I took advantage of having a helper for Allison until 9:00 last night, and Meredith and I went kayaking at Whiskeytown.  It was 107 degrees when I clocked off work, and the lake was beautiful!  I was a bit nervous leaving Alli - originally I was supposed to have a helper that had been here before, but that was not who showed up on my doorstep yesterday afternoon.  Nope, I got a brand new person, so instead of being able to load my kayaks and gear up on my lunch hour (really just a half-hour, after I run and get Alli at her daycare) I ended up doing it after work.  (Did I mention it was 107 degrees when I got off work???)  I knew Alex was home for any questions the helper had, but since Alli is non-verbal, the helpers have to figure out what she needs by observation/body language - hard to do with someone you just met!  The new helper did great, so I didn't need to worry, but....some things you just can't help, right?  All in all - the kayaking trip was worth it though.