Hair, There and Everywhere

Last Saturday, we started our weeklong Summer vacation in New England -- including stops in Connecticut and Cape Cod.

You can always tell it's getting late in the summer when the ducks at Alexander's Lake are so used to getting fed that they come whenever they see someone out on a dock. On Sunday morning, the ducks decided they couldn't wait for Morgan and Gwen to throw the bread, so they started jumping up on the dock to help themselves.

After all the excitement of the duck feeding frenzy, the girls were ready to relax on the deck. Luckily, Andy's Mom (a.k.a. "Mayie") got new blankets for the girls -- Princesses for Morgan and Dora for Gwen.

Monday was our last full day at the Lake, so we made sure we crammed in as much stuff as possible. Ariella and Gwen enjoyed the beautiful morning on the dock, while Morgan practiced throwing mud and rocks from shore.

In the afternoon, Morgan learned how to swim away from "Shark Daddy". (Cue the "Jaws" music.)

Andy's cousin Mandy came by to give everyone much-needed haircuts (well, except for Gwen). Morgan was very excited about her short bob haircut -- perfectly preppy for our trip to Cape Cod.

Morgan happily modeled her new 'do in the mirror, then on the deck and, eventually, for the ducks.

We finished off our busy Monday with a boat cruise around the Lake at sunset.

After three days at the Lake, we were ready to give the ocean a try. Next stop, Cape Cod.

Gone Fishin'

As the rain clouds rolled in on Saturday afternoon, we realized our plans for outdoor fun would have to wait. No problem. Instead, we headed to the Adventure Aquarium.

Morgan was especially excited to see the hippos this time around. The hippos must have known, because they graciously came out of the water just as we arrived. (Okay, it may have been time for their afternoon feeding. Whatever.)

This was the first time we had been to the aquarium since Gwen has been walking. She wasted no time getting up close and personal with the fish.

The rain held out long enough for us to go outside to see the penguins and seals, and pose for yet another round of photos on the turtle statue.

Morgan was very interested in Tequila, the talking bird. And even though she still can't sit through Finding Nemo without crying, Morgan really enjoyed seeing the real-life versions of Marlin and Dory.

On the way home, we stopped in Collingswood for dinner at the Pop Shop. Gwen showed off her utensil skills while eating macaroni & cheese. Meanwhile, Morgan showed off her new chocolate mustache while she ate her ice cream for dessert.

Morgan and Gwen Dance to Gwen

No, we didn't name Gwen after Gwen Stefani (technically, Mrs. Stefani-Rossdale is just "Gwen", not "Gwendolyn"). But that hasn't stopped Morgan from being absolutely fascinated that Gwen shares a name with a rock star.

Morgan choreographed a dance for "The Sweet Escape" a few weeks ago. Now Gwen has figured out how to join in.

Second Weekend at the Lake

We made our second trip to the Lake during the weekend of July 29-31. This time around, Aimee, Henry and Alex were also visiting. This gave Morgan and Gwen 2 more people to swim with -- and gave us a chance to snap the annual "Dock Shot" of the cousins (seen above, the first 3 years of Dock Shots can be seen half way down the post linked here).

Murky weather on Friday (and a very late night traveling on Thursday) didn't stop the kids from playing on the beach and in the water. But, as you'll see, the clouds finally broke on Saturday and gave us a picture-perfect lake day.

On Friday morning, Morgan was eager to get in the water. Before long, she was floating all by herself (with a little help from her "floatie").

Meanwhile, Gwen opted to stay on shore -- which was a bit of a surprise considering her dare devilish tendencies.

Even after a day filled with swimming and playing, Morgan still had enough energy left to practice a couple karate moves with Alex.

The sun was shining bright on Saturday morning. So as soon as Gwen finished chasing the cats around and Morgan, Alex and Mayie made a snack, we hit the water again.

Morgan had a blast jumping off the dock to Andy, and synchronized jumping alongside Alex.

We were all really proud of how quickly Morgan learned to navigate around with the floatie. She swam from our dock to the neighbor's dock and back.

A family of ducks paid us a visit on Sunday morning before we left. Alex, Morgan and Gwen grabbed some old bread crusts and gave them a big breakfast.

We've already had more "lake time" this summer than we did all of last year -- and we have our "big" vacation still to come.

Gwen's 12-month Checkup

On Thursday, July 28, we took Gwen in for her 12-month checkup. Despite getting three shots in her legs, she was all smiles by the time we left the doctor's office -- proving what a big girl she has become. But if that's not enough proof, her 1-year measurements don't lie:

Weight: 20 lbs, 8 oz (34%)

Height: 30 inches tall (74%)

Head: 18.75 in. (84%)

By comparison, when we weighed Morgan on the way out of the doctor's office that day, she was barely 30 lbs. (Like we said, Gwen's a big girl.)