Bonding on the Range

Boy, there's been a lot of water under the bridge since that blustery December day nearly a year ago when we clumsily bundled our newborn into several layers of clothes and took her . . .

. . . to the archery range! Cuz that's what you do with newborn, right?

These days Joy actually stays awake to watch the proceedings. She's happy to stay behind me the whole time because, even at this tender age, she's aware how lousy my aim is.

Here's Daddy taking aim from 40 yards. The mist lends a touch of romance to the scene, don't you think?

Oh yeah, and that arrow my dad accidentally shot into the branch above the target a few months back? Yup, the arrow tip's still stuck there.

Standing For Something

I know it may be hard to tell from this photo, but . . .

. . . Joy is standing unsupported. She still prefers to lean on things most of the time, but more and more she's starting to let go and stand unassisted. She does it most often when she wants to examine something with both hands. Driven by curiosity - just like her Mama.

Joy Heart Cheese

When Joy stopped nursing, the rest of her diet consisted mainly of fruits, veggies, and grains. I was at a loss how to get sufficient calcium and protein into her. Fortunately, one of the play group moms suggested . . .

. . . cheese! String cheese, specifically. I never cared for the stuff much as a kid, but I have now repented and changed my ways. Oh yeah, and Joy likes it, too. She ate a whole stick of it (broken into bite-size pieces, visible on her tray) with her lunch today. She also likes plain yogurt mixed with fruit, and I think I've found a jarred meat she'll actually tolerate. Yay!

Here I've just placed a bit of cheese in Joy's mouth. Ah, the supernal delight of dairy products!

Putting Things In Perspective

Joy says:

"My nose may have issues . . ."

". . . but I still have the cutest feet in the neighborhood."

Virus Meets Girl

Sorry we haven't posted in a while. Joy's nose started running on Monday, and things were downhill from there. Baby is feeling much better now, but she spent most of the week running a fever and . . .

. . . doing this . . .

. . . and this . . .

. . . and this. In case you're confused by this one, this is Joy stuffing her mouth absolutely full of bread. For a couple days, bread and apple juice were the only things she would permit to enter her mouth.

Don't touch my bread, Dad.

P.S. For a list of helpful lessons I learned from this ordeal, click here.

The Ontario Hendricksons

Phillip's Uncle Mark invited us to come out to Ontario for a big family dinner today.

It was a full house, with Cousins Nicole, Jodi, and Scott and their families also there for good company and good food (aka tasty ribs, a stupendous salad, and cheesecake for dessert).

If you ask Joy, though, the highlight of the evening was when Cousin Scott introduced her to Dora the Dog.

Temple Jubilee

Latter-Day Saints in the Los Angeles Temple district have been invited to celebrate the temple's 50th anniversary by attending a special meeting in its solemn assembly room. Today was our stake's turn.

Phillip and I have been looking forward to this for months. The jubilee meeting (and the chapel session and endowment session that preceded it) were beautifully uplifting, and gave us a lot to think about.

Joy, meanwhile, was hanging out with about 25 other kids (the stake Relief Society president arranged babysitting in a nearby building). All that fun was pretty exhausting, and we returned to find her fast asleep.

Waking Sleeping Beauty.