could fly the highest...

Later that day we went to pick tomatoes out of Papa T's garden.

But that evening, I started wondering about the rest of my family.

I knew I couldn't see them so I painted beautiful pictures for them...

I might have gotten a little messy, but it was fun in the end.

This one's for you, Grandma!

Camping!!!

When Mom & Dad asked me if I would like to go camping, I had to think for a minute...

"Heck yes I would," I told them:

I got to help Dad put the tent up...

(I LOVED the tent!)

...And there was even a FIRE!

(Awesome, right?)

The next day they asked me how high of a mountain I'd like to climb...

After looking up to the peak above me I decided,

"About this high."

First thing in the morning, we fueled up for our big hike with breakfast...

Pretty soon, we were off!

Mom & Dad saw some beautiful views,

...But I have to admit, the whole thing kinda wore me out...

Still, that night I prayed,

"God, can we do this again sometime?"

Happy Independence (day)

On the 4th of July, Mom & Dad took me to a beach in California's wine country.

Sitting in all that icky sand really got me thinking about how I could become a little bit more independent on my own this holiday...

That's when I started thinking about standing up and walking on my own.

Brilliant, don't you think?

So I set out on my way toward independence...

Watch out, world; here I come!

It's a lot of work, this independence business, so occasionally I need to take a break...

It's cool, though...

...because I get right back to practicing...

Hiking up-hill, however, is another story...

Mom & Dad make me ride in the back pack

(clearly I'm not having a good time...)

But I guess I can handle it for a good view here and there.

Ultimately, I have a mind of my own and just need a little encouragement:

Mom & dad are very proud of me, but sometimes all my newfound independence tires them out and they do things to try to stifle my independence:

Little do they know, they may slow down my walk toward independence, but they can't stop me from being adorable!