11

Yesterday, Talia turned 11 months. She started

the day early by accompanying Mom to see

Dad play tennis and Mamie get a tennis lesson.

Then, Mamie prepared brunch with all of Talia's

favorite fruits and other food.

After that, there was a celebration, with cake, of course.

Talia even got long-distance congratulations from

Grandmama and Granddad Schlatter in Virginia

via Skype. (Everyone is focused

on the computer screen.)

All that before noon. So there was plenty of time

later to play, swim, relax and nap.

To share the celebration, here are some recent

videos of Talia in action. (They're in

the popular MPEG 4 format, but let us know if

you have any problem seeing them.)

Here's "Lil' Squirt" getting an introduction

to football during her recent stay in Michigan.

Football

Boogie...oogie...oogie

That pretty much says it all about this clip.

Here's the reason Talia is sometimes so hoarse. It also

shows how Talia keeps those muscular legs so powerful.

(The last few seconds is particularly for Uncle Pierre.)

Elocution

Finally, here's Talia channeling a porpoise during

the conversion with her grandparents in Virginia.

Communicating

Mechanics

Message from Talia:

After having so much fun with Cousin Natalie's

bus in Michigan, I went out and got a vehicle, too.

They're fun...

Uh, oh. Where do these parts go?

It's got to be in this service manual somewhere.

Of course. In the storage compartment.

Ah, runs like a champ.

Visit to Michigan, Part B

This became a fun and frequent

sight: Talia and Cousin Natalie at

the table. And notice Uncle Pierre's

special ratatouille on the table. Yes,

the cousins got their share of that

as well.

May as well dress for those outings, right?

Here's the gang at lunch overlooking

the harbor in nearby Saugatuck.

Here's Cousin Natalie with Grandma

Jackie and mom Nikki, overlooking

the same harbor. Natalie is

enjoying her meal too much to pose.

Cousin Natalie gets a kick out of

watching her dad and Uncle Dave

toss the football.

Talia recovers a fumble.

Cousin Natalie and her dad take

a walk on the dock just behind

the cottage.

Wonder what advice Cousin Natalie

is sharing with Talia.

"Gotta get me a pair of those shades."

On the way to the airport for the

trip home, Talia visited Grand Rapids,

including the Gerald Ford Museum.

"OK, one more taste and I'm outta here."

Visit to Michigan, Part 1

Talia is back from a week-long reunion

with Cousin Natalie and family on Lake Michigan.

So much to report.

The trip was Talia's first in the air. She had a

great time. When the pilot heard it was

her first flight, she received a special

certificate and a pair of wings.

Talia hadn't seen Cousin Natalie

and Aunt Nikki since last November.

The reunion was exciting, as you can tell.

Catching up with Uncle Pierre.

Natalie brought LOTS of her toys

to share with Talia. Here, Talia

shows Uncle Pierre how to use

one of her favorites.

Lots of things to do in Michigan. Here,

the gang strolls along the Grand

River.

Well, somebody has to navigate...

... and sample the local cuisine.

Back at the cottage, the two cousins

prepare for a meal.

Before dinner, Talia gets a ride and

a song from Aunt Nikki, while Cousin

Natalie keeps time.

And speaking of meals, here's the

gang breakfasting on the cottage

deck.

Aunt Nikki and Uncle Pierre did

so much work setting up this reunion.

(Thanks, guys!) Here, they're busy

planning another outing. Is that

Talia helping out with GPS mapping?

A trip to the beach on Lake Michigan.

"Hey, toss that beach ball this way, man."

Jogging along the shore is a great

way to keep those muscular legs

in tip-top shape.

Stay tuned...