If you don't laugh when you watch this, go see the Wizard of Oz ASAP and ask him for a new heart.

Another first for Molly: her first swim! During a visit with friends Will and Melanie, we took Molly for a dip in their swimming pool. She seemed to like it!

Check out the awesome swimsuit that Mommy and Grammy picked out.

Daddy got to take her in first.

She still loves those two fingers!

Fortunately, the only shark attack occurred on dry land.

Molly set off on her second hike today in Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve. This trail meanders through a lush riparian woodland of sycamores, live oaks and poison oak (the latter thankfully cleared away from the fringes of the trail). A gentle stream flows through the canyon, creating many inviting pools and grottos amongst the trees.

It's this water source, in fact, that is responsible for creating such a green, wooded ecosystem in a city where the desert climate allows little more than dry chapparal and cactus. You can see for yourself in the photos what a beautiful place it is. Almost like being back on the East Coast! (Yes, the weather may be better here, but SoCal can't match the boundless forests of Virginia or New York.)

Mommy may be enjoying a multi-course meal and cooking class at the Marine Room (a La Jolla icon where even Daddy, the San Diego native, has never been), but Molly and Daddy are enjoying some seafood of their own from the neighborhood fish taco truck!

Another "first" this weekend: Molly's first hike! We drove up to Palomar Mountain, set Molly up in the baby backpack, and trekked down Doane Valley Nature Trail in Palomar Mountain State Park. Check out the photos (and one short video) below. 

Hope to report "Molly's First Campout" sometime in the near future!

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We have an escape artist on our hands. Time to lower the crib!

(You can also hear her new "Da-Da" babbling in the video.)

Molly has begun saying "Da-Da"! Okay, so it's just her latest babble, and it's more like "Da-Da-Da-Da-Da," but I'll take it!