Put Up The Gates

Our boy is on the move!

Scooting Crawl

Pirates

It's time again for the pirate parade! We got our beads and got ready to party! The best part of this day is hanging out with our friends, and eating cotton candy that's bigger than Mom's head.Even Ryan had a blast catching up with his baptism buddy, and meeting new baby friends!

Put A Ring On It

Channeling Kelsey Fierce:

All The Single Ladies

Ryan and His Buddy

These boys have developed a special bond. Ryan whips his head around to look for Moxie when he hears the tapping of doggie feet down the hall. And any time we are playing in the floor, Mox finds the closest possible spot to curl up near him. Moxie patiently lets him pull his hair, tug on his ears, and examine his paws. Mom doesn't like it when he gives Ryan big wet kisses, but she tolerates it because it is so fun to watch Moxie tickle our baby boy: Ryan and Moxie

Picture Day

Mom and Dad scheduled a session with a photographer to capture our sweet faces at this age. It was also our first nice picture together as a family. Ryan was his typical happy, mellow self. He didn't mind the last minute wardrobe change when Dad vetoed the baby boy jumper that Mom picked out. I was just thrilled that somebody other than Mom was holding the camera so we could have our girl picture. The best part was at the end, when the photographer pulled out some fun dress up clothes. Shy Kelsey disappeared when it was time to model the tutu! Our parents love us so much!

Honey Badger Don't Care

"The Honey Badger Doesn't Give A Crap" is a ridiculous and funny video on YouTube that my Mom won't let me watch because it has too many dirty words. This was the phrase that came to mind when Ryan pulled the curtains out of the wall today.He is freakishly strong for a baby. Both sides of the curtain rod came out of the wall, hardware and all. Luckily there were no injuries! Mom said we will just have to get used to this room without curtains for a couple of years (in fact, we may have to rethink our whole childproofing strategy going forward). Ryan started daycare "school" last week. His teacher said that he is already on the fast track out of the infant room because he rolls around like a crazy person and pulls up all the floor mats. He is adjusting well to his new routine, but Mom is having a tough time because she misses him. For the last few weeks Mom has been snapping pictures of how he gets himself trapped under furniture. He tucks into a cozy spot with his toy and continues to play as if it was exactly where he wanted to be. One day Mom was cooking in the kitchen, heard the drawer open, and looked down to see him stuck, but having a great time. Mom and Dad have been laughing at how much more physical and aggressive Ryan is when compared to their sweet girl... I think we have officially entered the world of crazy boys!

Gelato

Today we took a trip to the yummiest gelato shop this side of Italy.
It was so good that Ryan had to try some. He wasn't crazy about the lemon flavor.
I'm sorry, but nothing is funnier than babies trying lemon for the first time. He seemed upset with the spoon at first, but just kept on eating it! He liked the chocolate flavor better.
We thought it would be fun to take a stroll through the waterfront park to look for manatees and crawl through some spooky cool trees. It was all good until I stopped being a good listener and defiantly almost ran into traffic. My parents cycled through heart attacks, then anger, then general frustration that the 3 year old phase is so challenging. Being 3 years old is hard. There are so many rules to remember, like paying attention when your parents are talking to you, not talking in whine language, and not screaming "NEVER!" in your parent's face when they ask you to do something. I'm big now, constantly saying "I'm a grown up". Maybe I don't always want to do what they tell me, did they ever think about that? Maybe I want to be more independent. Too bad I can't drive yet. I'm still a very good girl, just doing my best to manage the stress of being 3.

Ryan at 6 Months

So many reasons to love this boy at his half year mark! If only we could get him to smile for pictures.
He loves to jabber... to his toys, to us, to the air. He loves the tags on toys,really likes to sink his teeth into them!
He loves us, content to sit back and soak up our adoration. He loves me the most, laughing now if I simply look at him, and cracking up if I tickle him or say funny things. He can sit up by himself, but still takes a nosedive if we aren't nearby for support. And now he sleeps on his tummy, after completing a nightly series of acrobatic twists and rolls. Mom is always curious to see which corner he's tucked into in the middle of the night (usually the diagonal opposite of where she put him at bedtime). We have a feeling the next 6 months are going to be even more fun!

Happy New Year!

2012 is looking good already! Mom lets me do my own makeup now. I told her that Lady GaGa is my main inspiration. Ryan and I sat down to hammer out our New Year's resolutions today. Dad said we should focus on mind, body, and spirit. So these are the things I want to do: Write more. I am so proud that I can write my letters and numbers! Dance more. I wear my pretty dress every day, even putting it on over my pajamas first thing in the morning. My favorite song is Beyonce's "Put A Ring On It". Create more. I am a master chalk artist, and this year I want to expand my skills to painting and Play Dough molding.Ryan and I share one resolution, we want to play together more. He adores me, so I try to do nice things for him like drying and styling his hair in the mornings.
Ryan's list includes: Read more. Mom and Dad crack up over how difficult it is to read to an octopus. We may have to switch him to audiobooks.
Eat more. He's already gobbling up all of the solids we give him, even spinach! We're just going to skip baby food and start throwing our food in the blender for him. Make friends. Little Man starts school next week and he's already been flirting with the teachers. Mom says he is going to love it!