Dog Days of Summer

One of our favorite ways to bid farewell to summer is to take Payton swimming at the local pool. Prior to draining the swimming pool for the season, the Arnold Pool hosted a doggie swim. Picture lots of dogs running around off-leash -- fetching balls, chasing one another, their tails wagging their bodies in excitment. The thrill of the abundance of rumps to sniff! Doggie bliss!

Excited dogs who run too fast don't make for good photography.

Greta seemed to enjoy watching all the crazy dogs running around.

Buddies.

See how tuckered out Payton is?
That's what happens when you fetch a ball for an hour straight.



Mama & Greta chose to stay dry and watch the *festivities* instead of participating.


**Festivities were not limited to dog-watching at the doggie swim.
Sometimes there's people to be watched as well.

Chasing Babies

We've been quite busy here at the Walter house lately. Three weeks ago, I started watching a friend's little boy during the weekdays. Henry is nine months old, and he's a sugar pie. I love that Greta has the opportunity to interact with another little person, someone other than mama and Payton the dog.

Greta seems to like Henry. Especially if he has something she wants. Like a toy she used to play with when she was four months-old and hasn't had interest in for MONTHS. It's now her favorite thing. BECAUSE HE WAS PLAYING WITH IT.

And the girl who rarely ever took a binky? Well, she's now developed a new-found affinity for them. She likes to slyly befriend the unknowing, innocent boy. She gets real close to him, bats her eyelashes and then goes in for the kill: quickly snatching his binky outta his little mouth and promptly plucking it right into her own like it was hers to begin with.

But she likes to give it back to him, too. SOMETIMES. Thank God, the little guy is such a trooper and just rolls with the punches. He has quickly learned to play her game right back, and when they're sitting side-by-side in the double stroller, he'll snatch her sippy cup and snacks like it's the last food on earth. (The boy is an EATER!)

Greta also enjoys stealing Henry's bottle. She's a breastfed baby and doesn't seem too interested in drinking the formula inside; she mainly wants to chew on the bottle's nipple. And to have what Henry has. And to wave it in his face, like SEE THIS BOTTLE. Yeah, it's yours. But it's mine now. And you can't crawl yet so you can't get it from me.

And this is when the girls-chasing-boys game begins, I guess?