we're back!

lucy & i, along with the rest of the wonderful women in my family, had a fabulous time at the russian river. we rented a house right on the shore, and spent the week just hanging around and relaxing. the weather was a touch on the cool side early in the week, but it warmed up after awhile and we were able to soak up some sunshine and enjoy the water. lucy seemed to really enjoy everything, though she was certainly happy to see jeremy when we returned home. here are a few of my favorite pics from the trip...

thrilled to be on vacation with the girls!

wondering what we should do next...

toes in the ocean for the first time!

with cousin savannah... worn out from our trip to the bodega bay!

feeding the ducks down at the river...

taking a dip in the russian river... this girl has nothing but love for the water!

too much fun in the sun for one day!

lucy's yet to be 4 months old, but she's already got an undeniable sense of wonder about the world. i can't really put into words how much i enjoy watching her experience nature--taking in the crash of ocean waves, kicking her feet in chilly river water, grabbing at handfuls of grass. our little getaway over the past week helped to reinforce my belief that she's ready to experience the world and many of the things in it, despite her age.

kind of related: i remember not to long ago reading about how an alarming number of inner-city schoolchildren (i can't recall the exact number) have never seen a cow. they know what a cow looks like, and they know that cows produce milk, but they've never seen, touched, heard or smelled one in real life. how can we expect children to respect nature, if they've never even experienced the beauty of it?