Remembering

I knew that today was going to be hard, and could very easily have been a really bad day. Today means that we have been without my dad for a year. I have dreaded every part of this day for a while now.

Instead of spending the day being sad I decided that it should be a day to celebrate the time we had with a great man and to provide good memories for Campbell. This is what my dad would want. Newport quickly came to mind as my dad had lived there, and I had visited there with him several times.

Jon and I both took the day off and Campbell's friend Gracie and her mom joined us for a Newport aquarium trip. The girls had a great time and I feel very fortunate to have been able to spend this day with family and friends.

All good things must come to an end...

With school starting two weeks ago our summer is officially over. Campbell has settled in nicely at daycare. I must admit my heart breaks a little when she reaches out for the daycare person then waves bye to me.

Each day that goes by Jon and I find ourselves asking where our tiny baby went. Campbell is looking and acting more like a toddler everyday. Our baby now talks, walks, expresses her opinion (sometimes loudly), shows affection, makes decisions (like climbing out the dog door) and is working on getting her first tooth! It still surprises me when she laughs at the dog then calls it by its name. Her other words include; mom, dad, hi, daisy, duck, dance, and no. She has also said "Hi dad" and "Thank You."

Campbell spent one of her last days of vacation helping me set up my classroom:

Campbell's best friend. Judging by the way these two play now, Gracie's mom and I are going to have our hands full!

Here are some 11 month old pictures: