Carmel

Part of the reason we went to California this summer was to go to my Mommy's friend's wedding in Carmel. We had a really nice time there and I got to meet more of Mommy's friends from Washington, D.C. I was really lucky that Grandma came with us because I got to spend some special alone time with her. We visited a church garden to look at flowers, stopped in a children's gallery and got Ripsqueak books, and visited Carmel Beach to see the Pacific Ocean.

4 generations

Me, Mommy, Grandma, and Great Grandma-

All together in California!

My first trip to Lake Tahoe

Mommy told me that a trip to California is not complete without a visit to Lake Tahoe. She spent most of her vacations at the cabin my great grandpa built, so she said it would be a really special trip for me. I even got to put my first notch on the closet door to measure my height... the outlook doesn't look too tall for me. But, I've still got time...right?!

Even though it was too cold to go into the water, we visited Meeks Bay and walked down to the water's edge to take some photos. The water sure is clear there!

We also took a walk to Ward Creek, which is where mommy and Uncle Andy used to go climbing on rocks with Grandpa. I'm too little to do that now, but I'll get to do that in a few more years!

Thanks for taking us up there, Grandpa! We had a great time with you.

My new friend Ashlyn

Mommy, Auntie Kelly and I drove down to San Carlos to visit their friend Nichole and my new friend Ashlyn. I brought her a special present to help her practice sitting up. I hope she liked it!









Mommy told me all about how she and Nichole met in high school in Sacramento, and how happy she is that they've stayed friends all these years. We can't wait to go back again and see them again next summer!

I love my fruit in my mesh feeder!

Fresh out of the shower!

After my LOOOONG trip from Maputo to Chicago, I needed a shower to refresh myself.

Auntie Erin snuck in and snapped a picture of me drying off.

Good thing I had my happy face on!

Here is a picture with mommy and her friends, Paige and Erin. They are both pregnant with new friends for me! Now I'll have someone to play with when I come to visit again next summer.

God's window and Bourke's luck pot holes

Mommy had an environmental compliance training in South Africa and decided she just couldn't live without me for a single day, so she decided to take Rosa and me along with her for the trip.

We left on the weekend so that we could do some sightseeing on our way. Destination: The Panorama Route around Blyde River Canyon with its cascading waterfalls, impressive gorges and rugged mountains. It rained a lot the first day, but we were in the car most of the day anyway until we got to Graskop- our home for the night. By the way, I did great! I did cry a bit and got frustrated that I had to stay strapped into my seat, but mommy way proud at how patient I was. Before the sun set, we made it to Bourke's Luck Potholes. Look!

We got back to the house we rented and made dinner, then mommy and I tucked ourselves into bed together to stay warm through the night. One thing a lot of people don't know about South Africa is that winters there are COLD!

We woke up early Sunday to make sure we had some time to see a bit more before we hit the road for the rest of the trip to Pretoria. We lucked out and had lots of sunshine to go look at some of the beautiful sites. Our first visit was to the waterfall right down the road from where we were staying. Here is a picture of Rosa and me there:

From there we went to God's Window, an amazing mountain view of the lowveld. There is a walk to a place called rainforest there and mommy and Rosa thought it would be nice to go up. Once we got to the top, mommy took her camera to the edge to take some photos of the view. Little did she know that I was having my own photo shoot with Rosa where she left us sitting on a rock... when she got back there were a bunch of families posing with me and taking lots of pictures. Here I am with one of the familes:

After God's Window, we set out on the second half of our drive to Pretoria. I know that mommy is already excited to go back to where we stayed at Thaba Tswane with our friends so that she and daddy can do some of the fun activities there, like abseiling, rafting and hiking.

Mommy gave me a big kiss at night and told me, "Thank you for making my first Mother's Day so wonderful."

Love, Isabelle.