And the beat goes on....

Spring Break has finally come! I get to spend my week long reprieve with two of the cutest girls around; every male college students dream come true :o) There have not really been any significant events or occurrences since the last blog posting, but that is not to say that nothing has changed. Autumn continues to grow and develop at a rapid pace. If given the time, I am confident I could post daily on the blog, solely based on the topic of Autumn and her accomplishments/growth. Cute and silly stories would be abundant. As it is, you will just have to settle for me prattling on once every 1-3 months.

Sun Sucker
As stated in previous postings, Autumn loves to be outside. She soaks up as many rays during the day as humanly, and parentally, possible. Her new favorite activity outside it being pulled behind either her father's, or mother's, bike in her child trailer. She especially loves going down hill with the wind blowing in her face. She has been known to squeal and laugh heartily on such occasions. Although she loves to be pulled around and pushed around on a big wheel, she is also an explorer. You may have heard of The Lone Ranger, well, she is the Alone Ranger. If you don't keep a sharp eye out for her she will take off, usually in search of something to climb on. Fortunately, she typically finds her way back and/or responds well to vocal-location. :o)

Baller Babe
Autumn has taken an early interest in sports. She has already learned how to place a whiffle ball on the tee, then knocking it off with a little plastic bat. Recently, she has developed and Ichiro-style batting style by hitting on the run. It is still to early to tell if the power numbers will be there... ;o) She has also shown a fondness for basketballs and Frisbees, all of which she refers to simply as "ball".

Copy Cat
Yes, our little girl has begun, in varying degrees, to vocalize her needs and wants in the form of words, or at least loose versions of the words. :o) While most of the words she has gleaned from those around her have practical use and an attached meaning, others don't. I am learning really quick to watch what I say in her presence because she is becoming a bit of a copy cat. We try our best to emphasize certain words like "please" and "thank you" while avoiding words like "no" and "mine". However, we are both human (I am much more human than Becky).

Canine Controller
A funny example of Autumn's new found ability to regurgitate things that she hears can be found in her relationship with Abby. Abby is an Australian Shepard that resides on the premises of the Skinner compound. Abby has lived the entirety of her fairly long life as an outside dog. As far as dogs go, she is somewhat of a loner. She believes herself to be an Alpha-female over those around her, with the exception of Grandpa (papa) Skinner. Abby and I constantly butt-heads in our individual attempts to assert our authority over each other. It is no surprise then that Autumn has picked up the phase "Abby NO... go!". She even says it with the same emphasis and inflection as her father :o)

Slide Savvy
Autumn severely enjoys slides. Big slides, small slides, plastic slides, metal slides, slow slides, fast slides; it doesn't matter, she likes them all. The progression from going down the slide with "mama" and "daddy" to going down by herself was astonishingly swift. Whether she is going down the fast slides on her belly, or the slow slides on her bum, she is never contented being led away from the slide.

Envy Monster
Autumn's personality and character have really begun to take shape. She wants to do many things on her own now; from feeding herself with a spoon to getting the wipes out when changing her diaper. It is so fun watching her grow up, learn new things, and do them on her own. However, sometimes it seems like she is doing it ("it" being the whole childhood thing) way to fast. About a month ago, Becky's brother and sister-in-law gave birth to a second child. Last week we went to their apartment to visit the newborn for the first time. Autumn loves when her cousins are around and enjoys playing with other children, but when Becky held the newborn, our blue-eyed angel's eyes turned green with envy. She was not having it. She was only slightly more receptive to daddy holding a newborn. Needless to stay our visit was on the short side. Although the list of things she wants to do on her own continues to grow, the trip serves as a fond reminder that she is ok with being our little girl.

As to Becky and myself, not much is going on. We are both looking forward to summer, especially the cessation of this semester of classes. I will be taking the eight-week summer course off, or at least with minimal online credits. We are planning on doing a lot of camping and bike riding with Autumn. The big event, which was alluded to last posting, is our trip to Idaho and Washington. Here is the schedule for that trip (for the sake of those affected):

Idaho: July 10-14
Washington July 14-21

Any who, I will cease my inane blathering with a wish of good luck and our expression of love to family and friends. Until next time....