Chillin in the Heat

Whelp... I am just going to dispense with the typical apology for slacking on my blog duties and get to the good stuff. Life is good! Autumn is continuing to grow fast and make us laugh. I work a lot of hours Friday-Sunday which allows me to be home with Becky and Autumn a lot. We get out often and although nothing terribly exciting had happened with her since the last posting on this blog, it has been an exciting time. Lots of little things and fun times. Here are a few of them...

Adrenaline Junkie

I built a rope swing a few months back for all the nieces and nephews that regularly descend upon the Skinner Compound. Little did I know that my little Autumn would enjoy the swing as much as them. Since she could not sit on the typical flat, wood seat by herself, we added a plastic baby swing to the arsenal. The baby swing has a three way belt that keeps her nice and snug along with blankets for bumpers. What originally started out as gentle nudges quickly escalated to good hearty pushes. Becky, on more than one occasion, has commented that she is too much like her father. If she is not going far and flying high, she is not happy. As soon as the swing starts slowing down she lets us know. As soon as I grab the swing and wind up she gets a big smile on her face, which becomes a giggle when she takes off. Process repeated several times. I don't really know if that consists as being an adrenaline junkie if you have yet to grasp the concept and understand the consequences of gravity. We will see. She does have her father's blood and those things never slowed me down much.

The Great Outdoors

Growing in Washington I developed a love for hiking and camping. My father and step-mother would take us camping regularly in the summer. When searching for a wife, one of the criteria was somebody that liked to camp. Becky came along and affirmed her love for the outdoors. It wasn't until much later on that I found out that our definition of camping was far different. Mine consisted of backpacks and hiking in 4-6 miles. Her camping was parking the Suburban in the midst of some trees and unloading the cooler. So this summer when we decided to start camping we made some compromises. Instead of hiking in 4-6 miles we brought 4-6 children with us. Instead of bringing one cooler, we brought two. And each kid brought their own backpack. I never would have thought it, but her version of camping may be more draining... We do have a lot of fun though, and here are a few pictures to prove it. Recently, we have been making almost weekly visits to Sly Lake Park for a couple nights or just for a day trip.

Water Bug

Since Autumn was born she has always loved water. She loves her baths. She loves to drink water out of bottles and sippy-cups. Most of all, she loves swimming. This summer we have been visiting the lake, the neighborhood pool, Becky's brother's pool, and even invested in a couple inflatable pools. She loves them all. Just looking alone is not acceptable. She needs to be sitting, swimming, and splashing. She starts churning her think little legs and smacking the water with her hands. We think she is going to be a good swimmer like her mother. Before that happens though, we are going to have to try to break her habit of trying to drink the pool dry.

Big Girl

It is really amazing how fast children grow up. We don't really watch a lot of tv, but occasionally we get some time. I like my Sportscenter while Becky prefers her cooking and baby shows. One show she particularly likes is A Baby Story. It is the same thing every time. The show starts with a pregnant mother and ends with a baby. I will never understand how she can watch it over and over again. It must be a maternal thing. :o) Occasionally I will walk by and see a newborn, and it astounds me. Autumn used to be that small! They get so big, so fast it makes your head spin. On Tuesday she went in for an appointment. It had been a while since she had been weighed and measured, so the result took us by surprise. At about 6.5 months she weighted in at 17lb 13oz with a length of 27in. That put her in the 83% in length and 75% in weight for her age! I knew she was becoming a big girl, I just didn't know she was such a BIG GIRL!

Those are some of the highlights and events that have been going on with Autumn. Not much else is going on other than Alex Skinner, Becky's youngest brother, just became Elder Skinner. He entered the MTC yesterday in preparation for his service in the Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico Mission. A lot of family came together for the farewell and last supper. I was able to get a picture of Great-Grandma Ballard, Grandma Skinner, Becky and Autumn. Four generations! In about two weeks we will be heading out to Washington. It will be Autumns first commercial airplane flight :o) We will let you know how it goes...