What better way to spend Leap Day than hanging out with my lovable little brother?
Ryan was preoccupied with his new pull-to-stand obsession, so I snuggled up in my tent with a good princess book. Then, out of the blue I was attacked by the baby monster! 
It's impossible to stay mad at him once you look at his adorable face. 
So we ended up laughing at each other all afternoon!
Saturdays are a good chance to unleash our inner tornado. We like to bring up as many toys from the playroom as possible, sprinkle them randomly through the den, and then move on to one of our bedrooms. 
We like Ryan's room with the cool baby toys. Ryan always goes for the lion, which is funny, since we still call him Ryan the Lion (and since I am obsessed with The Lion King movie, songs, and book). 
He is a funny little monster, 
constantly cracking us up! 
We love hanging out and watching him play- he is determined, persistent, and never stops moving!
Our boy has mastered the pull-to-stand! We caught his second successful attempt on video this weekend: Little Man Standing 
He is even cruising a couple of steps around furniture, making him look extra stealth in my old Tigger booties!
His new motor skill comes with a bonus development of temper. He wants to stand up holding on to things at all times... not lay down for diaper changes! Mom and Dad crack up at his new "angry face" and growling cry-scream.
He has also finally exhausted himself enough to embrace two great naps a day!
Ryan's first day at the beach was a huge success! 
He loved his new toy- sand.
He liked it so much that he wouldn't stop eating it!
I had a blast building a "shell cake" sand castle and letting Dad bury my legs in the sand.
The water was too cold to go swimming, but it was still a perfect day to spend outside.
Ryan didn't care about swimming, he was focused on practicing his standing skills at every opportunity.
And making what we call the "Uncle Ed Face".
Thankfully it was very windy, finally giving Dad a chance to take out The Kite. The Kite has become a family joke. On weekends he brings it everywhere, constantly asking aloud if we think it will be a good day to fly a kite. 
The wind made my bubbles pretty awesome, too.
We finished the day with a grilled cheese sandwich beachside. February doesn't get any better than this!
This kid can't be stopped! He is obsessed with pulling himself up to stand. Mom and Dad would be proud if it weren't such a terrifying development. He is hell-bent on hitting all of his gross motor milestones as soon as possible.
His tenacious commando crawl takes him through the house in a flash, leading us to install the gates. Sometimes this means Moxie can't be at Ryan's side... 
but these boys always find a way back to each other. 
Ryan loves the freedom of playing in different rooms. He likes the variety of new toys, like electrical cords, drawers, and kitchen basics. Childproofing was never this intense with me!
Mom needs to cherish the few times in a day when our little monkey is cuddly and not moving around like the Energizer Bunny. He still loves a good hug, but only for a moment until he's ready to go, go, go!
This weekend we went to Busch Gardens to meet up with my school friends for a play date. We've all been best friends since meeting in the infant room. 
Nobody has more fun than this crazy crew! 
You can tell how blissfully happy this day was because I was willing to ham it up for the camera. 
Ryan came along for the day, content to enjoy this perfect weather while watching us scream, laugh, bounce, and dance. 
One day soon he'll be ready to run around with his friends, too. I'm teaching him my mad climbing skills, so he'll be prepared to be wild!
Bath time around here is less about cleaning, more about giggling and splashing. I do the giggling when I see Ryan's baby bottom, then he starts the splashing. He's a maniac!
I am a proud member of the Big Girl Club. We say things to our parents like "I'm pretending to be 5", because we want to be clear that we are not babies any more. We do awesome things like conquer the grown-up swing, scoot across the high bar like an Olympic gymnast, 
charm our baby brothers, 
and take our diapered babies on an "airplane ride" complete with beaded seat belts. 
Lately I am obsessed with earrings, asking Dad when I can get them (he says 18yrs), and asking Mom when she's going to give me hers. Sometimes they think I am a 13 year old stuck in a 3 year old body.
Our happy boy is 7 months old, and on the move! He can sit up really well on his own now... 
but finds sitting so outdated. From the moment we set him down anywhere, he quickly rolls himself into racing position.
He has mastered the commando crawl, using it to get to his favorite toys: the dog water bowl, the dishwasher, and drawers.
He loves to play with the drawers. Open. Shut. Open. Shut.
At school they have to literally lock him into a bouncy seat or jumper to keep him in one place for meals or nap time. Even in the bath he rolls onto his tummy and commando splashes all the toys. The baby honeymoon is over, we've officially entered the Mobile Phase!
