Eloise likes to help daddy out when he is working out. She picks up the 5 lb discs and adds them to his bar. She likes to take her turn at the weight bench, puffing and blowing just like daddy.

Eloise has discovered the art of going on tip toes. She walks on her toes in the more normal fashion when she has shoes on, but likes to curl her toes under when she is barefoot.

Mitch and fen came to visit us. We took them to the zoo. Eloise kept us all moving, but she allowed us a break now and then

Eloise was delighted with her uncle. One of her favorite refrains while he was visiting was "Uncle Mitch, Uncle Mitch!" Maybe she recognized she had a playmate who would be silly with her.

Eloise was completely distracted by the little whirlpool she saw in the polar bear's pool. She stood and watched it for a good long while. I don't think she ever noticed the bear.

Eloise discovered that if you poke at a bird long enough it may poke back. However, rather than detering her as the bird doubtless hoped, she was delighted.

How is this for a bathing beauty

Eloise loves sprinklers and water fountains. She was very excited by the spalsh zone at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. We took a family trip here while Robert was off from teaching, and took a cool down break during the afternoon. Eloise shrieked and jumped and ran and splashed, stuck her head in every fountain and had a wonderful soaked to the skin time.

We visited the lorikeet's enclosure where Eloise was delighted to find birds that weren't behind a fence. She chased them until they all retreated.

Eloise was delighted when the birds came to sample nectar out of her hand. She was a little less delighted when they landed on her wrist instead of daddy's, but she adapted.

We visited the Santa Monica Pier where Eloise was delighted by the merry-go-round. She rode three times. She liked picking out her horse

Eloise has enjoyed coloring with her markers this summer. She has also enjoyed ice cream, cookies, salad with catalina dressing and many other messy treats.

We had a zoo trip with Eloise's friends that live on our street. from the back of the bear: her cousins Jon and Andrew, Eloise, and our neighbor Claire.

We enjoyed a camping trip to Arches with Michele's family. Eloise liked "climbing on rocks!" She also was very good at spotting arches by the end of our trip.

As is her birthright as a California girl, Eloise has begun her initiation into riding the waves. Dad pulled her around on the boogie board. She loved it.

This is Eloise's new all consuming passion. She has recently really come in to the world of make-believe play. Here she is feeding everyone dinner. The plastic hamburger patties are dubbed pancakes for this meal. she will also serve "hammermurs." She has a barn that she calls the hospital. Her toys go there to see the doctor after bonks and crashes. I'm afraid the injury rate is pretty high... especially for car-skateboard collisions. The books layed out behind the house consitute the swimming pool. The people also like to go mountain climbing and hide in caves (climb mommy and hide under her arm).

Eloise likes to take her ponies for a bath. Ponies enjoy jumping off the edge of the tub with a big splash, flying around the tub, and having water dumped on their heads.

This is the swimsuit I tie-dyed for Eloise. I had to get in one shot where it was relatively clean to show off my work.

When we visit the beach Eloise likes to vary her routine between "come on, let's get wet" and "sand castle! my shovel."

Dad and Eloise admire our handiwork. Eloise did some good work, helping in the trenches and filling buckets for the domes. She tried placing a few domes, but wasn't sucessful, so she had Mom do that most of the time.

We enjoyed a late summer trip to visit the "big trees." This is General Sherman, the most massive tree alive. Eloise says it's a daddy tree

Robert was very proud of this picture

Eloise enjoyed the wall mural at the visitor center. She spent a goodly hunk of time running up and down in front of it naming all the animals. The ones she didn't know a name for were usually "monsters" (like the dobson fly larva, an aquatic insect)

This is from our trip to the cave. Eloise loved the idea of going to a cave, but not so much the going in. She was happy at the cave mouth, and happy for the first walk (although she kept good hold on both parents) but at the first room she wanted to go back. I don't know if it was the cave, or having to stay on the trail and in the group while the ranger talked. I took her back out and we waited for Robert at the cave mouth, where she was delighted to pick up rocks, sing songs, and touch the touching rock. In spite of her cave failure, she talks about the cave happily all the time.

At our cabin, Eloise found a couple chunks of asphalt she dubbed mommy rock and baby rock. When Mommy played rocks with her it was "come on, lets go." When Daddy played with her, she said mommy rock needed to brush baby rock's teeth, and do her hair. The was also a daddy rock, a real rock, but her was our doorstop, so he often had to "go to work"

Here Eloise shares her fish crackers with a group of pine cones. She wants to make sure they get a taste

Eloise was better at walking down the trail when her pine cone friends came with her. Mom and dad would bring some along to, and we would find rocks and log where the pine cone could meet and dance. Then our pine cones would call to Eloise's to come and join us. She thought it was great fun. But sometimes even a pine cone needs a rest break.