OK folks I know it's been forever since my last blog. Camera and software problems (as well as the lack of time to figure them out) have kept me away but finally we're back.

A lot has happened in Frankie's life since the last update. She is now grabbing things with her hands and putting them in her mouth. She is also smiling and interacting with people. She is really turning into a person right before our eyes. We've seen it before but it's still quite amazing to watch.

She spends a lot of time in her little bumbo chair (a small rubbery chair good for kids between 3 and 8 months - once they develop more movement it's useless.) As you can see above, we have gone camping with the kids. Overall it went great. This was our second trip. Our first one didn't go so well. (I was still recovering from being sick, we got a late start, the site was noisy, etc.) but the above spot was perfect. Not too many people, lots of room, and we were better prepared. It's kind of unfair, but, we were near a Starbucks so I drove there in the a.m. instead of making our morning coffee over the fire. We also invested in a couple of air mattresses (a queen size for Laura and I and a kids size for Christian) so we were quite comfortable. The main problem was that Frankie woke up in the middle of the night and had a hard time getting back to sleep. It was a little cold at night. I think our camping season is probably over.

We are now struggling to get Frankie to take a bottle. Christian's preschool won't let mom watch Frankie while she volunteers so she has to be away for about 4 hours. If Frankie won't take a bottle then this arrangement won't work. More updates sooner. See also www.kevbonson.blogspot.com for Christian's updates.