:chloe & the beach:

today was a benchmark day. we had a beach day with chloe for the first time. sadly, i forgot to bring a camera so i don't have many photos. i was fortunate to get a few on a friend's camera and hope to get those later this week. but until then, stories will have to suffice.

we went to la jolla shores to see baptisms for our church, and oddly enough, our friend mike was going to be there, too. so after baptisms, we hung out for a bit and soaked up sun while chloe discovered sand. i am a summertime beach girl. so when it was 80 and sunny today, it felt great to be by the water. but it was so so different with a kid. there was something very monumental and emotional about it. while the baptisms were happening, jared walked down to the water with chloe (who dawned a little swimsuit and mariner's hat) and let her toes grace the salt water for the first time. watching my beloved play in the ocean with my daughter brought tears to my eyes. it was something out of a movie. chloe is by far the cutest baby, ever. obviously i am partial...but seriously. you had to see her. she actually seemed to be curious about this mysterious ocean, but after a bit, i think she got a little tired of dad setting her feet down in icy water. but there is never a shortage of fun for kids at the beach. we were there for hours and she never cried. she played with keys, sand, her toys and eventually fell asleep in her carseat. needless to say, she didn't get her normal naps since we had been gone since 8am.

maybe seeing chloe was like going back to childhood. maybe that's why it was so emotional. i guess the bonds you make with nature as a child never really go away, and eventually become realized in your children. i can only hope that jared gets to see little chloe play in the snow, which is his love.

other than beach days, chloe has learned to navigate around her room completely. she sees something she wants (could be her crib, her swing, the doorstop, the blanket, a book, etc.) and manages to roll and drag herself to it. she's become quite adept at it, too. no more leaving her in the room. there's been a couple close calls with her and walls. she's tough though. she's clearly taking after me and my long line of bad ass women. i guess that's got both good and bad. either way, she's a fiery little booger...and we love her that way.