A few more lake pictures and a recipe

We had a fun time at the lake and I can't believe we have already been home for five days.  Clara's schedule really seemed to change at the lake - she stopped eating as much and was a lot more gassy - and we think it was because of the change in altitude from going from basically sea-level where we live to 7,500 feet above sea level.  Either way, she has been re-adjusting her sleeping and feeding patterns and so this week has been a little trickier than previous weeks when she had settled into waking up just once a night at 3:00 a.m. for a quick feeding.  Then yesterday she had her shots and was up every 2 hours all night long.  I woke up sleep deprived; she woke up grinning for daddy before he left for work.  She's our funny girl. 

Anyway, here are a few more pictures we took on Friday and Saturday at the lake.  This may be my new favorite family photo of the three of us:

Clara was NOT happy about the sunhat I made her wear to protect her from the sun that had burned Paul's forehead the day before while he was off playing tennis or something.  So I took a picture to prove that this girl can let her opinion be known when she wants to.  I find it ironic that she is wearing a shirt that says "I love mommy" while she is bellowing her dislike of the hat I forced her into. 

Me explaining to my daughter for the first, and not the last time, that it is for her own good.  She calmed down eventually.

We also went kayaking in this ghetto awesome kayak that Paul built when he was in 8th grade.  Paul's uncle Bill and Paul's dad got these kayak kits when they were boys as part of a scouting project.  Bill built his, but Paul's dad never did so when Paul discovered the unmade kit in his grandma's garage, he asked if he could make it.  Paul LOVES his kayak and takes serious pride in having made it, although it will get swamped by a 6-inch wave so it can only go out on the calmest of water.

I even took the kayak out for a quick spin.

But mostly I stayed on the beach with baby-girl.

My heart seriously bursts seeing Paul carrying Clara around in the sling.  It just makes me smile every time.

We went out on a boat too to try to catch some fish, but we didn't have any luck.  Clara did great on her first boat trip, although we don't have any photos since she was bundled up the entire time to avoid the cool lake breezes.  This is Paul on the dock waiting with Clara in her carseat to board the boat.  This photo gives a good idea of what the lake area looked like - pine trees that go right down to the water's edge, snowcapped mountains nearby, and blue waters and skies.

It was a fun vacation, but when we got home, Paul and Clara were pretty exhausted.  This is how they spent Sunday afternoon:

Last but not least, I thought I would post a recipe that I made a couple times while we were at the lake.  This Black Bean Avocado Salsa is one of my favorites and everybody (but especially Paul's brother Dave) raved about it.  So in case you were wondering what to take to a 4th of July cookout, here is an idea. 

Black Bean Avocado Salsa

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 packet of dry Italian dressing

2 avocados, cut into chunks

1/2 of a red onion, diced

2 cups chopped tomatoes (I prefer fresh Roma tomatoes, but I have used canned diced tomatoes in the past and it still turns out pretty good)

3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (I just squeeze 3 limes and call it good)

3-4 Tbsp chopped cilantro (I eyeball this and maybe do more like 4-6 Tbsp because I LOVE cilantro)

1-2 finely chopped jalapeno peppers, seeded unless you can really take the heat.  (Sometimes I think 1 is too mild but 2 peppers maxes out my spiciness tolerance so somewhere in the middle is probably best.) 

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup roasted corn (optional - I have never made this with the corn before but I am sure it is tasty)

For the visual folks out there, here is a picture of everything you need:

Combine all chopped ingredients in a large bowl and stir together. Like so:   

Voila.  Serve with tortilla chips. This would also be tasty topping a grilled white fish.