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.)

Gwen at 1 year

It's official: Our little baby girl isn't a baby any more. In fact, in the last month, Gwen has done quite a bit to shake-off the final bits of baby-dom and jump into full-fledged toddlerhood.

Gwen took her first few steps in late June (6/25, to be exact). On the morning of her first birthday party, she gave us a special gift by walking for real.

Gwen's little squawks and squeaks are starting to sound more and more like words. "Ma-ma-ma" and "Da-da-da" are pretty common, and sometimes they actually seem like she's trying to say "Mom" and "Dad" (or "Morgan" or "Dora", depending on the situation).

She is eating a lot of table food now. Like her big sister, she loves macaroni and cheese. She's also a big fan of blueberries and yogurt melts. She got her first taste of Sour Cream & Onion potato chips at her birthday party and decided those were pretty tasty, too. She has also started experimenting with using spoons and forks when she eats.

Gwen is also really getting the hang of playtime. Whether it's playing peak-a-boo behind her bib, making her doll dance, banging on her new drums, tapping her games on Mom's iPhone, or coloring (her favorite), Gwen's play seems to gets more and more intricate every day.

Here are some more photos from Gwen's 12th month.

Gwen's class had "Baby Olympics" a few weeks ago. Gwen didn't take home any medals, but according to at least one anonymous teacher, the games may have been rigged. We expected a full investigation from the International Infant Olympic Committee.

We mentioned earlier that Gwen is getting better and better at playtime. The unfortunate downside is that she gets herself into everything now, and can leave a one-baby path of destruction behind her now. Oh well.

Gwen loves to color. Now that she has gotten over trying to eat the crayons, she is starting to work on her technique. First, lefty...

Then righty...

And then both...

Gwen has even tried painting with sidewalk paint!

A few weeks ago, Gwen helped Mom pick out hats and decorations for her birthday party.

When it came time to get the food ready, Gwen really wanted to help. So, after months of watching Morgan help Mom, Gwen finally got her chance. (Like we said, our little baby girl isn't a baby any more.)